LDAMF mini-grant program now accepting applications!
Since 2013, The Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund has offered small grants of up to $2,000 in support of innovative, creative projects that support our mission: to promote safe and healthy teen relationships, to celebrate and champion the arts, and to encourage community service. These seed grants have helped over 170 individuals and organizations bring programs to life that have promoted balance and safety in relationships and carried Lauren’s joyful, creative, and generous spirit out into the world. Do you (or does your organization) have a project in mind that would make a difference in any of our three mission areas? If so, we encourage you to submit the online grant, linked below, by June 30, 2026!
The LDAMF is in a year of growth and change, with new Director Anneke Reich helping to lead our organization in new, high-impact initiatives. As a result, this season’s mini-grant program will be somewhat scaled back in terms of the number of grants we’ll be able to award. We still expect to support numerous projects aiming to make a difference in all three of our mission areas. Please share your vision with us by completing the simple online application.
We are honored to share that Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll established The Lauren Dunne Astley Recognition Award at the recent State Youth Summit focused on healthy relationships and breakups. This award recognizes and celebrates the core values that Lauren embodied: compassion, courage, and an unwavering dedication to creating positive change in young lives. Lauren’s memory inspires us all to work toward a future where young people can live free from the threat of violence, where survivors are supported, and where communities stand united in protecting our most vulnerable members.
Our new video premiered at Wayland High School on May 24
Help the Movement Move! Learn about three toolsets for school systems and universities
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The Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund is a non-profit charitable organization founded to honor the life of Lauren Dunne Astley, a beautiful, talented and beloved 18-year-old young woman who had just graduated from Wayland High School in Massachusetts, and planned to attend Elon University in North Carolina. Lauren was passionate about her friends and family, the arts and community service. She died on July 3, 2011 at the hands of her former boyfriend, a victim of the disturbing phenomenon of breakup violence.
More broadly, the grim arithmetic is that, in our life times at the current rate, approximately 100,000 women in the U.S. will lose their lives in similar ways to how Lauren lost hers. Countless more women will face damaging experiences of emotional, sexual and physical abuse.
We are proud to be part of an increasingly strong network of organizations involving women and men committed to reversing and preventing this violent pattern.
Our mission is to promote dynamic educational programs, particularly those in the areas of the development of healthy teen relationships, the arts, and community service.
Wayland High School Mosaic Dedication
On June 16, 2012, Wayland High School unveiled a mosaic celebrating the life of Lauren Dunne Astley. Details are available online here.
As a member of the Wayland High School a cappella group “The Muses,” Lauren Astley sang the solo “Breathless” by The Corrs. Click here to listen.
