The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) provided essential health and social services to 27,874 Brazilian, Cabo Verdean, Portuguese, and other immigrants in Greater Boston, Greater Lowell, MetroWest, and beyond from July 2023 through June 2024, MAPS CEO Paulo Pinto, MPA announced at the nonprofit organization’s 2024 Annual Meeting on October 22nd.

“2024 has been an outstanding year of growth for MAPS, and I am proud to report that our organization is very strong,” Pinto added.

Interim Board President Patricia DeOliveira welcomed the nearly 100 staff, Board members, volunteers, and other supporters who gathered at MAPS’ main office in Cambridge to learn about the organization’s recent accomplishments and celebrate important milestones. She also announced the re-election of five board members, including herself, to new 3-year terms on the organization’s Board – Susan Pacheco, of Arlington; Maria Dickinson, of Hudson, NH; Edna Leith, MA, of Cambridge; and Lourenço P. Garcia, Ed.D., of Boston. 

MAPS served almost 4,000 more clients this year, including 14,197 through its Immigrant Integration program, 6,326 through HIV/STI services, and 5,462 with its Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault services. The numbers reflect direct individual services and outreach, and clients receiving multiple services in different programs.

Pinto reported that, for the first time, MAPS’ operating budget surpassed the $5 million mark, a remarkable milestone that reflects the growth of the health and social services organization.

“We could not have served so many community members and reached this amazing milestone without the support of countless generous donors in our communities and the trust put in us by our many funders, who continue to understand and value our mission,” he said.

In the summer of 2024, following extensive renovations, MAPS opened its new Everett office on 92 Broadway, which now houses a team of caseworkers, community health workers, clinicians, and advocates serving the large Portuguese-speaking community in the city. It is the third building owned by the organization and its seventh office in the state. Earlier in the year, MAPS also celebrated the opening of its new office in Somerville on 362 Somerville Ave and its return to the city where MAPS began.

Pinto also highlighted the growing community support for the organization, as evidenced by the record amounts that MAPS’ was able to raise with its fundraising events – $232K at the MAPS Annual Awards Gala, and nearly $80K with the MAPS Chip In for Charity Golf Tournament. For the first time, Pinto noted, both events featured two top-level sponsors.

The health and social services organization’s Endowment also grew over the past year to more than $906K, thanks to generous donations by community members who established their own family funds. In fiscal year 2025, MAPS hopes to reach the $1 million mark, further cementing its legacy and path toward self-sufficiency.

Several of the organization’s volunteers, as well as staff and board members who completed service milestones, received Certificates of Appreciation. You can find more details about MAPS’ fiscal year 2024 accomplishments in the organization’s Annual Report, which can be picked up at MAPS offices or downloaded at maps-inc.org/annual-report/.