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October 4, 2021 Giving Guide 2021

Greater Worcester Community Foundation

Future Goals

1. Culture of Health & Well-Being – To promote the advancement of a healthy, thriving region ensuring those from historically excluded communities have equitable access to healthcare.

2. Racial Equity – To embark on a journey to ensure our staffing, grantmaking, programs, and donor outreach advance a platform of racial equity and economic inclusiveness.

3. Marketing & Communication – To amplify voices from our community to deepen awareness of community needs and highlight the unifying power of philanthropy.

4. Arts & Culture – To increase our funding to the creative sector, with the support of the Barr Foundation, to unify, strengthen, and heal our community. 

5. Philanthropy & Donor Stewardship – To expand our endowment and our partnerships to create flexible, meaningful opportunities for giving.

6. The Next Generation – To increase programs that engage young people in community-centered philanthropy and instill in the next generation a culture of giving. 

7. Collaboration – To collaborate closely with MA community foundations, nonprofit, government, and community partners to create lasting change in our community. 

Giving Opportunities

Through grants, scholarships, and programs that build nonprofit sector capacity, the Foundation’s work is 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 at least $10,000 ($30,000 for scholarship funds) anyone may establish a named fund to create a meaningful and personal legacy. The Foundation provides expertise, relationships and community knowledge to turn donors’ charitable interests into impactful giving strategies. Creating a fund with the Foundation is an effective, efficient, and important way to invest in a stronger Greater Worcester. 

The Foundation works across issues and sectors to identify needs, seed innovations, and drive lasting positive change. Donors fuel this work by supporting special initiatives like Creative Worcester, a multi-year Barr Foundation collaboration strengthening Worcester’s creative ecosystem through grants and knowledge resources.

Donors also support our annual campaign, the Civic Leadership Fund, a resource for the Foundation’s community-building work.

Volunteer Opportunities

Participation from the community is a cornerstone of our work and essential to our operations. Community volunteers serve as members of staff-led grantmaking and scholarship award committees and assist with investment oversight. 

Over 250 individuals from the business community, education, and the nonprofit sector serve the Foundation annually as Corporators. Corporators are volunteers who act as ambassadors applying their expertise, talent, and knowledge to help the Foundation grow its philanthropic impact across the region. Our Corporator group includes members of our Board of Directors and are elected to renewable four-year terms. 

The Foundation welcomes members of the community who want to learn more about the work we do to connect with us about how they might contribute to advancing the Foundation’s mission.

Post-Pandemic

The pandemic changed the way we work at the Foundation, but larger than that, it influenced our strategic view of the role we can play in the community. By exposing the deep disparities in our society, the pandemic made clear the need to center equity in all the work we do. As we continue to collaborate with our nonprofit, donor, and community partners, we will seek to support systems change to build a just and equitable community. We will also continue responding to the ongoing needs of the community by providing support for critical services.

MISSION STATEMENT

To enhance our community, now and in the future, through philanthropic leadership.

Greater Worcester Community Foundation

370 Main Street, Suite 650
Worcester, MA 01608

Phone: 508-755-0980 

www.greaterworcester.org

Full-time employees: 12

Annual revenues: $25,838,125 

Year founded: 1975

Service area: We serve the 65 cities and towns in Worcester County.

Top Funding Sources

Individuals

Private & Nonprofit Foundations

Businesses & Government

Nonprofit Endowment Funds

Board of Directors

Carolyn J. Stempler, Interim President and CEO 

J. Christopher Collins, Mirick O’Connell, Board Chair

Michael Angelini, Bowditch & Dewey, Vice Chair

Thomas Bartholomew, Bartholomew & Co., Inc, Treasurer

Kola Akindele, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Clerk 

Che Anderson, UMASS Medical School

Joycelyn Augustus, Financial Consultant 

Jennifer D. Carey, Worcester Education Collaborative 

Matilde Castiel MD, City of Worcester

Jack Foley, Clark University, retired

Maria Heskes-Allard, Bay State Savings Bank

Michelle Jones-Johnson, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health

Linda C. Looft, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, retired

Christopher McCarthy, Fidelity Bank

Lisa McDonough, Philanthropist & Community Leader 

Nadia McGourthy, Dresser & McGourthy, LLP  

Satya Mitra, Guru Tax & Financial Services

Sonia Paulino, Worcester Public Schools  

Kimberly Salmon, Hanover Insurance Group

Ahn Vu Sawyer, Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts

Eric Torkornoo, Fidelity Bank

Warner Fletcher, Fletcher Tilton PC, Emeritus