United Way of Central Mass. establishes emergency response fund to support families amid federal cuts, financial strains
Photo | Grant Welker
The Worcester skyline
In the wake of shifting political policies and growing economic shifts affecting residents’ ability to access necessary services, the Worcester-based United Way of Central Massachusetts has launched a new $500,000 emergency fund.
The United Response Fund is intended to serve as a rapid response model, funding organizations supporting the nonprofit’s four impact pillars of youth opportunities, financial security, healthy community, and community resilience, Lynn Cheney, UWCM vice president of communications, said in an email to WBJ.
The new fund is designed to specifically finance organizations during times of crisis, disaster, and emergency caused by unexpected events, according to a Sunday press release from UWCM.
“This investment is about more than emergency relief, it’s about building resilience,” Dan Mastrototaro, UWCM board chair, said in the release. “These funds will help create opportunities for children, improve food security, create pathways to meaningful careers, and give us the data to better understand and support the working families in Massachusetts. Our stronger tomorrow starts with being United today.”
Specifically, UWCM cites federal cuts to the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, as an imminent threat to the community.
As part of the President Donald Trump Administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in July, looks to slash SNAP benefits by approximately $186 billion and implement new requirements to access benefits, including minimum work requirements for many adults and mandatory statuses as permanent residents and U.S. citizens.
These cuts could negatively impact up to 237,000 Massachusetts residents, UWCM said in the release.
Currently, those enrolled in SNAP benefits include 32% who are children under 18, 24% who are seniors 60 years and older, and 28% who have disabilities, UWCM said, citing the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance statistics.
In addition to providing emergency support for families and nonprofits, UWCM intends its Response Fund to serve as a call to action for local partners to do the same, acting proactively instead of reactively in these times of political uncertainty.
“Our investment is the first step,” said Tim Garvin, president and CEO of UWCM, said in the release. “But the challenges ahead are larger than any one organization. We hope this fund sparks a united movement of neighbors, companies, and partners willing to act now, together, to ensure the most vulnerable among us are not left behind and our economy does not turn its back on the very people who sustain it.”
UWCM has launched similar initiatives in the past, including its $11-million pandemic relief Worcester Together Fund and its $18-million Massachusetts Farm Resiliency Fund for farmers severely impacted by flooding.
“The United Response Fund is built…to leverage greater community action, bring partners together, and ensure that when crisis strikes, the Greater Worcester region is not left waiting. This is not just a United Way response, it’s an invitation to the entire community to rise together. United is the way we build a stronger tomorrow,” Garvin said in the release.
In 2023, UWCM generated $9.98 million in revenue and had $15.75 million in assets, according to nonprofit financial tracker GuideStar.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments