The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:
The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) launched a summer matching gift campaign to raise $25,000 in gifts and unlock up to $25,000 in matching gifts, made possible by individual donations from Watertown Community Foundation board members and other community supporters. Through July 25, 2025, all gifts to the Watertown Community Foundation will be matched, dollar for dollar — to double the amount, and the impact, of every donation.
“We have this remarkable opportunity,” said Lauren Coughlin Unsworth, Foundation Board Co President. “The Watertown Community Foundation has a history of responding to challenging times; first during the 2008 recession, and most recently during the COVID pandemic. Many of our local non-profits are bracing for major funding cuts – planning for staff cuts or program changes, if necessary. When you give to this matching gift campaign – your gift will go twice as far.”
The Watertown Community Foundation relies on your giving to make grants to non-profits and programs that serve the people who live and work in Watertown. “In the face of growing uncertainty around federal funding, giving to the Watertown Community Foundation is more important than ever. I know my gift provides flexibility for the Foundation to meet the needs of my neighbors. I hope you will join me and rise to the challenge to help unlock the matching funds,” said Erin Webb, an early contributor to the matching gift campaign.
In March, the Foundation awarded $98,000 in Essential Needs Grants to local non-profits to fund assistance for food, housing and other emergency needs. In June the Foundation awarded $53,000 in Community Engagement Grants to non-profits and volunteer civic groups to increase access to the Watertown community, remove barriers to community-based programs and services, and connect neighbors to neighbors. An additional $15,000 for operational support was awarded to both MetroWest Collaborative Development to bolster their work in affordable housing, and to Watertown Cable Access TV, a vital media connection for Watertown. This was the final grant cycle of the Institutional Grant Program.
“Community giving and community participation is at the heart of what we do at the Watertown Community Foundation,” said Tia Tilson, Executive Director. “Contributions from the individuals and businesses in Watertown are critical to our ability to make vital grants to the organizations that support the people in our community. No single non-profit can do it alone. When you care about our youth, our seniors, addressing hunger or housing, improving the environment or supporting the arts, the Watertown Community Foundation awards grants to support the ecosystem of non-profits and local civic programs that serve the people who live and work here.”
You can help give back to the Watertown community by making a gift to the Watertown Community Foundation which will be matched dollar for dollar though July 25. You can learn more and make a gift here.
About Watertown Community Foundation
Through the power of transformative giving, the Watertown Community Foundation advances and supports positive change for the people who live and work in Watertown, Massachusetts. We envision a welcoming community where people of all backgrounds can thrive, connect, and contribute to the strength and resilience of our city. Started with funds from the sale of the Arsenal property in 2003 and grown by local giving and grants, the Foundation has awarded more than $3,000,000 in grants to end food insecurity, keep people housed, educate kids, lift-up the arts, sustain the environment, and break down barriers to bring people together. See our list of 2025 grantees here.
WCF Board of Directors: Lauren Coughlin Unsworth and Mary Ann Mulligan, Co-Presidents; Albrik Avanessian; Emily Barclay; Eileen Hsü-Balzer; Nathalie Highland; Heather Leary; Kathryn Madden; Jennifer Nicholson, Anthony Paolillo; Dwayne Parmley; Leah Pennino; Robert Shay; and David Siegel.