June 25, 2024

For Immediate Release 

Grants Driving Positive Change Across Watertown

Watertown Community Foundation Awards $110,000 in Spring Grants to Local Organizations

Watertown, MA, June 25, 2024 — In the largest grant cycle of the year, the Watertown Community Foundation has provided financial support to non-profits and programs across the city, so all Watertown’s residents continue to thrive in a vibrant, welcoming community. The Foundation awarded a total of $110,000 to 19 non-profit organizations and the City of Watertown.

Funds will support the ongoing work of many local non-profit organizations, as well as specific programs, that prioritize work to address the needs of vulnerable residents, support public arts and culture, invest in environmental sustainability, promote youth development, and foster a sense of welcome and belonging for all who live and work in Watertown.

 Forty percent of this year’s funding went to support organizations working to meet the needs of some of Watertown’s most vulnerable residents. “We know residents in Watertown are struggling and continue to need support for basic needs including housing, food, mental health, emergency assistance and learning English. This year the Watertown Community Foundation continued our long practice to prioritize support for local organizations that meet these needs for people of all ages,” said Mary Ann Mulligan, Watertown Community Foundation Board Co- President and Grants Committee Co-Chair. Recipient organizations included Metro West Collaborative Development, the Watertown Housing Authority, Springwell, Wayside Youth Family and Support Network, the Helen Robinson Wright Fund, Watertown Free Public Library - Project Literacy, and the Watertown Community Fridge.

“At the Watertown Community Foundation, we want our grants to serve the whole community and create positive change for all residents. We do this by supporting our kids, making art possible and accessible, supporting the environment, and encouraging programs that help us know more about each other and bring us together. For more than a decade, we have funded the work of the Watertown Boys and Girls Club, Dorothy and Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts, Charles River Conservancy, and Worlds in Watertown Unity Breakfast – organizations and programs we continued to fund this year,” said Tia Tilson, Executive Director, the Watertown Community Foundation.

Key programs run by the City of Watertown also received funding, including Hatch Makerspace at the Watertown Free Public Library, a pilot program for Yoga and Qigong in the Park, and a new mural celebrating artist Arshile Gorky to be featured on the Watertown Cambridge Greenway.

You can view the complete list of Watertown Community Foundation grant recipients on the Watertown Community Foundation website here.

 About Watertown Community Foundation 

The Watertown Community Foundation works to build and sustain a vibrant, close-knit community in Watertown – now, and for future generations. Since 2003, WCF has awarded more than $3,000,000 in grants to address local needs to make positive change in the lives of people who live and work in Watertown. With financial support from the Watertown community, we partner with non-profits to help end food insecurity, keep people housed, educate kids, lift-up the arts, and break down barriers to bring people together.

WCF Board of Directors: Lauren Coughlin Unsworth and Mary Ann Mulligan, Co-Presidents; Albrik Avanessian; Emily Barclay; Ninos Hanna; Eileen Hsü-Balzer; Heather Leary; Jennifer Nicholson, Anthony Paolillo; Leah Pennino, Lora Sabin; Robert Shay; David Siegel; Felicia Sullivan; and Donna Tuccinardi

Media Contact: Tia Tilson                     
Watertown Community Foundation                                                                                                      
tia.tilson@watertownfoundation.org