SPRINGFIELD — WillPower Foundation, a longtime champion of families with different abilities in Western Mass., announced its next chapter: a formal partnership with Multicultural Community Services (MCS). Beginning in October, WillPower Foundation will transition to become the WillPower Fund at MCS, securing long-term sustainability while continuing its mission of saying yes when insurance says no.

Since 2008, WillPower Foundation has awarded nearly a half-million dollars in direct grants to families and individuals with different abilities across Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. Founded by Maria and Craig Burke in honor of their son, William Michael Burke, who lives with a rare brain malformation called schizencephaly, the foundation was created to fill critical gaps left by insurance and other systems, funding items such as mobility aids, therapeutic programs, and sensory equipment.

When the pandemic hit, WillPower was forced to eliminate most of its part-time staff to cut operational costs and stay afloat. Thanks to the continued generosity of donors and a dedicated board and volunteer base, the organization not only survived, but continued to grow its impact. Still, the long-term sustainability of operating without staff was uncertain.

After 17 years of empowering families, the WillPower board worked diligently to plan for the future and find a more efficient way to ensure that more donor dollars are directed to families, thereby maintaining a strong mission for years to come.

On Oct. 1, WillPower Foundation and MCS marked this milestone with a heartfelt celebration featuring Burke himself, the inspiring namesake of the foundation. The WillPower board presented a $40,000 founding gift to MCS to officially launch the WillPower Fund in its new home.

“I am incredibly proud to have helped bring this partnership together and honored that the WillPower Foundation has chosen MCS to carry on such a meaningful legacy,” said Karen Fletcher, executive director of MCS. “WillPower’s mission — empowering families and celebrating the power of different abilities — aligns beautifully with our own. This collaboration represents one of my proudest moments as executive director, and I’m deeply grateful to the WillPower board for trusting us with this special mission.”

MCS, a provider in the region since 1979, supports more than 3,500 individuals with developmental disabilities across Western and Central Mass. With a full-time staff of more than 700 employees, MCS brings the infrastructure and expertise needed to manage the WillPower Fund’s grantmaking process and offer operational support at scale, all while honoring the spirit, values, and accessibility that define WillPower.

WillPower Foundation no longer operates as an independent nonprofit, but has become a donor-advised fund hosted by MCS. The grant application process will now be managed by MCS staff and hosted on its website. A newly formed Friends of WillPower fundraising group, led by a team of volunteers, will continue to host community events and raise funds to fuel the mission.

Families can still apply for up to $750 per year for needs not covered by insurance, including through multiple grant cycles annually. The application remains low-barrier and includes a required letter of support from a professional familiar with the applicant’s needs.

In 2018, the WillPower Foundation was honored as a BusinessWest Difference Maker, a recognition program symbolized by a butterfly to represent the butterfly effect, the idea that even the smallest acts of kindness can lead to powerful, far-reaching change.

That symbolism remains at the heart of the WillPower Fund today. What began as one child’s journey has rippled out to touch the lives of hundreds of families across Western Mass. Whether it is a sensory toy, a trampoline, or a speech device mount, these small grants create lasting impact one family at a time.

“WillPower has always been about small acts with big meaning,” said Sarah Aasheim, board co-chair at WillPower Foundation. “We’ve seen how just a few hundred dollars, enough to repair the hardware on a window that poses a risk to an individual with autism who lacks safety awareness, or to purchase a sensory tool that helps a child self-regulate, can lift up an entire family. That is the butterfly effect we’re proud to carry forward through this partnership with MCS. We are so grateful to MCS for teaming up with us to ensure that our grantmaking will be secure and more impactful than ever in the years to come.”