United Way Awards Grants to Address Needs on the SouthCoast

The United Way of Greater New Bedford has been awarding Changemaker Grants since 1995.

The grants amount to no more than $2,500 and have funded 861 different projects. The goal of the program is to bring people together while filling an important need in the community.

Over the years, the projects funded include a neighborhood cleanup program to establishing community gardens and providing hygiene items for the region's homeless.

The United Way's Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement Victoria Grasela stopped by Townsquare Sunday to give us details.

"We awarded our last cycle of Changemaker Grants in the spring," Grasela said. "We've been talking for awhile about having a second round of grants per year. With just one round, people might forget about their idea or forget about the program. This is a way to encourage people to continue thinking about what they can be doing differently."

The United Way awarded 10 Changemaker Grants last spring. The projects ranged from creation of community gardens to children's car seat safety.

"The possibilities are really endless with this," Grasela said.

The groups applying for Changemaker Grants can be as few as three people who have identified a neighborhood issue and need some funding to address it.

"Not many people know this, but Operation Clean Sweep, the neighborhood cleanup program in New Bedford, started with a Changemaker Grant," Grasela said. "They came in looking for money to buy shovels, brooms and rakes. The rest is history."

Applicants must be volunteers. Applications can be obtained through December 13 on the United Way of Greater New Bedford website .

Attend an info session to learn more and ask questions. The next session will be Wednesday, November 20 at 5 p.m. You can register on the website.

The complete interview with the United Way's Victoria Grasela can be heard here: