October 7, 2025

Webster Five grants $88K to Worcester nonprofits

BY StaffWorcester Guardian

WORCESTER—A majority of the Webster Five Foundation’s latest round of community grants are staying close to home, with more than a dozen Worcester-based nonprofits receiving funding to support programs in education, social services, and the arts.

The foundation announced this week that it awarded more than $88,000 in total grants to 19 organizations across Massachusetts and northeastern Connecticut. Worcester organizations account for the bulk of the funding, reflecting the foundation’s long-standing focus on strengthening the city where Webster Five has deep roots.

Among this quarter’s local recipients:

Community Legal Aid — $10,000 for its Language Access Project, which helps ensure equal access to justice for non-English speakers

Friendly House — $5,000 to support its wide range of social services

YWCA Central Massachusetts — $10,000 for its Transformations programming

Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts — $5,000 for small business technical assistance.

Worcester Youth Center — $3,500 for its core youth development programs

Pakachoag Music School — $2,500 for its Music Matters program in Worcester

Worcester Chamber Music Society and Worcester Youth Orchestras — each received $1,000 to support youth music programming

Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts — $3,000 for community-based programs in Worcester

2Gether We Eat — $1,000, plus a $1,000 match, for its school-based hydroponic education and food security initiative

Together for Kids Coalition — $2,000, plus a $1,000 match, to support its Family Advisory Council

ONE Worcester — $2,500 for educational capacity-building efforts

“When nonprofits have the resources to do what they do best, families and communities are empowered,” said Monica Thomas-Bonnick, executive director and treasurer of the Webster Five Foundation, in the announcement. “That’s at the heart of the Foundation’s mission.”

Founded in 1996, the Webster Five Foundation has awarded more than $4.4 million to 311 organizations. The next round of grant awards will be announced later this year.

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.