Events
Upcoming Events
At this time, the Boston Foundation has resumed some in person events while continuing an extensive schedule of online events. Event listings will indicate whether events are in person or virtual. For videos of recent past forums and webinars, explore our Events page.
Nurturing Strong Beginnings Coffee & Conversation Unlocking Equity: Bridging the Gap for Families and Communities
Join us for our second quarterly Coffee & Conversation as we explore "Unlocking Equity: Bridging the Gap for Families and Communities" under the overarching theme of TBF’s Nurturing Strong Beginnings pathway. Together, we'll spark conversations challenging the status quo, fostering innovation, and paving the way for transformative change. From exploring the pivotal role of political will and policies to harnessing the power of collective impact and coordinated services, this event promises to be a resource for new information and valuable insights.
Friday, April 26, 2024, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Register for this webinar
Racial Wealth Equity Research and Conversation Series - Debt: Exploring Wealth Beyond Assets
The next virtual event in the Racial Wealth Equity Research and Conversation Series will focus on the racial debt gap and feature research from the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, Disparities in Debt: Why Debt is a Driver in the Racial Wealth Gap, presented by researchers Joanna Smith-Ramani and Katherine Lucas McKay. To explore wealth beyond assets, they will speak to the role of debt in the racial wealth gap and how their research has informed the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program’s development of A New Wealth Agenda: A Blueprint for Building a Future of Inclusive Wealth. The event will include a research presentation followed by a Q&A with the audience.
Thursday, May 9, 2024, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
En Comunidad: A Spring Celebration in East Boston
You're invited to a spring community gathering hosted by TBF featuring live music, food from local businesses, and leaders from over 15 community organizations. TBF is excited to partner with local East Boston businesses, musicians, and nonprofits to create a fun, free, and family-friendly event at the beautiful Bremen Street Park. Come to listen, dance, learn, mingle, and enjoy delicious food together with your neighbors at this afternoon event. This event is free and open to the public – all ages are welcome. We hope to see you at Bremen Street Park on May 18th!
Saturday, May 18, 2024, 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. / Bremen Street Community Park
Selected Recent Events
Shifting Power & Advancing Justice: A Celebration of the Movements and Leaders Shaping Our Collective Future
Thank you for joining us for the Shifting Power and Advancing Justice (SPAJ) partnership launch event where we honored six remarkable leaders who are at the heart of transformative movements! Through this initiative, which aims to uplift movement leaders to reclaim their power and strengthen the communities they serve, we'll provide multi-year funding and resources for these six leaders and their organizations that have critical roles in advancing social justice in Greater Boston. The event featured engaging discussions, networking opportunities, and stories of change and action, offering a space to connect, reflect, and draw inspiration from the individuals and organizations who are redefining our community’s future.
Tuesday, April 9, 2024, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
How Can Philanthropy Support Migrant Relief?
On March 27, 2024, The Boston Foundation held a briefing with donors to discuss the current influx of newcomers in Massachusetts. The conversation covered the ways in which philanthropy can support relief for the influx of newcomers from other countries. The conversation explored the numerous obstacles new arrivals face as they try to survive and thrive in our ever-changing region amid challenges such as language barriers, increases in xenophobia, and a lack of cultural understanding. As stated by Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll during our conversation, “government cannot take this on alone,” which is why we hope you will rise to this unique challenge and help us to alleviate the many issues new Bostonians face.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Minding the Gap: Enterprise Wealth
The second event of the Minding the Gap series focused on Enterprise Wealth and the relationship between race, business ownership, and wealth. Due to decades of systemic racism and discrimination from governments, banks, and other financial institutions, people of color have been routinely excluded from the prospect of enterprise ownership, leading to disproportionately low levels of businesses owned and grown in communities of color. This event featured two panel discussions: Business Incubators & Advocates, and Business Owners.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Click here for the event video and recap
2024 State of Early Education and Care Report Release
The 2024 State of Early Education and Care Report, "Strengthening the Foundation: A Profile of Early Childhood Educators in Boston and Beyond," examines the findings of a statewide survey of early education and care providers across Massachusetts and shines a light on the needs of this critical workforce in Boston. These findings illuminate central areas within this vital sector, identifying trends, challenges, and opportunities that shape the experiences of educators and the early learning environments they create.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Global Greater Boston: Immigrants in a Changing Region
For as long as it’s been a city, immigrants have been central to Boston’s identity. For our new report 'Global Greater Boston: Immigrants in a Changing Region,' Boston Indicators partnered with Immigration Research Initiative to analyze who makes up immigrant communities in Greater Boston, quantify what they contribute to our regional economy, and detail the immigration pathways they take to get here. The event included a presentation of report highlights.
Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Rising Numbers, Unmet Needs
Students who have recently immigrated to the US and are English learners are met with the difficulty of learning English while simultaneously fulfilling the requirements for a high-school diploma. TBF welcomed Brown University's Annenberg Institute on January 31, 2024, for a conversation with experts in the field of education to discuss the unique challenges faced by immigrant newcomers to Massachusetts public schools, building on the Annenberg Institute’s recent report, 'Rising Numbers, Unmet Needs: Immigrant Newcomers in Massachusetts High Schools.'
Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Nurturing Strong Beginnings Coffee & Conversation: What Would It Take to Nurture Strong Beginnings?
Nurturing Strong Beginnings, one of the Boston Foundation's four pathways to equity, relaunched its Coffee and Conversation series on the morning of January 26, 2024. The webinar featured three distinguished experts: Amy O'Leary, Executive Director at Strategies for Children, Dr. Renee Boynton-Jarrett, Founder and CEO of Vital Village Networks, and Dr. Alexy Arauz-Boudreau, Associate Chief of Pediatrics for Primary Care at Mass General Brigham.
Friday, January 26, 2024, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Click here for the event video and recap
Criminal Justice Reform in Massachusetts Report Release
On January 24th, 2024, community members gathered in the Edgerly Center for Civic Leadership at the Boston Foundation for the release of Criminal Justice Reform in Massachusetts: A Five-year Progress Assessment. The event included a presentation of highlights from the report, followed by a panel discussion. Written in partnership by researchers at Boston Indicators and MassINC, this is the first systematic look at the impact of two landmark criminal justice reform laws passed in 2018. The report offers recommendations for how MA can build on its progress as it works to counter longstanding challenges.
Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Racial Wealth Equity Series: Baby Bonds
This virtual event in the Racial Wealth Equity Research and Conversation Series focused on baby bonds and featured Dr. Darrick Hamilton alongside Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and Connecticut Treasurer Erick Russell. The event explored Dr. Hamilton’s research on the potential of baby bonds to help narrow the racial wealth gap and advance economic security for all. It also featured a discussion of the nation’s first statewide baby bonds program being rolled out in Connecticut and compared this with similar legislation pending in Massachusetts.
Monday, December 11, 2023, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
#ShopAAPI Night Market
For one special night only, a roster of AAPI-operated small businesses were on hand at a unique Asian-style night market inside the atrium at 75 Arlington/10 St. James in Back Bay with holiday gifts, delectable treats and other festive items! Continue your holiday shopping and support local AAPI-owned businesses by shopping at these vendors with the #shopAAPI Holiday Shopping Guide linked below.
Wednesday, December 6, 2023, 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Learn more about this public event
Minding the Gap, Part 1: Land Wealth
The first of the Boston Foundation’s Racial Wealth Gap Event Series, “Minding the Gap: Land Wealth,” focused on the role race and wealth have had in the distribution, allocation, and protection of land in our country. Ranging from the creation and enforcement of restrictive land use regulations, such as zoning laws, to the lack of investment in and prioritization of available public goods, the racial wealth gap has played a role in how land is used and who gets to benefit from it.
Thursday, November 30, 2023, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Color of the Capital Gap: An Update and Discussion
This Color of the Capital Gap forum featured a presentation of the latest data on the local disparities in capital access for entrepreneurs of color and a candid discussion with mission financing institutions that are working hard to close the gap.
Tuesday, November 28, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Pathways to Equity: The 2023 Boston Foundation Annual Meeting
On November 16, more than 300 people packed the Edgerley Center for Civic Leadership and our office space for the 2023 Annual Meeting. Featuring food from TBF nonprofit partner NECAT, a wonderful musical performance from Hamilton-Garrett Center for Music and Arts' Youth Choir, and with the 12 remarkable people featured in our Annual Report as special guests, we celebrated our new brand, our renewed focus on equity, and the nonprofits, donors and community partners who power of collective work.
Thursday, November 16, 2023, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2023
Greater Boston faces a crippling housing shortage, the effects of which are most destabilizing for moderate- and low-income families and families of color in the region. The Greater Boston Housing Report Card highlighted how the region has been falling behind on housing production, and how housing cost burdens have been increasing, making rental housing and homeownership increasingly unaffordable.
