The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts is committed to increasing equity and opportunity so that all who live in our three counties have access to a satisfying quality of life.
Our strategy to advance this vision:
We will use a portion of our resources to fund broadly to meet wide-ranging and evolving needs.
We will focus and lead in areas we believe will have significant impact on increasing equity and opportunity, utilizing all forms of capital to advance the following:
- Charitable giving within our three counties and by marshalling resources from beyond our region.
- Diversity, equity and inclusion in workplaces and institutions, starting with our own.
- A strong start for all children through high-quality early education and care.
- Accessible and more affordable post-secondary education and training, providing pathways to completion and employment.
- A vibrant local arts and creativity ecosystem to support self-expression, economic vitality and connection.
We will accomplish this work by:
- Listening deeply to understand the needs and assets of our community.
- Commissioning and disseminating data to increase understanding and innovation.
- Inspiring, connecting and partnering with donors to make their giving more impactful.
- Building coalitions and partnerships.
- Providing grants and scholarships to support organizations, people, and ideas.
- Advancing the organizational effectiveness of non-profits through trainings, convenings, and support materials.
- Strengthening our own Foundation systems and people, and building our financial resources to best support our vision for the future.
Our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion:
We will advance equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout the region’s three counties, including our workplaces and institutions by prioritizing racial equity in all facets of our work.
We have chosen racial equity specifically because of the pervasiveness of racism in interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships and interactions, institutions, and systems in our region and in our country throughout our history. We believe that working toward dismantling systems of racial inequality provides a framework for dismantling all other forms of oppression.
We commit to:
- Combatting prejudice and discrimination by making intentional and equitable choices;
- Prioritizing racial equity intentionally and continually in our policies, practices, systems, and structures;
- Promoting social justice by amplifying the voices of our marginalized and underrepresented community members;
- Fostering trust by increasing transparency and accessibility; and
- Expanding shared decision-making.
We hope that you will join us in this work to make our communities more equitable and just.