Founded in 1938 as the Cambridge Community Federation, Enroot began as a philanthropic organization supporting local charitable efforts. In 1951, it became Cambridge Community Services (CCS), a community development agency dedicated to identifying local needs and designing programs in response. Over the decades, CCS evolved into a direct service provider, playing a central role in youth employment, education, and career development across Cambridge.
As Cambridge transformed, so did our focus. Building on the success of our flagship City Links program, helping immigrant students graduate college at twice the rate of their peers, our Board envisioned expanding this impact beyond Cambridge. With support from Deloitte’s Inspire program, we launched our first expansion site at Somerville High School, where we continue to serve immigrant youth today.
Guided by our core value of constant improvement, in 2016 we rebranded as Enroot to reflect our growth and renewed mission: helping immigrant youth put down strong roots and thrive. As our programs expanded to serve more than 80 students across Cambridge and Somerville, we continued to deepen our commitment to immigrant communities - empowering young people from around the world to define success on their own terms.