Keep Massachusetts Beautiful
Clean, Green, and Litter-Free
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We are working to raise awareness about the litter problem in Massachusetts and inspire and educate others to take action to solve it. We are also focusing on related issues, including waste reduction and recycling, beautification, and environmental education. Our organization focuses on civic engagement and civic pride. By organizing and supporting local Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapters (there are currently 28) we are working to clean up and green up the entire state of Massachusetts.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Great Massachusetts Cleanup
The Great Massachusetts Cleanup takes place in communities across the state. This program encourages each town or city in the state to organize at least one local large-scale litter cleanup per year.
Keep Massachusetts Beautiful provides logistical support, training, and expertise to volunteer leaders.
The Great Massachusetts Cleanup is part of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup.
These cleanup events foster civic engagement, civic pride, and bring residents together to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.
Massachusetts Litter Cleanup Crew
The Massachusetts Litter Cleanup Crew program enourages residents to incorporate litter cleanups into their daily walks, whether those walks are by themselves, with their dog, or with family and friends. To make the task easier for participants, KMB provides Massachusetts Litter Cleanup Crew kits that include:
A litter cleanup/grabber tool
An official Mass Litter Cleanup Crew safety tee-shirt
An official Mass Litter Cleanup Crew reusable trash bag
A pair of high-quality gloves
A reusable trash bag
This program makes it easy and safe for volunteers to keep their neighborhoods litter-free all year long.
Talking Trash & Recycling
To help educate Massachusetts residents and local businesses about what should go in their recycling bins and what should go in their trash bins, KMB offers the Talking Trash & Recycling presentation via Zoom or in poerson for communities and businesses located in Massachusetts.
The Talking Trash & Recycling program is an interactive presentation that teaches Massachusetts residents about the best ways to manage trash and recyclables at home, work, or school. The program reviews MassDEP’s RecycleSmartMA program and how it helps residents find answers to their recycling questions.
The Talking Trash & Recycling program is delivered in about 45 minutes, with 15-30 additional minutes for questions and answers at the end of each session. We customize each presentation to ensure it matches up with the type of trash and recycling programs in the host community.
Plant Something Beautiful
Each September, KMB's annual Plant Something Bee-eautiful program awards $10,000 in grants to Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapters and/or other non-affiliated organizations. These grants support the planting of pollinator-friendly gardens in public spaces. The goal is not only to beautify public spaces, but also to restore habitat for pollinators.
Bees and other pollinators are in serious decline around the world. The decline of pollinators is caused by habitat destruction, the overuse of pesticides that include neonicotinoids, farming practices that eliminate patches of wildflowers and cover crops, parasites and pathogens, as well as climate change. Plants that depend on pollination make up 35 percent of global crop production volume with a value of as much as $577 billion a year.
Next-Gen Environmental Leader Scholarship
Each year, Keep Massachusetts Beautiful awards a one-time $2,500 scholarship to a student who will be pursuing a degree or certificate in environmental studies or a related field at an accredited institution of higher learning.
The scholarships supports a student who had demonstrated a commitment to environmental protection, environmental justice, or community service to improve the environmental health or sustainability of their community through engagement in one or more of the following activities:
Participation in a high school Green Team, environmental club, local Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapter, or volunteer engagement with another environmental nonprofit organization during their high school years
Intention to pursue a degree or certificate in environmental sciences or a related field at an accredited college, university, or technical trade school
A minimum 40 hours of environmental volunteer work completed over their junior and/or senior years of high school
Where we work
Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Eliminate (or drastically reduce) litter in Massachusetts.
Raise awareness about littering behavior and educate the public to prevent litter and illegal dumping.
Organize volunteer resources to clean up the litter that is already along our roadsides, beaches, parks, and other public spaces.
Support efforts to educate people on how to recycle correctly. We are a partner of MassDEP's RecycleSmartMA program.
Promote programs to beautify Massachusetts communities through plantings and other projects.
Support common-sense legislation to improve packaging and reduce plastic pollution, such as ordinances to reduce the use of plastic bags, straws, styrofoam containers, etc.
Promote the adoption of extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws.
Grow our network of local Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapters.
Restore pride in Massachusetts!
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Great Massachusetts Cleanup is our flagship litter cleanup program. Our goal is to help every community in the state organize a community-wide litter cleanup in the spring, as well as another one in the fall.
Our network of local KMB chapters serves as the local "eyes and ears" of their respective communities. These organizations focus on litter abatement, recycling, waste reduction, and beautification programs.
We conduct regional "Litter Summit " seminars to educate people about our programs and solutions.
We partner with Massachusetts businesses looking to engage their employees in local community improvement projects.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our network of local chapters collectively engages thousands of volunteers in communities across the state. We also engage hundreds of corporate volunteers every year. With more funding, we hope to hire staff that will allow us to scale up our operations across the state.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We started out in 2014 by building a website to communicate what we hoped to accomplish. We had zero budget. Since then, we have made significant progress with fundraising from businesses and individuals. We have grown our brand, awareness about our key areas of impact, and grown the network of local chapters from just three to 28 as of December 2020. More than 7,000 volunteers participated in the Great Massachusetts Cleanup in 2018 and we are working to grow that number every year.
In 2019, we launched a fall planting program called Plant Something Bee-eautiful. This program provides grants to encourage the planting of pollinator-friendly public gardens across Massachusetts.
On May 16, 2019, we hosted our 1st annual Massachusetts Clean Community Awards to recognize volunteers, legislators, and educators for their contributions to our cause. In 2020, we hosted a virtual awards ceremony on December 3 via Zoom.
Our plans for the future include:
Continued focus on growing our network of local chapters.
Partnering with MassDOT to clean up and beautify Massachusetts highways.
Passage of EPR legislation.
Grow participation in the Great Massachusetts Cleanup and the Massachusetts Litter Cleanup Crew.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Keep Massachusetts Beautiful
Board of directorsas of 09/24/2024
Mr. Thomas Mackie
Mackie Shea PC
Term: 2019 - 2022
Andrew Bank
LABUR
Bonnie Combs
Blackstone Valley Heritage Association
Thomas Mackie
Mackie Shea, PC
Ainsley Smith
NOAA
Neil Rhein
Keep Massachusetts Beautiful
Margaretta Morris
Cape Cod Anti Litter Coalition
Monica Pennell
Oracle
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
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