Support children and families facing crisis by mobilizing Bright Horizons employees, volunteers, and partners through grants, volunteer projects, and the Bright Spaces program to create safe, playful, healing environments and provide financial assistance when needed.
A defining pattern for Bright Horizons Foundation for Children is its support for children in crisis through Bright Spaces: child-centered rooms and play areas created in shelters and other service settings. Recent grants show that work in practice, from $66,878 to Save the Children for relief efforts for children in Ukraine to repeated $50,000 awards to Horizons for Homeless for activities for children. The foundation’s grants also reach transitional housing and family support settings, including support for children in transitional shelter and for agencies serving families with children in transition. The grant list shows a steady emphasis on trauma-informed, direct-service support rather than broad, unrestricted philanthropy. Bright Spaces awards appear across multiple organizations and years, including grants to Familywise Services, Promises2kids, Gladdin Community House, Eliot Human Services, and The City Center Transitional Living. In those settings, the foundation funds creation or support of spaces where children can play, recover, and connect with family while families navigate homelessness, displacement, or crisis. The foundation also uses volunteer-linked giving through employee-related programs, reinforcing a model built around staff engagement and targeted project support.
One core focus is shelter-based child enrichment. In 2024, Bright Horizons Foundation for Children gave $34,976 to Familywise Services to create a Bright Space, and it gave $16,962 to The City Center Transitional Living to create a Bright Space. Similar awards went to Maryville Academy for a Bright Space and to Hesed House for a Bright Space, showing how the foundation supports child-centered environments inside service agencies. A second theme is crisis response for displaced and conflict-affected children. In 2023, it gave $66,878 to Save the Children to support relief efforts for children in Ukraine. That fits the foundation’s broader interest in psychosocial support and emergency relief for children facing disruption. The foundation also backs family-serving organizations in transition settings. It awarded $8,609 to Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley to support children and families in transitional shelter, and $8,000 to Umass Memorial Health for the same purpose. Those grants align with support for households needing stable, child-friendly spaces during transition.
$135K
$1.5M
$725K
$727K
Most grants fall between $8K and $18K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$18K
YVONNE LYNCH
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Typical grant size sits in a narrow middle band: the 25th percentile is $7,635, the median is $10,321, and the 75th percentile is $17,863. That distribution suggests a mix of modest project grants and larger one-off awards. The recent record also shows repeat giving to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Horizons for Homeless, which received $50,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Bright Horizons Foundation for Children is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals. Some support is tied to employee activity, including the Bright Horizons Employee Relief Fund and Gleason Volunteer Grants, while Bright Spaces sponsorship and fundraising opportunities are separate program channels.
The foundation gives nationally, and every recent grant in the provided list went to a U.S. recipient. California appears as the top state by grant count, with recipients in places including Fairfield, San Diego, Ventura, Redwood City, and Los Angeles. Massachusetts is also a major destination, including Roxbury, Framingham, Malden, Natick, Worcester, and Newton-area organizations. Other recipient locations include Minneapolis, Columbus, New York, Chicago, Raleigh, Burien, and Daytona Beach, showing a broad U.S. footprint rather than a single-state pattern.
It supports nonprofits working with children and families in crisis, especially shelters, transitional housing, and child-centered service sites. Recent grants went to organizations such as Horizons for Homeless, Familywise Services, and Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley for activities for children, Bright Spaces, and transitional shelter support.
The grant-size distribution centers on relatively small project grants: the 25th percentile is $7,635, the median is $10,321, and the 75th percentile is $17,863. Recent awards also include larger exceptions, such as $66,878 for relief efforts for children in Ukraine.
Yes. Horizons for Homeless received $50,000 in 2023, $50,000 in 2024, and $50,000 in 2025. The recent grants also show multiple Bright Space awards to organizations such as Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and Umass Memorial Health.
The foundation gives nationally, and the recent grants list is entirely U.S.-based. California is the top state by grant count, while Massachusetts also appears often, with recipient cities including Roxbury, Framingham, Malden, Natick, and Worcester.
