Foundation for MetroWest Launches ‘Impact MetroWest’
Interactive website will drive discussion & spur action on critical issues
January 22, 2020 (Natick, MA) – As the region navigates significant changes, the Foundation for MetroWest, the only community foundation serving the 33 cities and towns of MetroWest, is launching Impact MetroWest, an interactive website designed to identify the area’s most pressing issues and jumpstart the search for solutions. The initiative highlights the region’s strengths and challenges using detailed data, delving into population changes, financial hardships, transportation needs, educational disparities and income inequality – the issues impacting the daily lives of MetroWest families.
“MetroWest residents see the changes taking place around them, but they may not understand what’s driving those changes,” said Judy Salerno, executive director, Foundation for MetroWest. “Impact MetroWest illuminates a common path forward by providing tangible evidence of where we are as a region and generating conversations about where we want to go and how we can get there together.”
Impact MetroWest, with support from Middlesex Savings Bank, paints a comprehensive portrait of the 700,000 people who live in the region, and will serve as the starting point to spark collaboration and meaningful community conversations to enhance their quality of life. It also provides essential baseline data, and for the first time, enables the region to track future progress and better identify strategies that provide the most benefit.
“Impact MetroWest provides its 33 regional communities with the tools and resources they need to succeed and grow,” said Massachusetts Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Our administration looks forward to our continued collaboration in the shared goal of improving the quality of life for residents throughout the Commonwealth.”
In conjunction with the launch of Impact MetroWest, and in celebration of a quarter-century of service to the region, the Foundation is also announcing its 25th Anniversary Grant Program funded by MathWorks, the leading developer of mathematical computing software. The Foundation will award $250,000 in grants to organizations that use the Impact MetroWest findings to make positive change in their community.
“Having been headquartered in Natick for more than 30 years, MathWorks has a long-standing commitment to support the MetroWest region,” said Jeanne O’Keefe, Senior Vice President and CFO at MathWorks. “We’re excited that our partnership with the Foundation has yielded this grant program that will contribute to a stronger and more sustainable community.”
Interested nonprofits are asked to submit their grant applications in the form of a video, which should be no longer than three minutes. Applicants should use their video submissions to share their vision with all of MetroWest and incorporate Impact MetroWest data to demonstrate why that vision must be realized. After the finalists are selected, the general public will vote to determine the winners of $25,000 grants to be awarded in six topic areas: arts and culture, environment, family support, food insecurity, youth development, and a special MathWorks Visionary grant focused on STEM education. The deadline for video grant submissions is February 28.
More information on eligibility and the application process can be found hee.
About Foundation for MetroWest
Established in 1995, the Foundation for MetroWest is the only community foundation serving the 33 cities and towns in the region, encompassing 700,000 residents from Westborough to Waltham and Acton to Walpole. The Foundation promotes philanthropy across the area, helps donors maximize the impact of their local giving, serves as a resource for local nonprofits and enhances the quality of life for all our residents. The Foundation is supported by a wide range of businesses, individuals, community groups and other philanthropic organizations. Since inception, the Foundation has granted $19 million to its nonprofit partners and currently stewards more than $26 million in charitable assets for current needs and future impact. To learn more, please call 508-647-2260.
