Photo | Courtesy of Greater Worcester Community Foundation
Pete Dunn, president and CEO of Greater Worcester Community Foundation
April 4, 2025
Becker College makes largest-ever donation to GWCF
Photo | Grant Welker
Becker College in Worcester closed in 2021.
Greater Worcester Community Foundation has received the largest donation in its 50-year history as the shuttered Becker College has pledged $13 million to the foundation.
The donated funds will be used for three initiatives to benefit the Central Massachusetts college student population, creating the Becker Scholarship Fund, establishing the Becker Global Public Service Award, and transferring the Grace S. Hampel Scholarship Fund.
The gift is funded through the assets of the former Becker College, a private four-year Worcester institution that closed its doors in 2021, according to a Friday press release from GWCF.
“This generous gift from Becker College is a transformational investment in Worcester County students,” Pete Dunn, GWCF president and CEO, said in the release. “The Becker Scholarship Fund allows us to expand our scholarship program significantly, offering meaningful multi-year awards that provide students with consistent financial support throughout their college journey. We are honored to steward this fund and carry forward Becker College’s legacy of opportunity and service.”
The bulk of Becker’s donation, $10.2 million will be directed towards the Becker Scholarship Fund, offering students multi-year scholarships to go toward the costs of tuition, room and board, books, and other costs of attendance. The fund will prioritize recipients from communities most connected to Becker, including those in Worcester and Leicester.
Another $2 million will be reserved for the Becker Global Public Service Award, which will support humanitarian projects created and led by an incoming or graduating college or university senior. Worcester County college and university presidents will be able to nominate one student per year developing a project located anywhere in the world with GWCF and a volunteer committee selecting the award recipients.
With the gift, Becker will transfer its $778,000 Grace S. Hampel Scholarship Fund to GWCF, a restricted fund given to students at Hoosac Valley High School in Cheshire to attend any college in Worcester County.
“Becker College was dedicated to preparing students for meaningful careers and service to the world. This gift ensures that commitment lives on,” Christine Cassidy, Becker College board chair, said in the release. “The creation of the Becker Scholarship Program at Greater Worcester Community Foundation is a lasting tribute to Becker College’s mission and values, reaffirming that our top priority was, and always will be, the students.”
With $206.2 million in assets, GWCF is the third-largest grant making foundation in Central Massachusetts when ranked by assets for the most recent time period available, according to data collected by WBJ’s Research Department.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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