About the Fund

Fairlawn Hospital was established in 1921 by members of Worcester's Scandinavian community. Originally created to serve Swedish immigrants, the hospital soon expanded to care for the broader community. In 1992, the hospital was sold and converted to a for-profit rehabilitation center.

Proceeds from the sale were used to establish the Fairlawn Foundation Fund, an fund administered by Greater Worcester Community Foundation.

Dedicated to improving health and health care in the Worcester region, the Fairlawn Foundation Fund provides grants to nonprofit organizations serving Worcester County. As one of Massachusetts' earliest health conversion funds, it has awarded more than $8.5 million in grants since its inception to support health and wellbeing across the region.

The Fund currently accepts grants by invitation only. Please review the following details before submitting your application.

Eligibility, Scope & Limitations

• Applicants must be tax-exempt, nonprofits recognized as 501c3
• Organizations must be serving the Greater Worcester area, with priority given to those headquartered in Worcester County
• The fund seeks to be a significant funder of the projects it supports
• Capital requests will not be accepted at this time
• Joint proposals from multiple entities encouraged
• Proposals must have a strong evidence base, specific outcomes, measurable indicators, the potential for scale and a realistic long-term sustainability plan.

Areas of Interest

Fairlawn Foundation is dedicated to improving health and health care in the Worcester area through grants to nonprofit organizations in our region. 

Our current areas of interest are health care workforce training, pilot projects to increase the use of paraprofessionals, case managers, and outreach workers, demonstration projects to expand access to primary care, development of learning facilities, faculty, and scholarships to advance the health care professions at all levels.