We are committed to closing the gaps on this region’s greatest disparities. Through our resources and relationships we work to open pathways to opportunity and build and sustain vital, prosperous and equitable communities.
Boston Foundation Inc moved $15,000,000 to The Miami Foundation as a transfer to a donor-advised fund, a sign of how much of its activity runs through philanthropic intermediaries as well as direct nonprofit support. The foundation also made repeated large operating grants to Boston-area institutions, including New Profit Inc at $1,925,000 in both 2023 and 2024, and Boston Ballet Inc at $1,882,256 in 2023 and $1,834,849 in 2024. That mix points to a funder that supports established organizations, capital needs, and long-term operating capacity. Across its recent grants, the foundation backs general operating support, capital campaigns, scholarship aid, immigrant and refugee support, and arts and culture. It also uses named funds and programs to direct money toward specific communities, including the Asian Community Fund, Latino Equity Fund, Equality Fund, and Safety Net Grants. Its stated purpose emphasizes closing gaps in regional disparities and building equitable communities, and its grants reflect that regional role. The foundation funds a wide range of institutions, from health and higher education to arts groups, legal advocacy organizations, and community intermediaries. It also makes program-related investments and funds individuals, broadening the ways it can support nonprofit work and related community capacity.
General operating support is a core part of the foundation’s grantmaking. It awarded $4,510,000 to Social Finance Inc for operating support and annual fund needs, and it made another large operating grant of $2,351,000 to Broad Institute Inc. Similar operating support appears across health, higher education, and social-sector organizations. The foundation also funds arts and culture through both institutions and program-specific vehicles. It gave $2,673,000 to City of Boston Trust Funds for arts, and it supports artist development through programs such as Live Arts Boston, Next Steps for Boston Dance, and Brother Thomas Fellows. In the education and scholarship space, it granted $1,500,000 to University of Wisconsin Foundation for scholarship support. Immigrant and refugee support also appears in the recent grants list. Franklin Education Forum received $1,810,000 for immigrant and refugee support, while Safety Net Grants are described as focusing on essential needs and the safety and well-being of immigrant neighbors in Greater Boston.
$228.4M
$2.1B
$426.7M
$279.9M
Most grants fall between $10K and $51K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$51K
M Lee Pelton
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Typical grants cluster in the mid-five-figure to low-six-figure range, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $25,000, and a p75 of $51,280. At the same time, the recent grants list shows a substantial upper tier of operating and transfer activity, including multimillion-dollar awards and DAF transfers. Recipients recur across years: New Profit Inc, Boston Ballet Inc, Partners Healthcare System Inc, Justice Catalyst Law Inc, and President and Fellows of Harvard College all appear more than once. The foundation is a mixed community foundation, and it funds through operating support, capital campaigns, DAF transfers, and program-related investments. Several programs accept unsolicited applications, including Safety Net Grants, the Asian Community Fund, the Free for All Endowment Fund, Latino Equity Fund, Equality Fund, and Live Arts Boston is relaunched as a structured 18-month program.
Grantmaking is strongly centered in Massachusetts, with 60% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Beyond that, the foundation’s giving reaches other U.S. locations, and the recent grants list shows activity in Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, Amherst, and Washington, DC, alongside recipients in Miami, Cincinnati, Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Princeton. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the supplied data, with 4,458 grants in the United States.
It supports nonprofit organizations across several areas: general operating support, child well-being, economic mobility and workforce development, affordable housing and community wealth, food security and safety net work, LGBTQ+ services, Latinx community support, Asian American community support, and nonprofit sector infrastructure. The recent grants also show support for health, arts, education, and legal advocacy organizations.
Its typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $51,280 at the 75th percentile. The recent list also includes much larger awards, including multimillion-dollar operating grants, capital campaign support, and transfers to donor-advised funds.
Yes. While 60% of grants go to recipients in Massachusetts, the recent grants list also includes organizations in Florida, Ohio, Washington, DC, Tennessee, New York, California, Maryland, Illinois, Wisconsin, and New Jersey. The recipient-country data in the supplied set is entirely U.S.-based.
