Future Goals
1. The Foundation will engage donors to endow their philanthropy and create a lasting legacy through Named Funds with a current gift or bequest.
2. Our funding and leadership will improve the lives of families, children and adults in our community. Our special focus on children will contribute to their success in school and in life.
3. In partnership with the Barr Foundation, we will lead efforts to recognize arts and culture as essential to the prosperity of our community. Through several initiatives, we will energize Worcester’s dynamic creative ecosystem by supporting innovative projects and thoughtful planning.
4. Discretionary and donor advised grants will continue to build healthy and vibrant communities by supporting arts and culture, health improvement, civic engagement, elder services, housing and the environment.
5. Community volunteers, both young people and adults, will participate with us as grant makers and see the community in new ways.
6. Our Nonprofit Support Center will continue to strengthen and better connect the region’s nonprofit organizations.
7. Our scholarships will help more than 400 students attend college.
8. Professional Advisors will increase awareness of the benefits of giving through the Community Foundation.
Giving Opportunities
Our grant awards are made possible by the generosity of past donors who established permanent charitable funds with us during their lifetimes or by a bequest. With a gift of $10,000 or more, anyone may establish a named fund to create a meaningful and personal legacy. The Foundation allows donors to determine the purpose of the fund. They decide whether a fund is designated for particular charities, a broad area of interest, scholarship or donor advised.
Gifts of any size are welcome and may be made to any of our more than 600 endowment funds to provide grants and scholarships year after year. We especially seek help in these priority areas: Fund for the Arts & Humanities, General Scholarship Fund, Community Impact Fund, Water & Land Stewardship Fund, LGBTQ Partnership Fund and Youth Opportunity Fund. To discuss your giving options, please call Kelly Stimson at 508-755-0980.
Volunteer Opportunities
Input from the community is a cornerstone of our mission and essential to our operations. Corporators are elected annually and include members of business, education, government, and the general community. Once elected, these members help with grant making, investment oversight, scholarship awards, and fundraising for special projects.
Area high school students are invited to apply to join Youth for Community Improvement, a special program for sophomores and juniors that engages students in learning about and providing grants to local nonprofit organizations.
Professional Advisors such as lawyers, accountants, trust officers, and financial advisors play a special role in understanding the benefits of giving and the unique role of the community foundation in serving the needs of charitable-minded clients.
