June 2020
Hello friends and neighbors,

The Foundation, like you, is reflecting on a painful period in American history. Our community is battling two deadly viruses, COVID-19 and systemic racism. The events of the last two weeks are an indictment of our troubled past and a clear call for change that can no longer be ignored. 

We wholeheartedly support those taking a stand against systemic racism in policing and in society. But calls for justice, while important, are not enough. We must all actively work together to create a culture and a public process that achieves justice.

I invite you to read the Foundation’s full statement here .
Barbara Fields, President and CEO 
Action for Racial Equity Grant Program Announced
 
To support organizations committing to anti-racism learning and work, we have launched the  Action for Racial Equity Grant Program . Small grants of up to $2,000 are now available to help organizations take the next steps in the journey to becoming more equitable in practice, policy, leadership, and impact. 

“Solidarity is important and so is direct action to end racism,” said Barbara Fields, Foundation President and CEO. “Leveraging our resources and creating this program is one small step. We will consider other actions as we build a broader strategy to tackle racial and economic equity.” 

An informal application process is open through June 26.   Learn more and apply today .
Annual Meeting Goes Virtual

“As we work to combat the virus, the inequalities of American society have been laid bare,” said Foundation President and CEO Barbara Fields at GWCF’s first-ever virtual Annual Meeting.”

The event featured a keynote address from Congressman Jim McGovern, a video message from Massachusetts’ First Lady Lauren Baker and updates from Board Chair Carolyn Stempler and Barbara Fields, who highlighted GWCF’s achievements in 2019 and recent work to provide relief during the COVID-19 crisis.

In 2019, GWCF distributed $6.9 million in grants to over 250 non-profits, including nearly $700,000 in college scholarships to 400 local high school students. GWCF also celebrated 20 years of its Youth for Community Improvement, a youth driven program where high school students learn the art of philanthropy and invest directly in their community.

“While we may all be in the same storm, we are not all in the same boat” In the new ‘normal’, we must work together to find a way to shrink the gaps in educational attainment, the disparities in our health care system, provide better housing for those who need it, and much, much more,” Fields noted.

The Foundation celebrated the dedicated service of retiring Board members: Tracy Craig; Alison Kenary; and, Hilda Ramirez Warner Fletcher was recognized for his more than 20 years of service to the Foundation, and was named GWCF’s first ever Board Member Emeritus.
GWCF Welcomes New Members to the Board of Directors 

Community Foundations take their strength from the community and those individuals who help to lead and support it. That’s why we are proud to be adding the following four new members to our Board of Directors:  

  • Michael Angelini, chairman of Bowditch & Dewey
  • Lisa McDonough, community volunteer
  • Sonia Paulino, Leadership Worcester alum and software developer, Worcester Public Schools 
  • Eric Torkornoo, Vice President at T.D. Bank.

We look forward to benefiting from their support and their perspectives. 

For more information about the Foundation’s leadership, visit our  website . 
Worcester Together Challenge Raises Over $400,000 

A Challenge gift of $100,000 turned into $400,000 in much-needed resources for the community. 

The Esler Family Foundation’s donation came at a pivotal time and was instrumental in maximizing the community’s generosity. When coupled with  Giving Tuesday Now , a  Face Mask Challenge , and a class competition among  Leadership Worcester alumni, over 430 individual gifts were made to the Fund.

Today, Worcester Together has raised over $7.4 million in gifts and distributed over $2.2 million in 130 grants to organizations on the front lines of Worcester’s COVID-19 response. 
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Greater Worcester Community Foundation