February 2023
As we mark the 24th year since our founding, we are celebrating all that the Foundation and our community partners have been able to achieve while completing a significant staff leadership transition, continuing to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and weathering uncertain economic times.
Since the Foundation’s launch as a health conversion foundation in 1999, we have provided over $52 million in grants to more than 200 organizations aimed at improving the health of those who live or work in Central Massachusetts. Our approach to grantmaking has enabled the Foundation to have a significant and sustainable impact in the region through targeted and enduring investments.
In the year ahead, we are well-positioned to continue our impact. We anticipate the recruitment of two to three new Directors for election to the Board in 2024. Both our Activation Fund and Synergy Initiative grantmaking avenues will be accepting proposals in 2023, and we have implemented several pilot initiatives and updates to our application process designed to decrease barriers in accessing our grant funding.
We continue to support our Round 5 Synergy Initiative projects aimed at addressing inequities in drinking water protections for private well owners, supporting foster parents, and developing a sustainable model for rural transportation. We have provided nearly $1.4 million in 2023 funding for these three projects led by RCAP Solutions, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation, respectively.
Our 2022 Activation Fund projects, most of which will carry on through this fall, continue to have an impact across the region through our investment of $900,000 in grants to 11 organizations. A majority of these grants were awarded to first-time grantees, and we continue to look for opportunities to expand our outreach and make our impact felt across the region.
We are always mindful of pressing health challenges such as the MassHealth redetermination process now underway affecting as many as 2.4 million Massachusetts residents. The Foundation has partnered with Health Law Advocates on a special initiative to address coverage loss and medical debt as a result of the resumption of MassHealth redeterminations, as highlighted in a health equity breakfast hosted by the Foundation.
We are grateful for the opportunity to serve Central Massachusetts, and we look forward to continuing to support community-driven efforts to improve health and promote health equity in our region in 2023 and beyond.
Sincerely,
 Timothy M. Bibaud, JD, Chairman |
 Amie Shei, PhD, President & CEO |