A major channel is Bright Spaces, which funds warm, safe, child-centered spaces in shelters and other agencies. Recent examples include grants to Familywise Services to create a Bright Space and to The City Center Transitional Living to create a Bright Space, alongside support for children in Ukraine through Save the Children.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HORIZONS FOR HOMELESS | ROXBURY, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN |
| OUT METRO WEST | FRAMINGHAM, MA | $22,455 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE |
| THAT PARENT PLACE JOSIE'S GRACE | NEWARK, DE | $12,500 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE |
| HEALING PLACE | RALEIGH, NC | $9,445 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE |
| LIFE MOVES REDWOOD FAMILY HOUSE | REDWOOD CITY, CA | $9,231 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE |
| MARY'S PLACE | BURIEN, WA | $9,204 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE |
| FAMILY RENEW COMMUNITY | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $8,934 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE |
| HEALING TRANSITIONS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $7,242 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE |
| HOME OF THE SPARROW | PALATINE, IL | $6,194 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE |
| HORIZONS FOR HOMELESS | ROXBURY, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN |
| FAMILYWISE SERVICES | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $34,976 | 2024 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| PROMISES2KIDS | SAN DIEGO, CA | $18,906 | 2024 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| GLADDIN COMMUNITY HOUSE | COLUMBUS, OH | $17,903 | 2024 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| ELIOT HUMAN SERVICES | MALDEN, MA | $17,742 | 2024 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| THE CITY CENTER TRANSITIONAL LIVING | VENTURA, CA | $16,962 | 2024 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| MARYVILLE ACADEMY | CHICAGO, IL | $11,439 | 2024 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| HESED HOUSE | AURORA, IL | $11,365 | 2024 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY | SAN JUAN, TX | $8,609 | 2024 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY | SAN JUAN, TX | $8,609 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT CHILDREN AND FAMILITES IN TRANSITIONAL SHELTER |
| UMASS MEMORIAL HEALTH | WORCESTER, MA | $8,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT CHILDREN AND FAMILITES IN TRANSITIONAL SHELTER |
| UMASS MEMORIAL HEALTH | WORCESTER, MA | $7,000 | 2024 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| GINI'S HOUSE LIBERATION PROGRAM | NORWALK, CT | $6,845 | 2024 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN | FAIRFIELD, CT | $66,878 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT RELIEF EFFORTS FOR CHILDREN IN UKRAINE |
| HORIZONS FOR HOMELESS | ROXBURY, MA | $50,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN |
| REGENT FAMILY RESIDENCE | NEW YORK, NY | $11,442 | 2023 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| FAMILY PROMISE METROWEST | NATICK, MA | $11,197 | 2023 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| E MISSOURI COMMUNITY ACTION | PARK HILLS, MO | $7,513 | 2023 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| LA HOPE GARDENS | SYLMAR, CA | $6,798 | 2023 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| PITTSBURGH CENTER FOR VICTIMS | PITTSBURGH, PA | $6,074 | 2023 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
| DES MOINES HOUSE OF MERCY | DES MOINES, IA | $5,553 | 2023 | TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE |
THAT PARENT PLACE JOSIE'S GRACE
$12,500TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE
TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE
FAMILY RENEW COMMUNITY
$8,934TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE
HEALING TRANSITIONS
$7,242TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE
HOME OF THE SPARROW
$6,194TO SUPPORT BRIGHT SPACE
THE CITY CENTER TRANSITIONAL LIVING
$16,962TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE
MARYVILLE ACADEMY
$11,439TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE
TO SUPPORT CHILDREN AND FAMILITES IN TRANSITIONAL SHELTER
TO SUPPORT CHILDREN AND FAMILITES IN TRANSITIONAL SHELTER
UMASS MEMORIAL HEALTH
$7,000TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE
GINI'S HOUSE LIBERATION PROGRAM
$6,845TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE
REGENT FAMILY RESIDENCE
$11,442TO CREATE A BRIGHT SPACE