Dunn has led the Greater Worcester Community Foundation since August 2023, coming to Central Massachusetts from the Central New York Community Foundation in Syracuse. As head of GWCF, he leads distribution of the funds from the third-largest grantmaking foundation in Central Massachusetts, as it has more than $205 million in assets.
The Worcester foundation is the largest non-college scholarship provider in the region, awarding $1.6 million in scholarships to 428 students in Worcester County in 2024. This year, the former Becker College committed $13 million to the foundation’s scholarship program. The donation created the $10.2-million Becker Scholarship Fund, which will increase GWCF’s annual scholarship distribution by more than $400,000 and provide funds to students from Worcester and Leicester. It also created the $2-million Becker Global Public Service Award and transferred the $778,000 Grace S. Hampel Scholarship Fund to the foundation.
This year, the GWCF announced the first round of grants through the Worcester County Green Fund, which was established in 2024 to advance climate action efforts in Central Massachusetts. Totaling $138,000, the grant money will go to seven local land trusts to help support conservation. In 2023, the foundation awarded $8.9 million in grants.Â
Laura Finaldi is a former WBJ reporter and current freelance writer.
