The Boston Foundation

The Boston Foundation is a community foundation established in 1915. Serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, it is made up of nearly 1,100 separate charitable funds established by donors over more than 100 years. Funds are set up for the community or for special purposes, such as supporting individual non-profit organizations or particular causes. Since 2001, the Boston Foundation has commissioned and published research, hosted forums and platforms for discussion and public policy development, and joined or formed coalitions addressing issues around individual-, systems- and root-level causes of inequity facing Boston and the region.

History
The Boston Foundation was founded in 1915 by Charles E. and Charles M. Rogerson, who were father and son. Originally called the Permanent Charity Fund, it was the third community foundation created in the United States. The foundation introduced a new approach to philanthropy, as the first community foundation to collect funds from across the region and use its endowment to improve the life of the community. Rogerson allowed a distribution committee, composed of prominent citizens, to make grants on the basis of perceived need.

In 1985, the foundation was renamed The Boston Foundation, and Anna Faith Jones became its president. Jones was the first African-American woman to lead a major foundation in the United States. She was succeeded in 2001 by President and CEO Paul S. Grogan. During Grogan's tenure, the foundation expanded its civic engagement activities to commissioning and publishing research into urban issues, holding public forums, forming task forces and coalitions, and informing legislative solutions to some of the city's problems.

In 2012, the Boston Foundation merged with The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), which operates as a distinct unit of the Foundation. TPI, founded in 1989, offers consulting services to high-net-worth individuals, families, foundations, and corporations globally.

On December 1, 2020, the foundation announced that Grogan would be replaced by Emerson College President M. Lee Pelton. Pelton took office on June 1, 2021.

Mission
The Foundation aims to close societal gaps through programs and grants that promote access to healthcare and early education, strengthen the community economy, and advocate for community leadership.

The Foundation also commissions public research into a range of issues related to the Greater Boston region, with the aim of contributing to public policy.

Governance
The foundation is overseen by a 20-member board of directors. The staff includes professionals in grant-making, fund-raising, research, finance, administration, and communications.

Grant-making
The Foundation's grants have assisted nonprofit organizations that aim to address a variety of systemic needs including migrant assistance, public health, education and crime prevention. It has also provided seed capital and other support for new institutions and charitable endeavors.

The Foundation's assistance has included:


 * Providing grants to help launch WGBH-TV, now a major U.S. public television station
 * An early investment in the redevelopment of Faneuil Hall into a central retail marketplace, often associated with Boston's renewal in the late 20th century
 * Helping to develop Boston's Longwood Medical Center area
 * Providing grants to Save the Harbor / Save the Bay to clean up Boston Harbor
 * Investing in an extensive network of community health centers across Boston neighborhoods
 * Making early grants to U.S. organizations that started in Boston such as Citizen Schools, City Year, GreenLight Fund, and Year Up.

In 2023, 75.6% of the foundation's giving came through donor advised funds (DAFs). In 2023, the Foundation and its donors made $175,374,000 in grants to nonprofits in Greater Boston and across the U.S. From 2001 to 2021 the Foundation focused its giving on housing and community development, education and workforce development, arts and culture, civic engagement, community safety, health and human services, the nonprofit sector, and the urban environment.

The Foundation often takes on special initiatives to address issues affecting the community, such as civic engagement, pilot schools, and homelessness prevention.

Civic leadership
Through its Understanding Boston series, the Foundation commissions research from universities, think tanks and other organizations and shares this information through a series of public forums. Issues addressed through Understanding Boston include public education, housing, the workforce, health, philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, the arts, and the urban environment.

The Foundation also creates task forces and action agendas that aim to produce positive change. For example:


 * The Commonwealth Housing Task Force created a Smart Growth housing effort to address the shortage of housing in Massachusetts.
 * The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, which has provided state funding for cultural facilities. Its work examining the current Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) system led to a re-evaluation of the system by state lawmakers.
 * The Foundation's research and public information campaign related to public education has influenced the Governor's approach to education across Massachusetts.
 * Other agendas, including homelessness prevention, a new collaborative for the life sciences, issues related to health and health care, and the revenue-raising capacity of Massachusetts cities.

Boston Indicators
The Foundation's civic leadership also extends to its Boston Indicators project. The project works in partnership with community groups, civic leaders and Greater Boston's civic data community to produce special reports and host public convenings. The Boston Foundation will release a biennial report, with supplemental updates and outreach, through the year 2030, Boston's 400th anniversary. Boston Indicators aims to provide equitable access to information, promote informed public discourse, track progress on civic goals, and report on change in 10 sectors: Civic Vitality, Cultural Life and the Arts, the Economy, Education, the Environment, Health, Housing, Public Safety, Technology, and Transportation.

The project's first report, The Wisdom of Our Choices, was released in 2000. The second report, Creativity and Innovation: A Bridge to the Future, was released in early 2003, along with the launch of the Project's interactive website. The website received the International Tech Museum 2003 Award for using technology to further equality. The most recent report, released in 2024, is titled Criminal Justice Reform in Massachusetts: A Five-Year Progress Assessment.

All Boston Indicators Project reports are available on its website, along with sector highlights and indicators with data available for download. The Indicators Framework, a curated online catalogue of 350 measures of well-being in the Boston area, continues to be available online but has not been updated since 2015.