Greater Worcester Community Foundation has announced $1.17 million in funding through its competitive Community Grants program, awarding 100 grants to nonprofit organizations serving Worcester County.
These grants will support projects that align with the Foundation’s five strategic focus areas: arts and creativity, basic needs, economic opportunities, health and wellbeing, and youth and families.
Of the 100 projects, 19 will take place outside of Worcester and an additional 19 will take place both in Worcester and in other parts of the county. Ten nonprofits will receive their first-ever grant from the Foundation.
The Foundation’s strategic focus areas help guide the decision-making process for competitive grants, which include:
Arts & Creativity
Sixteen organizations will receive funding, totaling $149,500, to support projects that engage artists and the community in creative programming, workshops, and events. First-time grantees include 19 Carter in Berlin for their "Making Music Accessible" program, Ambitious Academy for youth photography workshops, RICEMA (Refugees & Immigrants Cultural Empowerment Massachusetts) for a cultural arts initiative, and Worcester Center for Crafts for their "Enameling for All" program.
Basic Needs
To address essential needs such as food and housing, $188,000 will be distributed to 13 projects focused on housing assistance, food security, emergency supports, and critical resources.
A recurring theme across all focus areas is the need to support immigrants and refugees, both as they arrive in Worcester and as they settle into the community. Ansaar of Worcester will receive a $7,500 grant to assist Afghan refugees with homeownership by supporting housing applications and providing education on the home-buying process.
The needs of refugees and immigrants don’t go away after they’ve been here for a while, they just get more sophisticated. The homebuying process can feel overwhelming and unattainable, so we are grateful to receive funding that will allow us to offer valuable education and assistance services. Our hope is that in the next 3-5 years we will see between 10-25 home purchases from our client base.
- Mona Ives, President of Ansaar of Worcester
Economic Opportunities
This year, in response to the increasing demand for projects supporting residents’ economic mobility, the Foundation added “economic opportunities” as a new focus area. A total of $171,000 will fund 14 projects centered on workforce development, career training, and skill-building.
Worcester Youth Center will offer “Cooking Up a Career”, teaching culinary basics and offering industry certifications to older, disconnected and underemployed youth aged 17-24. Wrap-around support and follow up services will be included to help ensure participants’ success in employment or education.
Health & Wellbeing
Seventeen projects, receiving a total of $204,500, will focus on expanding access to physical and mental health care across Worcester County. UMass Memorial will receive $12,500 to address disparities in Black maternal care by recruiting and training a diverse group of doulas reflective of the local community.
Youth & Families
This focus area remains the most popular for the Foundation’s grant cycle. It will award $458,000 to 40 different projects focused on youth development and empowerment, educational enrichment, and support for immigrant families.
In an effort to support young musicians in under-served areas of Worcester County, Worcester Youth Orchestras will provide in-school and out-of-school learning opportunities to students of the Quabbin Regional School District, which serves Barre, Hardwick, Hubbardston, New Braintree and Oakham. Worcester Youth Orchestras identified this school district as having limited access to additional music education opportunities compared to other districts.
The rural setting, a wider population distribution, its distance from Worcester and a lack of regular public transportation were all barriers to access. This grant will help us address those barriers, bringing additional musical programming opportunities to QRSD students, collaborating with their educators as well as helping students come to Worcester to participate in our own programming.
- Jonathan Colby, Artistic Director at Worcester Youth Orchestras.
The $1.17 million in project grants represents roughly half of the Foundation’s total Community Grants budget for 2024. The remaining funds, designated for general operating support for nonprofit organizations, will be announced later this year.
As always, we are impressed with the breadth and depth of the projects nonprofits create to meet the needs of Worcester County residents. We are proud to reinvest in projects that have shown tangible impact in the region and in new projects that show great promise and alignment with our strategic focus areas.
- Pete Dunn, President & CEO of Greater Worcester Community Foundation
The Community Grants program is made possible by people who have set up discretionary and field of interest funds with Greater Worcester Community Foundation. For more information about the grants and recipients, download the 2024 Community Grants Summary.
