Barr Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismMakes PRIsFunds Individuals
About Barr Foundation
To invest in human, natural, and creative potential, serving as thoughtful stewards and catalysts.
Focus Areas
Arts + CreativityClimateEducationSector EffectivenessSpecial InitiativesWaterfrontRacial Wealth Equity
Who They Fund
regional communities in the Northeast / New England (Greater Boston, East Boston)local education agencies, school leaders, and teachersarts organizations, cultural institutions, and creative practitionersresidents of low-income / revitalizing neighborhoods (TDI districts)public transit users and regional transportation coalitions
About Barr Foundation
Barr Foundation’s recent grantmaking is anchored by large, multi-year investments in clean energy, education, and arts infrastructure across New England. One of its clearest patterns is the repeated support for the United States Energy Foundation to accelerate the transition to clean energy in the Northeast, including $3,425,000 in 2024 and two $3,275,000 grants in 2023 and 2025. The foundation also backs systems-oriented work in public education, such as support for the National Center for Civic Innovation to help scale school observation visits and provide capacity-building for Barr grantee school leaders. In the arts, Barr has funded major field-building and capital efforts, including support for Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival’s new dance theater and for New England Foundation for the Arts to recenter its public art program around spatial justice. Across these grants, the foundation combines program support, technical assistance, and capital investments, with a strong emphasis on initiatives that build organizational capacity and shape broader systems rather than one-off projects. Its portfolio includes regional collaborations, intermediaries, and place-based investments tied to community change.
What Barr Foundation Funds
In climate, Barr has funded both regional advocacy and implementation. It gave $1,250,000 to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy to support implementation of bus rapid transit in Greater Boston, and $1,000,000 to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council for mobility, clean energy, and climate resiliency planning. The foundation also backed the Conservation Law Foundation with $1,100,000 for core support for the Transportation for Massachusetts Coalition. In arts and creativity, Barr supports organizations working on physical spaces and community change. It granted $1,754,500 to the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency to support art-based strategies and investments in Transformative Development Initiative districts, and $1,000,000 to Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival for construction of a new dance theater. Barr also gave $1,500,000 to the New Venture Fund for “Culture and Creativity Powering Community Change,” an initiative of a funder collaborative. Education grants show a similar focus on implementation and leadership, including support for TNTP’s implementation planning and the National Center for Civic Innovation’s work with the Engage New England cohort.
How Barr Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$338.6M
Total Assets
$1.9B
Total Revenue
$191.8M
Total Expenses
$191.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $1K and $175K, with a median of $63K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$63K
75th Percentile
$175K
Geographic Reach
Regional32 states funded
About 64% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
JAMES CANALES - SEE STATEMENT 16
PRESIDENT AND TRUSTEE
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