COVID-19 Response
In March 2020, Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) established the Community Resilience Fund (CRF) to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on our community.
Thanks to the generosity of the Watertown community and others, we raised $177,000 to support our non-profit partners working to meet urgent need on the front lines of the pandemic.
As a founding member of the Massachusetts Community Foundation Partnership, WCF continues to receive several COVID-19 Relief Grants to distribute throughout the community where there is greatest need.
Starting in 2021 the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Economic Development granted WCF $400,000 in 2021; $130,000 for 2022, and $231,000 in 2023 to provide COVID-19 relief in Watertown. In partnership with Metro West CD, Wayside Youth and Family Services and the Watertown Boys and Girls Club, these funds have paid for emergency rental assistance, food, utility bills, transportation and child care.
Also in 2021 WCF received a Community Development Block Grant of $450,000 for food security. This enabled our community partner the Watertown Housing Authority to distribute funds to buy food for residents in family and senior housing. In 2023 WCF received an additional $583,000 to continue this program in the wake of rising grocery costs and increased food insecurity. To date, WCF has raised and directed $1,971,000 of funding to meet the urgent needs of the Watertown community due to COVID-19.
As the primary charitable organization serving the entire Watertown community, WCF is uniquely positioned to convene problem solvers and concentrate and direct private and public funding in response to the pandemic. Through the CRF, we coordinated relief efforts, convened both non-profit and public entities, and provided a means for individuals, businesses, and foundations to quickly deliver funding through a trusted community resource.
We are grateful for the generosity of the Watertown community and the trust our public funding partners have placed in our ability to serve our community in an expanded way. We are committed to continuing our traditional grant support of Watertown’s vibrant non-profit and educational institutions, and supporting programs integral to Watertown, while also meeting the rigorous reporting requirements of our public funders.
WCF is here for the long-run. Because you invest in us, we can invest in the resilience of Watertown’s non-profits and the strength of our public, private and non-profit partnerships. COVID-19 will have long-term impacts on our community, everything from the need to overcome educational deficits, address mental health issues, to afford housing and food while costs rise in all areas. WCF will need to continue to partner with you to build financial resources so we can respond quickly and creatively to meet these needs. Thank you for your trust and partnership in us. Together, we can build a sustainable response to the long-term effects of COVID-19.
We are here to help.
Watertown Community Foundation created the Community Resilience Fund in March 2020, to address the most immediate needs of our neighbors who have been directly affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
Community Resilience Fund
The Community Resilience Fund (CRF) is a restricted fund at Watertown Community Foundation. It will be used to respond to urgent, community-wide needs or significant unexpected financial challenges from closures of core community institutions. The Community Resilience Fund enables WCF to rapidly make grants, with minimal application requirements, when the critical need is financial. WCF will rely on community partners to identify, and enable us to respond rapidly to, immediate needs. The Community Resilience Fund will be managed with other WCF funds to be readily available. Donors can designate contributions to the Community Resilience Fund knowing that urgent needs of the community will be met.
Watertown knows how to come together during difficult challenges. We showed grit, strength, and compassion in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings uniting our community and showing that we are Watertown Strong. Watertown Helps Out (WHO), our town wide day of service, was created as a result of our strength and resolve. During the financial crisis of 2008 it became clear that our community needed extra social services to assist families with resources to help them through financial difficulties. WCF, along with other organizations, helped create and fund a fulltime Social Services Resource Specialist.
With the COVID-19 pandemic it became clear very quickly that WCF needed to act. From its inception the Community Resilience Fund (CRF) was designed for rapid response. Through our front-line community partners we identify immediate needs and deploy funds. We're already experiencing a surge in requests for assistance as members of our community grapple with COVID-related challenges.
Need Help? Offering Help?
If you need assistance, please reach out to Sophia_Suarez-Friedman@waysideyouth.org And visit our Mutual Aid Network.
Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund
The Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund supports those across the state most impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis, focusing on essential frontline workers and vulnerable populations including the homeless, immigrant populations, people with disabilities and those facing food insecurity. The Fund works in concert with regional community foundations and non-profit leaders who partner with local leaders to understand the response and relief landscape, strategically filling in where gaps are pronounced. For more information, visit MACovid19ReliefFund.org
We are pleased to announce that with these funds Watertown Community Foundation has granted Metrowest Collaborative Development funding for emergency rental assistance to help households in Watertown disproportionately affected by COVID-19.