APPLYING FOR A GRANT

NONPROFIT PARTNERS AT A CHELSEA 2021 EVENT (PAGE 22) Photo by Darlene DeVita

Funding Opportunities

The Boston Foundation’s Programs Department is committed to having a profound and measurable impact on the Greater Boston community through our grantmaking. Our discretionary grantmaking, which is overseen by our Programs staff and approved by our Board of Directors, represents about 18 percent of the Foundation’s overall giving. The remainder is directed by our donors through Donor Advised Funds. The allocation of more than $15 million in discretionary grants each year is made possible by our endowment, the Permanent Fund for Boston, which has been built over the years through gifts and bequests from hundreds of generous community members.

Since 2009, we have invested the bulk of our discretionary grantmaking resources in partners and programs focused on five Impact Areas: Education; Health & Wellness; Jobs & Economic Development; Neighborhoods & Housing; and Arts & Culture.

In addition, discretionary grantmaking supports programs within our Social Justice Ecology framework. Through this work, our goal is to help inform and strengthen the conditions that allow social justice to thrive in Greater Boston by providing access to resources and support for people, movements and nonprofits working to disrupt persistent structural and institutional racism and encourage racial equity and justice.

We remain responsive to community and nonprofit needs beyond our strategic focus areas through our applicationdriven Open Door Grants program, which responds to expressed opportunities and needs in the communities we serve.

NOTE:

We are in the process of revising our grantmaking guidelines to reflect the goals of our strategic vision, Our New Pathway. We will be communicating with our nonprofit partners with any updates— and all guidelines will be posted on our website at TBF.org/nonprofits.

FESTIVAL BETANCES

Photo by Angela Rowlings