On June 2, the Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) held a reception for its 24 spring grantees at the Arsenal Center for the Arts where it distributed over $75,000. Since WCF’s founding in 2003, it has awarded over $725,000 in grants to nonprofits serving Watertown.
At the event, WCF Board Co-President, David Siegel, introduced newly hired Executive Director, Jennie Bass. Then as he handed out the checks, outgoing Executive Director, Michael Schade, stated, “We are fortunate to have these outstanding organizations working to make Watertown a special town, and we are lucky our Community Foundation exists to help support them.”
All of the grants are funded from WCF’s Arsenal Education Income Fund.
13 Educational Program Grants totaling $22,943 were given to:
- Cunniff Elementary School for an afterschool parent-child book club fostering reading for pleasure and academic success.
- Historical Society of Watertown for a welcome folder for new Watertown homeowners providing them with information about the town and its history.
- Hosmer Elementary School – Library for a student choice book program in which fourth and fifth grade students read and vote for their favorite books.
- Perkins School for the Blind for their Watertown newspaper accessibility project.
- Saheli Support for South Asian Women and Families for a Girls College Readiness Program in Watertown to help break cultural and literacy barriers to higher education by strengthening personal skills and family support among Asian immigrant girls.
- Watertown Community Conversations for new approaches to public discourse to build community, create support for new ways of working together, and to promote related skills among a diverse group of Watertown leaders.
- Watertown Free Public Library to fund workshops on how to use the HATCH Makerspace equipment.
- Watertown High School so special education students can attend Appalachian Mountain Club’s Mountain Classroom.
- Watertown High School Guidance Dept. to take students on visits to two nearby colleges to help students make informed post high school plans.
- Watertown High School Library to continue its book club.
- Watertown Middle School PTO to provide all students with a free planner/organizer to help them keep track of their assignments and community service hours.
- Watertown Public Schools – School Gardens to fund garden-related curricula for the respective grade levels at all of the public elementary schools
- World in Watertown for the 2017 Watertown Unity Breakfast on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
11 Institutional Support Grants totaling $52,500 were given to the following to support their ongoing operations in Watertown:
- Arsenal Center for the Arts
- Friends of Project Literacy
- Metro West Collaborative Development
- New Repertory Theatre
- Parent Child Home Program – Watertown
- Sancta Maria’s Windsor House Adult Day Health
- Springwell, Inc.
- Watertown Boys and Girls Club
- Watertown Family Network
- Watertown Prosperity, Inc.
- Wayside Multi Service Center
The Watertown Community Foundation has awarded over $725,000 in grants since it was founded in 2003. It works to build and sustain a vibrant, close-knit community in Watertown – now, and for future generations. To accomplish this, WCF raises funds from individuals, families, businesses, foundations and partner institutions; awards grants to nonprofits and community projects; and builds networks of donors, grantees, program participants and stakeholders.
WCF and its grantees are consistent leaders:
- Advancing education and health,
- Supporting the most vulnerable,
- Protecting the environment,
- Encouraging creativity and the arts,
- Fostering community engagement.
Persons interested in supporting WCF should contact the Executive Director, at 617-926- 1500 or at info@watertownfoundation.org.
Visit us online at www.WatertownFoundation.org. Like us on Facebook.