Events
The Boston Foundation sponsors a series of popular events designed to engage the community with the challenges facing our city and region. These are attended by thousands of dedicated people every year.
Upcoming Events
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Selected Recent Events
One Year In: Massachusetts Nonprofits Charting a Way Forward
Thursday, March 5, 2026: This widely-attended event highlighted the results of the second Nonprofit Federal Impacts Survey, which showed Massachusetts nonprofits are feeling the impacts of federal cuts to the safety net, with growing demands alongside new financial and organizational challenges.
The Call for Capital: How Mission-Driven Financing Supports Our Small Businesses
Tuesday, March 3, 2026: This forum spotlighted the value of mission-driven capital providers and their role in helping close capital gaps, as well as the potential impacts of federal cuts to the main federal program supporting Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs).
Sustained Collaboration in a Changing Sector
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM: At a time when changing conditions put increasing pressure on Mass. nonprofits, this discussion explored MassCollab and other strategies enabling nonprofit partnerships and collaborations.
An Early Look at the MBTA Communities Permitting Pipeline
Friday, January 30, 2026, 9:30 AM - 10:15 AMIn this author briefing, Amy Dain of Boston Indicators talked through the findings of her new report, which found modest but real gains in housing made possible by the MBTA Communities Act.
CDCs and Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing
Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: At this forum, participants explored strategies for protecting an often overlooked part of the affordable housing market--unsubsidized, unregulated housing that remains relatively affordable to low-income households.
Autism and Mental Health: Shifting the Lens Through Lived Experience
Tuesday, December 16, 2025, 10:00 - 11:30 AM: This event brought together funders, advocates, clinicians, and autistic individuals to examine how shifting the systems, assumptions, and environments autistic people must navigate could shift mental health outcomes.
Food as Medicine: Reimagining Pediatric Health Beyond the Doctor’s Office
Friday, December 12, 2025, 9:30 - 11:00 AM: This webinar and discussion included a presentation on the evolving role of nutrition as part of children's health discussion, and a conversation on the connection between food access and family health.
A Massachusetts Model for Medicaid Work Requirements
Thursday, November 20, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 AM: This webinar featured discussion of a new report examining how changes to Medicaid work requirements could be made easier to manage by making the system simpler and more streamlined for recipients.
The 2025 Greater Boston Housing Report Card Release
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 AM The 2025 Housing Report Card event featured an exploration into supply, housing affordability and a conversation on the diverging paths of towns implementing the MBTA Communities Act.
Promises in Practice: The Momnibus Bill, One Year In
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 9:30 - 11:00 AM This event explored the progress and challenges for maternal health in the one year after the Commonwealth's landmark maternal health legislation.
From Classroom to Career: A New Vision for High School in Mass.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 from 9:00 - 10:45 AM This event emphasized the need for Massachusetts to set a clear vision and strategy for better preparing high school students for college and careers.
Building the Workforce to Power MA’s Climate Future
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 from 9:00 - 10:30 AM MA top climate official and other leaders gathered at TBF for a lively discussion of how to attract, train and employ the thousands of people the state will need to further our climate goals.
The Asian Community Fund's 2025 Gala
Friday, October 3, 2025 from 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM More than 700 people joined us for a night of celebration and networking for the Asian Community Fund’s 2025 Gala: Rising Together, a vibrant celebration of AAPI leadership, connection, and belonging across our region.
Coffee and Conversation - Parents as Civic Leaders: Reimagining Family Engagement in Today’s Climate
Friday, September 19, 2025, 9:30 - 11:00 AM Our first Coffee and Conversation of 2025-2026 highlighted opportunities to strengthen the role of parents as advocates for early education and care.
Immigrant Workers Matter: The Critical Importance of Investing in Vocational ESOL
Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 9:00 to 10:30 AM SkillWorks hosted this forum bringing researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss the impact of immigrant workers on MA, and the importance of vocational ESOL programs for unlocking greater opportunities.
2025 AAPI Business Leadership Breakfast
Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 9:00 - 11:00 AM This year’s AAPI Business Leadership Breakfast focused on how we strengthen the infrastructure around AAPI businesses, expand access to capital and contracts, and elevate the role of AAPI leadership in shaping inclusive economic growth.
