First Literacy Awards Over $34,000 in Grants to Eight Organizations

Julie’s Family Learning Program received a $4,800 grant from First Literacy. Pictured left to right: Terry Witherell, First Literacy Executive Director, Anna Fernandez-Buehrens, Program Director for Adult Basic Education at Julie’s Family Learning Program, Michelle Persson Reilly Julie’s Family Learning Program Executive Director, Dorrie Nord, Instructor at Julie’s Family Learning Program, and Annie Sferrazza, First Literacy Program Director.

BOSTON, MA – First Literacy recently announced their 2026-2027 grant recipients. Eight organizations were awarded grants to carry out innovative initiatives that will impact adult learners across Massachusetts. In total, $34,463 in grant funds were distributed to nonprofits with new and innovative Adult Basic Education or English Language Learning projects.

Since 1988, First Literacy has focused on improving Adult Basic Education (ABE) in the community. Grant funding initiatives have grown immensely over the years, supporting hundreds of organizations in the development and trial of innovative education programs.

“These pilot programs meet essential needs that are often not fundable through other sources,” said Terry Witherell, Executive Director. “By investing in new approaches to Adult Basic Education, we can help educators address emerging needs, strengthen student outcomes, and remove barriers to learning for more adults.”

Grants of up to $15,000 are open to all not-for-profit Adult Basic Education and English Language Learning organizations in Massachusetts. Grants can be used for projects such as developing and piloting a program idea, offering a short-term class that fills an unmet student need, or organization-wide initiatives.

First year funded programs include a seminar for students working in residential cleaning that will bridge the gap between technical skills and the English proficiency required for professional independence; a series of AI literacy workshops for adult learners in community-based education programs; a program that will address the critical digital gap faced by grandparents who are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren but lack the technical skills to navigate modern educational and social service systems; and a basic literacy support program for adults from Afghanistan and Somalia who are not literate in their first language, thus limiting their ability to succeed in ESOL classes.

“We’ve noticed that there is an urgent need to support female students working in residential cleaning,” said Dan Flaherty, Project Leader and Teacher at Framingham Adult ESL Plus. “While many of these women arrived in the U.S. with diverse professional backgrounds or university degrees from their home countries, language barriers have funneled them into the informal cleaning economy. By targeting this specific demographic, the project serves a population that is highly motivated but currently underserved by general ESL curricula.”

Four organizations were also awarded a second year of funding to continue and build upon a successful pilot program. Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) Adult Education will continue their 12-week AI Powered English program for ESOL learners. Community Action, Inc. will use funds to continue to offer their 6-week summer program which offers the opportunity for waitlisted students to participate in a boost ESOL class. Blue Hills Adult Education will use a second year of funding to build upon their 4-week summer intensive program intended to help students with limited digital literacy skills better access digital resources and increase their ability to master English. The House of the Seven Gables will use funds to continue their ESL class that focuses on the English skills needed to find and succeed in a job.

“This year we awarded four second-year grants, which really speaks to the impact that these projects have on their students and organizations as a whole,” said Annie Sferrazza, First Literacy Program Director. “We are excited to see how these programs grow and evolve over the next year to better meet the needs of adult learners.”

In addition to receiving a second year of funding, The House of the Seven Gables will also partner with Brockton Workers Alliance to offer their six-week intensive course focused on the English language skills adults need to find and succeed in the workplace. The Replication Grant will provide funding to both organizations with the goal of expanding a proven program into a new community, extending its impact and creating more opportunities for adult learners.

“We are thrilled to award a replication grant again this year,” said Sferrazza. “Brockton Workers Alliance and The House of the Seven Gables are two very different organizations, so I’m looking forward to seeing the impact that the Workplace Language and Skills for Newcomers project has on the Brockton community.”

In addition to offering grants, First Literacy provides free professional development to adult educators and awards scholarships to adult learners pursuing higher education. Since the organization’s founding in 1988, over $6 million has been allocated to support teachers and innovative literacy programs and over 600 scholarships have been awarded.