Yes. The Asian Community Fund, Safety Net Grants, Free for All Endowment Fund, Latino Equity Fund, and Equality Fund all accept unsolicited applications. Other programs listed, including Next Steps for Boston Dance and Brother Thomas Fellows, do not accept unsolicited applications.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Boston Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: For Greater Boston choreographers creating original work in any dance genre and at any post-college career level. Further criteria were not included in the provided content.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund | Boston, MA | $6,645,940 | 2026 | Transfer to DAF |
| Partners Healthcare System Inc | Boston, MA | $5,603,180 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | Cincinnati, OH | $5,376,841 | 2026 | Transfer to DAF |
| Trustees of Tufts College | Medford, MA | $5,005,000 | 2026 | Scholarship |
| McLean Hospital | Belmont, MA | $4,250,000 | 2026 | Capital Campaign |
| United Negro College Fund Inc | Boston, MA | $4,003,770 | 2026 | Education |
| The Barack Obama Foundation | Chicago, IL | $2,650,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| New Profit Inc | Boston, MA | $2,601,500 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Embrace Boston Inc | Boston, MA | $2,543,023 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Carbon Mapper Inc | Pasadena, CA | $2,500,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Justice Catalyst Inc | New York, NY | $2,500,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| United Way of Massachusetts Bay Inc | Boston, MA | $2,273,084 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Social Finance Inc | Boston, MA | $2,120,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Greenlight Fund Inc | Boston, MA | $2,096,500 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | $2,050,763 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund Board | Boston, MA | $2,000,000 | 2026 | Housing and Shelter |
| Boston Ballet Inc | Boston, MA | $1,968,421 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| New England Conservatory of Music Inc | Boston, MA | $1,936,795 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Full of Grace Foundation Inc | El Dorado Hills, CA | $1,810,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| BPE Inc | Roxbury, MA | $1,732,183 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc | Brookline, MA | $1,500,000 | 2026 | Capital Campaign |
| St Martin De Porres Academy Inc | New Haven, CT | $1,500,000 | 2026 | Capital Campaign |
| Justice Catalyst Law Inc | New York, NY | $1,350,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| University of Wisconsin Foundation | Milwaukee, WI | $1,275,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science | New York, NY | $1,250,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| True Costs Initiative Inc | Brookline, MA | $1,225,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| African American Quilt Guild of Gaston County | Kings Mountain, NC | $1,214,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Environmental Defense Fund Inc | New York, NY | $1,151,250 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Trustees of the Amherst College Inc | Amherst, MA | $1,117,500 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| WEEMA International Inc | Acton, MA | $1,110,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Childrens Hospital Corporation | Boston, MA | $1,076,288 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Share Winter Foundation | Brooklyn, NY | $1,025,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Year Up Inc | Boston, MA | $1,001,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| New Hampshire Catholic Charities Inc | Manchester, NH | $1,000,250 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Sudbury Community Food Pantry | Sudbury, MA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | Capital Campaign |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $1,000,000 | 2026 | Capital Campaign |
| Entrepreneurship for All Inc | Lowell, MA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | Capital Campaign |
| Partners Healthcare System Inc | Boston, MA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | Endowment |
| PRIME Coalition Inc | Cambridge, MA | $950,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Greater Boston Food Bank Inc | Boston, MA | $929,271 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| National Park Foundation | Baltimore, MD | $900,000 | 2026 | Capital Campaign |
| Trustees of Boston University | Boston, MA | $883,834 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston Inc | Boston, MA | $853,369 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Brigham and Women's Hospital Inc | Boston, MA | $827,485 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Community Foundation for Nantucket | Nantucket, MA | $826,377 | 2026 | Transfer to DAF |
| Jumpstart for Young Children Inc | Boston, MA | $825,000 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| Boston Symphony Orchestra Inc | Boston, MA | $803,918 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| 826 Boston Inc | Roxbury, MA | $756,200 | 2026 | Operating Support/Annual Fund |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | $751,000 | 2026 | Education |
| Friends of Dewitt Parks & Rec Inc | East Syracuse, NY | $750,000 | 2026 | Capital Campaign |
Partners Healthcare System Inc
$5,603,180Operating Support/Annual Fund
McLean Hospital
$4,250,000Capital Campaign
Education
Embrace Boston Inc
$2,543,023Operating Support/Annual Fund
Justice Catalyst Inc
$2,500,000Operating Support/Annual Fund
Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund Board
$2,000,000Housing and Shelter
Full of Grace Foundation Inc
$1,810,000Operating Support/Annual Fund
Justice Catalyst Law Inc
$1,350,000Operating Support/Annual Fund
Operating Support/Annual Fund
True Costs Initiative Inc
$1,225,000Operating Support/Annual Fund
African American Quilt Guild of Gaston County
$1,214,000Operating Support/Annual Fund
WEEMA International Inc
$1,110,000Operating Support/Annual Fund
Sudbury Community Food Pantry
$1,000,000Capital Campaign
University of Utah
$1,000,000Capital Campaign
Partners Healthcare System Inc
$1,000,000Endowment
Operating Support/Annual Fund
Brigham and Women's Hospital Inc
$827,485Operating Support/Annual Fund
Boston Symphony Orchestra Inc
$803,918Operating Support/Annual Fund
Friends of Dewitt Parks & Rec Inc
$750,000Capital Campaign