The Dignity Dividend: Lessons Learned on Guaranteed Income in MA
Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 9:30 - 10:30 AM Boston Indicators released their special report on the growing guaranteed income ecosystem, including a literature review of the strongest GI evaluations conducted nationwide and a detailed catalog and synthesis of programs in Massachusetts.
The State of the AAPI Arts and Culture Sector in Massachusetts
Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 10:00 - 11:30 AM The AAPI Arts and Culture Collaborative at the Asian Community Fund led the release of this new report and arts assets inventories at an event featuring poetry, music and dance alongside the discussion.
Coffee & Conversation: Reflections on a Year of Nurturing Strong Beginnings
Friday, June 13, 2025, 9:30 - 11:00 AM The final Coffee & Conversation of the fiscal year, this quarterly series has brought together advocates, practitioners, professionals with lived experiences, political leaders, community champions, and our donor community.
2025 Equality Fund's Annual Pride Celebration
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 4:00 - 6:00 PM Thank you for joining us for the annual Equality Fund Pride Celebration, a time when we announce new grantees, celebrate our nonprofit partners’ transformative work, and recognize our donors’ commitment to the Fund’s mission!
Tienen alas, pero no las pueden usar: Stories of Immigrants in Search of Work Credentials
Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 AM This event featured the release of an new report by the Gastón Institute and the Latino Equity Fund, capturing the lived experiences of immigrants in Mass. who face systemic barriers to reentering their professions due to inequitable credentialing requirements.
Fireside Chat with Reverend Liz Walker and Lee Pelton
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 5:30 - 7:30 PM TBF hosted a fireside chat between President and CEO Lee Pelton and Reverend Liz Walker to discuss her new book, No One Left Alone. Discussion centered around Rev. Walker's personal story of becoming a pastor in Roxbury and helping a community navigate grief and find space in her congregation to heal.
A Mapping of Workforce Assets and Needs: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 9:30 - 11:00 AM The release event for a new report and resource map brought practitioners and advocates to provide a deeper understanding of the existing gaps, needs, barriers, and areas of strength across the promotion, prevention, and intervention workforce.
The State of Latino-Serving Community-Based Organizations in MA
Monday, May 19, 2025, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Sharing insights from their latest report, the Latino Equity Fund at TBF, the Mauricio Gastón Institute at UMass Boston, and Philanthropy MA held a conversation exploring the role of Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations in MA.
LGBTQ+ People in Massachusetts
Tuesday, May 13, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 AM The Equality Fund at TBF and the Fenway Institute released 'LGBTQ+ People in Massachusetts: Strengths, Challenges, and Opportunities in a Diverse Community,' a report featuring new research about our state’s LGBTQ+ community.
The Future of Collective Action for the Arts and Culture Sector
Thursday, May 8, 2025, 5:30 - 7:30 PM How can we organize ourselves to defend, mobilize and expand the role of the arts in society? A panel of leaders and activists took on this question in a discussion the current landscape and models and best practices for building collective action within and beyond our sector.
Voices of Experience: Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program
Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 AM Be among the first to explore the vivid findings from a new report leveraging surveys, focus groups and interviews to hear directly from tenants and landlords on their experiences with the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP).
The Shifting Federal Landscape: Mass. Nonprofits Raise the Alarm
Monday, May 5, 2025, 12:30 - 02:00 PM TBF, MA Nonprofit Network, and MassINC Polling Group released the MA Nonprofits Federal Impacts Survey results, with responses from 500+ nonprofit leaders highlighting near-universal expectations that Trump administration policies will make work more difficult for their nonprofits and the communities they serve.
Wealth Gaps in the Golden Years: Economic Insecurity for Older Adults in a High-Cost State
Thursday, May 1, 2025, 9:30 - 10:15 AM This event highlighted a new mixed-methods report by Boston Indicators in collaboration with the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College that explored the income and wealth of older households in Mass., with a special focus on low-income, low-wealth seniors.
Undervalued: Appraisal Bias in Massachusetts
Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 AM This event convened experts, policy leaders, and community members to understand, unpack, and address the occurrence and impact of appraisal bias in MA. The panel discussion provided background, share stories of homeowners’ experiences, and elevate potential solutions.
The Future of Creative and Live-Work Spaces
Thursday, April 10th, 2025, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.Co-hosted by TBF, Artists for Humanity, MassCreative, and Zumix, this event featured conversations with leaders and practitioners in the field exploring ways to develop, protect and stabilize artist live-work spaces.
