Three Organizations Serving North Central Region Awarded Grants

Worcester, MA – The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts recently awarded 11 grants totaling $900,000 through its Activation Fund program, which aims to fund discrete one-year projects addressing community-identified health issues. As announced previously, a generous $500,000 distribution was received from the Central Massachusetts Independent Physicians Association (CMIPA) Foundation in early 2022 as part of its Commonwealth approved wind-down, and that distribution has been applied towards this round of Activation Fund grants, helping the Foundation respond to urgent health needs.

Among the recipients were three organizations serving North Central Massachusetts – GAAMHA, Making Opportunity Count (MOC), and Restoration Recovery Center—with grants totaling more than $200,000.

GAAMHA – $61,000 for installation of a new roof and windows at Pathway House, a 27-bed residential program for adult men with substance use disorders, which serves an average of 70 individuals annually.

Making Opportunity Count – $120,000 to build out space for a new Family Health clinic in Fitchburg offering no-cost/low-cost sexual and reproductive health care for people in the North Central region.

Restoration Recovery Center – $33,562 to build capacity of its Recovery Coaching program by formalizing a partnership with a local behavioral health center for referrals and third-party billing, and for purchase of related software to enhance data collection and reporting capabilities.

“The Foundation’s unique grantmaking approach involves learning about pressing and emerging health issues from the community through an extensive outreach process,” said Judge Timothy M. Bibaud, Chairman of the Board. He continued, “Thanks to the CMIPA’s selection of The Health Foundation to receive its remaining assets, we are pleased to be able to support many organizations of varying sizes and capabilities working to address health and equity-related challenges through the Activation Fund this year.”

Dr. Amie Shei, President and CEO of the Foundation, added, “The goal of the Activation Fund is to enable an organization to increase its capacity in a way that can be sustained after the grant ends. We are pleased to be able to honor the legacy of the CMIPA through these 2022 Activation Fund grants, which will improve health in the region for years to come.”

Other grants awarded include:

Community Health Center of Franklin County – $88,340 for buildout of office space to maximize patient care and outcomes at its North Quabbin facility, which serves more than 3,500 patients per year.

Guild of St Agnes – $118,000 to construct a 3,000 S.F. outdoor playground at its new state-of-the-art childcare facility and higher education learning lab on Mill Street in Worcester.

Milford Youth Center – $115,250 for replacement of the HVAC and steam unit heating systems for the gym and basement areas of its facility to address air quality issues and increase operating efficiency.

Thrive Support & Advocacy – $50,998 for furnishings and equipment to enable expansion of its Family Support Center in Worcester to include a new allergen-sensitive food pantry and additional space for after-school, recreational and vocational programming.

Western Mass Training Consortium – $67,627 for furnishings and technology to equip a new facility housing its Recovery Center of HOPE, a peer-led recovery program in the Quaboag region.

World Farmers – $120,000 for buildout of a new food aggregation and distribution hub adjacent to its main office in Lancaster to meet growing demand for its Community Supported Agriculture program and general wholesale operations selling cultural crops throughout the region.

YOU, Inc. – $56,795 for translation services and culturally aligned tools to equip a Bi-Lingual Welcome Center at the co-located Behavioral Health Center and Family Resource Center in Southbridge aimed to increase accessibility of services for people with limited English proficiency.

Youth Villages – $67,573 for upfront costs associated with scaling its Intercept for Emergency Diversion program in Central Massachusetts, addressing the issue of youth boarding in hospitals as they wait for inpatient psychiatric beds.

The Health Foundation was established in 1999 with the proceeds from the sale of Central Massachusetts Health Care, Inc., a physician-initiated, not-for-profit HMO. The Foundation has assets of approximately $90 million, as of this spring, and has awarded grants totaling over $50 million since it began its grantmaking in 2000. For further information about these grants or about the Foundation’s grantmaking programs and application process, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.hfcm.org or call (508) 438-0009.