The Town of Danvers Human Rights and Inclusion Committee on Oct. 16 opened applications for a new mini grant program that will award $200–$500 to residents and community members for short-term projects promoting inclusion, and it approved an events calendar for 2025–26 that includes a menorah lighting in December, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. event on Jan. 19, Black Excellence on Feb. 7, Pride in June and participation in Juneteenth activities.

The mini grant application will be open for four weeks and will be available online via a shared link and on a paper flyer with a QR code distributed at community locations. The committee said it expects to review applications after the window closes and to distribute awards between December and January, potentially aligning announcements with the MLK event. Grant recipients will have up to a year to carry out their projects. Applicants must have a connection to Danvers; the committee said there is no minimum age to apply and that projects should primarily serve Danvers residents.

Committee members described the grant as a way to broaden participation in HRIC work. The program’s stated funding range is between $200 and $500 per award, and applicants must explain how they will assess and reflect on their project after it is completed. The committee said the application materials will be shared on social media and in local community spaces.

Committee members also reviewed event assignments for the year. The menorah lighting will be scheduled in coordination with Rabbi Mendel and local calendar considerations; the MLK event is set for Jan. 19; Black Excellence is scheduled for Feb. 7; committee members assigned to Pride in June include Paul, Reverend Douglas, Lieutenant Sullivan and Donna; and Juneteenth activities are primarily run by the North Shore Juneteenth Association with HRIC facilitating town coordination.

Members recapped a well-attended Oct. 4 multicultural celebration that featured food and student artwork. Organizers named several participants and partners, including North Shore Community College, the Danvers Library, the Latino Police Officers Association and immigration attorney Nancy Norman of Horrigan and Norman. Committee members said Police Chief Lovell and Captain Sanborn attended, and they thanked volunteers, vendors and civic partners for the event.

Liaisons gave brief updates. Lieutenant Sullivan, the police liaison, said the department is available to the committee and encouraged members to call, text or email as needed. Paul, the committee’s school liaison, reported that the school committee discussion he attended included curriculum discussion of All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (noted for use in the eighth-grade curriculum) and said the HRIC’s education subcommittee plans to meet with the superintendent, likely in November, to follow up.

The meeting included routine committee business: members approved the minutes from the September meeting and later moved to adjourn. No new bylaws, ordinances or contractual actions were taken.

The HRIC asked members and residents to take flyers with QR codes to distribute the mini grant application and said it will announce application details and next steps on its channels once dates are finalized.