Parmenter Foundation reaches 69,829 people through grief and end-of-life programs

The Parmenter Foundation says it reached 69,829 people over five years as it expanded grief and end-of-life support across MetroWest Boston and launched new programs to fill service gaps. The nonprofit’s latest report points to 20 new programs, more than $1.5 million in grants and new campus and pediatric bereavement initiatives.

Why it matters: - The Parmenter Foundation says the scale of unmet grief and end-of-life needs is large enough to justify new programs, broader education and more local support services. - The nonprofit’s five-year results show where families, patients, caregivers and students were previously missing help. - The report frames grief support as a community infrastructure issue, not only a clinical one.

What happened: - The Parmenter Foundation released its 2025 Annual Report this week. - The report says the foundation reached 69,829 individuals over the past five years through grantmaking, education, a resource hub and program development. - The foundation helped create 20 new programs from 2020 to 2025 to address unmet community needs. - In 2025 alone, the foundation awarded $452,419 in education development and grants.

The details: - The five-year impact includes more than $1.5 million in grant awards. - Parmenter says its support included bereavement services for 2,998 children, hospice care support for 846 patients and grief counseling for 3,004 adults. - The foundation also supported 947 caregivers. - Grief support videos generated 57,700 views. - Nine programs expanded into MetroWest that had not previously been available to local residents. - One of the new efforts is pediatric bereavement support for families coping with the loss of a child. - Another is grief education for college campus communities.

Between the lines: - The report suggests Parmenter is moving beyond grantmaking into program design and service creation. - The pediatric bereavement work points to a gap between hospital-based care and what families receive after a child dies. - The campus initiative reflects a broader recognition that students often lose access to support even when colleges already have some resources in place. - Angela Crocker said focus groups found many grieving families felt disconnected once a child died, and many students did not know campus resources existed or how to access them.

What's next: - The Pediatric Bereavement Programs at Mass General for Children and Boston Children’s Hospital are expected to continue providing resources, counseling and interdisciplinary support for up to two years after a child’s death. - UGrieve is now available nationally to colleges through The Jordan Porco Foundation’s Fresh Check Day college wellness fair. - The Parmenter Foundation plans to keep building compassionate campus communities and expanding grief support tools.

The bottom line: - Parmenter’s latest report shows a small nonprofit can have outsized reach when it combines funding, education and direct program creation around a specific care gap. - Pamela Mackill said the foundation sees “meaningful momentum” as it works to normalize grief and deepen community support. - More information is available at parmenterfoundation.org.