May 19, 2026 CFWM News, Press Releases

Community Foundation Announces $1 Million Investment to Strengthen Nonprofit Organizations in the Valley

Across nearly every sector in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Counties, federal and state funding cuts are quietly reshaping the local nonprofit sector.  As a response, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts last week, with the support of an anonymous donor, quickly moved to distribute a one-time $1,000,000 investment to provide urgent, flexible support to frontline community organizations. This initiative, intended to help nonprofits meet the moment and absorb the impact of these cuts, is grounded in a simple but powerful belief that organizations doing the vital work of providing essential services deserve to be fully resourced. 

“This is precisely what community foundations were built for,” said Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts CEO, Megan Burke. “We have both the responsibility and the privilege to step in quickly, decisively, and with the full support of community members who care about their neighbors.”

Last September, nearly half of the 250 nonprofit organizations that applied for the Community Foundation’s Flexible Funding Grant reported that it had experienced the ripple effects of cuts to intermediary agencies, loss of multi-year support, equity retrenchment, and rising administrative loads.

The same sense of urgency and responsibility shaped the Community Foundation’s decision to launch its Community Resilience Grant opportunity. Results from its application revealed similar data. Of the 178 organizations that applied, 147 reported that the impacts of federal funding cuts had already arrived, disrupted services, and strained budgets. An additional 41 organizations indicated that significant impacts were still on the horizon.

For organizations on the receiving end of that investment, the impact has been as much about being seen as it is about the financial support itself.

“This $50,000 grant is not just funding; it is a lifeline at a moment when we needed one most,” shared Nancy Boyle, Interim Associate Director for the Franklin County Community Meals Program. “This grant arrives as we are doing the hard, necessary work of strengthening our organization with skilled leadership, tightened systems, and a renewed commitment to the communities we serve. The [Community Foundation’s] support tells us that our work is seen, that it matters, and that we are not doing it alone.”

The Community Meals program provides over 25,000 free meals annually and serves over 2,800 households in Franklin County who depend on their services across its meal sites and pantry.

To learn more about Community Resilience grants, visit communityfoundation.org/nonprofits/community-resilience-2026/.

Organizations that received a Community Resilience Grant include:

Alianza DV Services, Inc.
All Farmers, Inc.
Amherst Community Connections
Amherst Mobile Market
Amherst Survival Center
Franklin County Community Meals Program
Franklin County Dial-Self, Inc.
TSNE (FS) Gardening the  Community
Greater Springfield Senior Services, Inc.
Grow Food Northampton, Inc.
Hilltown Community Development Corporation
Hilltown Village, Inc. DBA It Takes A Village
Hilltown Youth Performing Arts Program, Inc.
Tiny Seed (FS) Holyoke Food and Equity Collective
Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, Inc.
Just Roots, Inc.
Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry, Inc.
Manna Community Kitchen
Massachusetts Fair Housing Center
Northampton Survival Center, Inc.
OneHolyoke Community Development Corporation
The Praxis Project (FS)Pequoig Farm
Rachel’s Table of Western Massachusetts, Inc.
Revitalize Community Development Corporation
Safe Passage, Inc.
Stone Soup Cafe, Inc. 
The Gray House
Transhealth, Inc.
Wales Community Pantry