What is Keep Massachusetts Beautiful’s mission?
Our mission is "taking action to make Massachusetts a cleaner, greener place to live, work, and play." We mobilize residents, government, and business leaders to work together to keep Massachusetts communities clean, green, and litter-free. Our core impact areas include:
- Litter Prevention & Cleanup: Understand who and what is causing litter and mobilize volunteer, government, and business resources to clean it up and prevent future littering behavior.
- Waste Reduction & Recycling: Reduce reliance on single-use plastics and other non-sustainable products. Promote reuse and repair and effective recycling programs to reduce the volume of trash that is sent to landfills and incinerators, or ends up as litter.
- Beautification & Community Greening: Beautify public spaces through landscaping projects, tree plantings, pollinator-friendly plantings, and other infrastructure improvements.
- Environmental Education: Educate people of all ages on how they can change their personal actions and consumption habits to better protect our environment and inspire the next generation of environmental scientists, advocates, and leaders.
How do towns and cities benefit from having a local Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapter?
Massachusetts communities benefit by having a dedicated group of concerned citizens who work to keep their towns clean, green, and litter-free. Local chapters organize volunteers, local businesses, and municipal resources to improve their communities through a variety of programs, such as:
- Annual and/or monthly community litter cleanups
- Beautification programs, such as Adopt-a-Spot programs, tree plantings, public gardens, and flower barrels.
- Educational events to teach students, residents, and businesses about how to reduce litter and increase recycling
- Supporting common sense legislative changes to reduce waste and pollution
Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapters serve as community watchdogs. They identify the sources of litter, graffiti, and blight, and organize community resources to address these problems. They also provide a convenient way for local students and citizens to meet community service requirements.
What types of support do you provide to local Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapters?
- Hands-on Local Support: Keep Massachusetts Beautiful provides ongoing support to help new chapters get set up for success, including:
- Fundraising support
- Logo design & branding
- Website and e-newsletter templates
- Social media support & content
- Fiscal sponsorship services
- Liability insurance coverage
- Discounted admission to Keep Massachusetts Beautiful annual awards gala and other events
- Ongoing coaching and guidance
- Grant Opportunities: We offer annual Plant Something Beautiful grants to our chapters, as well as additional grant opportunities through our partners at Keep America Beautiful.
- Massachusetts Clean Community Awards: KMB’s annual awards program provides public recognition for innovative local initiatives and achievements.
- Networking and the Power of a Larger Network: KMB chapter leaders benefit from the collective knowledge and experience of our network. Rather than operating in our own individual silos, working together, we all achieve more.
What is Keep Massachusetts Beautiful’s affiliation with Keep America Beautiful?
Keep Massachusetts Beautiful is one of 25 certified state-level Keep America Beautiful affiliates. As a state-level affiliate, we focus on growing the number of local chapters across the state of Massachusetts. We oversee statewide programs, such as the Great Massachusetts Cleanup and we provide hands-on consulting, training, and logistical support to help local Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapters get organized and succeed.
Is Keep Massachusetts Beautiful a 501(c)(3) nonprofit?
Yes. We are a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit. You can learn more about us at Guidestar.
Where does Keep Massachusetts Beautiful obtain its funding?
Currently, we raise funds through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, grants, and merchandise sales. Visit our Donation page, become a business sponsor, or shop if you would like to help.
How do I form a local Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapter in my community?
As a first step, we invite you to contact us to discuss the challenges your community faces and how KMB can help you address those challenges.
Are there any costs involved in forming a local KMB chapter?
There are no upfront costs. However, once your chapter is up and running successfully, we do request annual dues of either $150, $300, or $500. The total cost will depend on the population of your community and the support services you need.
How do I launch a Keep America Beautiful affiliate?
If you choose to become a certified affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (this is optional), a one-time certification fee ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 is charged to cover the cost of hands-on training. KAB affiliates pay annual dues that range between $50 and $500. If you represent an existing organization that would like to affiliate with Keep America Beautiful, the migration fee is a flat $1,000.
Keep Massachusetts Beautiful provides fundraising support to potential new affiliates. We can help you appeal to your local business community, municipal government, and individuals for donations to cover the cost of your certification training.
Where can I get additional information?
Please email us at info@keepmassbeautiful.org or call executive director Neil Rhein at 508-320-8621.
