Guardian Community Trust, Inc., was created to improve the lives of seniors and individuals with disabilities, including many who reside in nursing homes, and many whose need for a guardian or conservator is not being met under the current protective laws of Massachusetts. The heart of our mission is a pooled-trust program that helps disabled and institutionalized individuals to preserve their independence, comfort and dignity while receiving government benefits. We do this by enabling our beneficiaries to set aside some of their own assets in a professionally-managed, Medicaid-exempt trust account for supplemental needs. Underlying the pooled trust mission is our commitment to improve permanently the lives of the indigent and incapacitated in Massachusetts who need a public agency to be their guardian or conservator. We do this through our own research, education and advocacy, and through an active grant-making program that enlists the creative energies of others in Massachusetts who share the vision of such an agency.