OGUNQUIT, MAINE (April 20, 2018) – The Tramuto Foundation announces another milestone – the disbursement of nearly $1 million in special multi-year grants to eight diverse non–profit organizations. The foundation’s Board of Directors recently voted to support the non-profit partners with multi-year grants beginning this year and leading up to 2021, when a portion of the proceeds from the Tramuto Foundation’s 20th Anniversary Gala will be distributed among the eight organizations.

The 20th Anniversary Gala will be held on September 11, 2021, at the Cliff House Resort.

The Tramuto Foundation was created in 2001 by Donato Tramuto following the death of his two close friends and their young son who perished aboard Flight 175 on September 11, 2001, a flight Tramuto was originally scheduled to board. Tramuto wanted to honor his friends’ memory in a way that would ease the heartbreak and grief caused by that horrific event while making the future brighter for others. Hence, the September 11th, 2021 date was selected as a respectful acknowledgment of the many lives lost on that fateful day. The 20th-anniversary celebration will bring together the families of his friends, as well as the many individuals and organizations that have been supported by the Tramuto Foundation since its formation.

The Tramuto Foundation will continue current grant partnerships with four non-profits, including:

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, New York, NY
$200,000 over five years to continue to endow the Tramuto Human Rights Defender Fund which supports the work of laureates of the Partners in Human Rights program. Tramuto serves as Chairman of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Leadership Council and is a 2014 recipient of the Ripple of Hope.

Lwala Community Alliance, Nashville, TN
$175,000 over five years from the Tramuto Foundation and Tramuto’s other non-profit, Health eVillages, to continue funding the comprehensive Nutrition Initiative to eliminate childhood malnutrition in Migori County, Kenya.

Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
$100,000 over four years to continue the Tramuto Foundation’s endowment of an international student scholarship fund.

Health eVillages, Franklin, TN
$150,000 over five years to support the organization’s annual operating budget.

In addition, four new partnerships have been formed with the following organizations:

St. Joseph’s College, Standish, ME
$100,000 over four years to create Maine’s first Institute for Integrative Aging and associated programming.

Good Shepherd Food Bank, Hampden, ME
$50,000 over four years to support the purchase of a cold storage unit in its new Hampden facility.

Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, Boston, MA
$60,000 over four years to support the implementation of Trauma Informed Care for children placed in the agency’s Lancaster Residential Treatment Center.

Thomas Jefferson University – Jefferson College School of Population Health, Philadelphia, PA
$100,000 over five years to create the Tramuto Scholarship, the first endowed scholarship to bring highly qualified students into the Population Health program.

In addition to the special grants, the Tramuto Foundation annually awards a scholarship to a Bangor High School senior class member and a Wells-Ogunquit High School senior.