About Hyams Foundation
The Hyams Foundation is directing substantial, concentrated grants to Boston-area grassroots advocacy and community organizing groups focused on housing justice, worker rights, environmental health, and racial/economic equity. They favor multi-issue, coalition-building organizations and invest in capacity and general support rather than single-project funding. Their giving clearly prioritizes local Massachusetts organizing that advances tenant power, worker centers, and environmental justice in low‑income and communities of color.
Focus Areas
Tenant rights and housing justice organizing in Greater Boston (e.g., Homes for All, City Life•Vida Urbana)Worker centers and low-wage worker organizing (e.g., Matahari Women Workers' Center)Grassroots racial and economic justice coalitions in Boston neighborhoods (e.g., Reclaim Roxbury, Boston Education Justice Alliance)Environmental justice and community health advocacy in Massachusetts (e.g., Alternatives for Community and Environment)Capacity-building and coalition infrastructure for grassroots movements (general operating support and training cohorts)
Who They Fund
immigrants and refugee communities
About Hyams Foundation
The Hyams Foundation Inc has put some of its largest recent grants behind Boston-area movement infrastructure, pairing six-figure awards with long-term support for organizing groups working on housing justice, worker rights, racial equity, and environmental health. A 2024 grant of $479,565 to Resist Inc in Jamaica Plain supported Matahari Women Workers' Center, BEJA, SIM, Reclaim Roxbury, MassCOSH, and a Learning Circle & New Fundraisers Cohort. Another major award, $444,508 in 2024 to Urban Revival Inc, backed City Life•Vida Urbana work tied to Homes for All Massachusetts, anniversary activity, employee match, ReFrame Academy participation, and general support. The foundation also gave $420,000 in 2025 to Alternatives for Community and Environment Inc for general support, alongside earlier support for climate justice training and participatory design. Its recent grants show a clear preference for coalition-based organizations that connect advocacy, leadership development, and movement-building rather than isolated short-term projects. Massachusetts organizations dominate the portfolio, especially groups rooted in Boston neighborhoods, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Dorchester, and nearby cities.
What Hyams Foundation Funds
Housing justice appears repeatedly in Hyams’ grant list. The foundation gave $350,000 in 2023 to the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Inc for Housing Justice, Equity and Preservation, plus Springfield Community Lawyering projects. It also backed Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative with $140,000 in 2023 for the Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network, leadership transition, and general support. In worker justice, Resist Inc received $159,000 in 2025 for MassCOSH - Immigrant and Youth Worker Justice, extending earlier support tied to Matahari Women Workers' Center. The foundation also funds economic justice infrastructure: Center for Economic Democracy received $233,517 in 2024 for Boston Ujima support, the Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity, employee match, and general support. Climate and environmental justice show up through Alternatives for Community and Environment Inc, including a 2024 grant for NEU4J's Climate Justice Organizing Training School, participatory design, and general support.
How Hyams Foundation Gives
Typical grant size sits at $3,000 at the 25th percentile, $41,750 at the median, and $71,500 at the 75th percentile. The recent record includes both smaller support grants and six-figure awards, with many gifts combining general support with project or capacity-building funding. The same organizations recur across multiple years: Resist Inc, Urban Revival Inc, Alternatives for Community and Environment Inc, Third Sector New England Inc, and The City School Inc each appear in more than one recent grant. The foundation is a regular funder and makes grants in Massachusetts through core support, movement infrastructure project grants, and PRI activity, while also accepting unsolicited requests in those program areas.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.9M
Total Assets
$144.3M
Total Revenue
$8.7M
Total Expenses
$8.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $3K and $72K, with a median of $42K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$42K
75th Percentile
$72K
Geographic Reach
Regional11 states funded
About 79% of grants go to recipients in MA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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