WORCESTER, Mass. – Individuals and nonprofits across Central Massachusetts experiencing severe economic hardship as a result of the pandemic can expect additional support from the Greater Worcester Community Foundation in the coming months. Funds, which were announced this week, will come from $896,152 that the Foundation was awarded in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ supplemental budget.

“We are thrilled to partner with the state to deliver these much-needed resources to our partner agencies that have been working hard during pandemic,” said Barbara G. Fields, GWCF president and CEO. “The Foundation would like to thank our local, state, and federal elected officials for their ongoing support of the supplemental budget’s Community Foundation Grant Program for COVID-19 Relief. “GWCF is grateful for the foresight of our elected officials in understanding the ongoing needs of our communities as a result of the pandemic,” added Fields.

MA Sen. Harriette Chandler, a corporator of the Foundation, has long been a supporter of GWCF’s work. Of the opportunity to aid community foundation work in Worcester County, she said: “Supporting the most vulnerable individuals, families, and nonprofit organizations across Central Massachusetts is a must to help our communities recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds made available to the state’s community foundations through the supplemental budget is a step in that direction and a vote of confidence in their knowledge of the grassroots needs of Central Massachusetts residents.”

This one-time grant, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development as well as the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, must be distributed by June 30, 2021 to local or regional community-based organizations which have the capacity to “efficiently and rapidly provide immediate relief and support to individuals and households who are experiencing severe economic hardships due to COVID-19,” as required by state law.

The minimum grant designated by the DHCD and EOHED was $200,000. From there, grants were calculated taking into account need-based factors including population, availability of federal pandemic relief funds, and local public health services.