WORCESTER—Ten nonprofit organizations across Central Massachusetts are receiving a combined $998,000 in new grant funding, as announced this week by the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts. The awards come through the foundation’s Activation Fund, which supports nonprofits in building long-term capacity to address health challenges identified by local communities.
The 2025 grantees span a wide range of focus areas, from emergency shelter repairs and digital X-ray systems to trauma-informed training and multilingual health education.
“We received a record-breaking number of applications this year, and we are pleased that the grantees selected by the Board represent a broad set of organizations, issues and geographic areas,” said Dr. Amie Shei, president and CEO of the foundation, in a statement. “In these challenging times, it is more important than ever to help organizations build capacity and resiliency.”
Among this year’s awardees is AIDS Project Worcester, which will receive $125,000 to upgrade its technology infrastructure and transition to a secure, cloud-based system. The Center for Health Impact was granted $42,000 to build a language access recording studio for creating audio translations of essential health information in multiple languages.
Other Worcester-based efforts include the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, receiving $125,000 for a new digital X-ray system at an upcoming urgent care site, and South Middlesex Opportunity Council, which was awarded the same amount to complete vital repairs at its emergency shelter on Queen Street.
Girls Inc. of Worcester secured $75,000 to support licensing upgrades that will expand access to its after-school and summer programs for low-income families using state childcare vouchers. The Guild of St. Agnes of Worcester is partnering with the Life is Good Playmaker Project to offer trauma-informed care training to hundreds of early childhood educators, thanks to a $91,000 grant.
Outside the city, Cultivate Care Farms in Bolton was awarded $125,000 to renovate a historic building into a year-round, ADA-compliant therapeutic space. Winchendon Community Action Committee will use its $120,000 grant to enhance ADA accessibility at its community hub, enabling a new youth-focused workforce and service-learning program.
Other recipients include Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts, which received $65,000 to purchase a truck for its Critical Home Repair Program, and the Worcester State Foundation, which will use its $105,000 award to acquire portable equipment for expanded hearing screenings among hard-to-reach populations.
The foundation’s Activation Fund is designed to strengthen organizations in sustainable ways, with an eye toward long-term improvements in access, equity, and health outcomes. The 2025 funding cycle focused heavily on infrastructure, access to care, and underserved communities.
These latest grants reflect a growing emphasis on collaborative, community-rooted solutions. As Shei noted, “These projects help organizations deepen their impact by reaching more people, improving how they deliver services, or launching new programs that improve access to care and address social factors that shape people’s health.”
Have news, tips, or a story worth telling? Reach Editor Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org—because good stories (and great scoops) deserve to be shared.