Tuesday, November 14th, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Click here for video and recap.jpg?h=346&w=615&la=en&hash=3E3F2B049E338EF49B6A885527F2CA53)
Building Community Power Through Grassroots Philanthropy
TBF President & CEO Lee Pelton joined the leaders of our three Equity Funds – Scott Knox, Javier Juarez, and Danielle Kim – with grantees from these funds – for a rich conversation about amplifying community power for our most marginalized communities and advancing a shared vision for grassroots philanthropy.
Thursday, November 9, 2023, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Exclusionary by Design: Zoning as a Tool of Race, Class and Family Exclusion
As part of a new Racial Wealth Equity Research Center initiative, Boston Indicators commissioned Amy Dain, among the region’s leading zoning experts, to research and write Exclusionary by Design: An Investigation of Zoning’s Use as a Tool of Race, Class, and Family Exclusion in Boston’s Suburbs, 1920 to Today. Based on extensive review of local planning documents, state reports, and press coverage over the past 100 years, the report finds widespread use of zoning as a tool of social exclusion against residents of color, especially Black residents; lower-income and working-class residents; families with school-aged children; religious minorities; immigrants; and, in some cases, any newcomers/outsiders at all.
Wednesday, November 8, 2023, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action: Exploring Potential Implications & Opportunities for Nonprofits
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling effectively ending affirmative action in college admissions has rippled across sectors, prompting nonprofit, corporate, and government leaders to examine potential impacts on their constituents, employees, programming, and missions. While the implications are not yet fully known, the nonprofit sector and its allies face a pivotal moment and opportunity to come together to continue to advance commitments to building a more just and equitable society.
Wednesday, October 11th, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
A Long Road Home Report Release
Policies have systematically denied opportunities to Black households and other households of color, dramatically driving the racial wealth gap and entrenching the hurdles for some populations to accumulate wealth. At this event, Boston Indicators released the new report, A Long Road Home, which explores the existing landscape of programs and policies in Massachusetts to support homeowners—many of which are national models—and how we can build on this foundation to continue addressing these discriminatory policies and practices and pushing toward equity.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Racial Wealth Equity Research and Conversation Series: Education, Retirement, and Inheritances
Part of a new research and conversation series on racial wealth equity in Greater Boston, this event featured research from the Boston Fed, Racial Wealth Disparities: Reconsidering the Roles of Human Capital and Inheritance. This paper builds upon common analyses of the Survey of Consumer Finances to generate a variety of new insights into the relative asset levels of different racial groups.
Thursday, September 7, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Understanding the Asian Business Landscape in the Commonwealth: A Snapshot of Resilience and Impact
This event celebrated the release of a research brief unveiling a snapshot of Asian-owned businesses in Massachusetts. The brief captures the resilience and resourcefulness of Asian entrepreneurs in the Commonwealth and highlights the significant contributions of Asian-owned businesses to the state's economy, which add billions of dollars while facing numerous barriers to accessing services that support businesses.
Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Building a Better RAFT: Improving Access to Emergency Rental Assistance in MA
In 2022, Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), , with expanded funding by TBF and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, launched the Neighborhood Emergency Housing Support Program, a one-time grant for community-based organizations to conduct proactive outreach to residents about housing stability resources. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council analyzed the efficacy of emergency rental relief and the vital role of community-based organizations. In this webinar, experts reviewed the recommendations and a panel discussion featured community-based organization representatives sharing their experiences.
Thursday, May 25, 2023, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Click here for the event video and recap
(Re)Building Boston’s Early Education and Care Sector
Thank you for joining us for the release of the 2023 report from the Boston Opportunity Agenda and the Birth to Eight Collaborative, '(Re)Building Boston's Early Education and Care Sector: Supply, Affordability and Quality Needed.' This year's report examines the continued impact of COVID-19 and pandemic recovery investment on child care in Boston, analyzes changes in supply and demand, and considers the measurement of and access to quality child care.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Click here to read the report
Challenges with Measuring Wealth: 1st Event in a New Racial Wealth Equity Series
Boston Indicators and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston hosted their first convening in a new research and conversation series on racial wealth equity in Greater Boston, focusing on surveys of wealth. The event detailed how the best surveys on wealth are conducted, why they’re so complex, and why good local data is hard to come by. It showed what the best national data reveal about wealth inequality by race, income, and education and provided detail on a new local effort to fill local data gaps.
Tuesday, May 2, 2023, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Great Migration to Global Immigration: A Profile of Black Boston
This new report analyzes the region’s unique and growing intra-Black diversity, maps how residential patterns have shifted, and details how disparities by income and wealth manifest across Black communities. Discussion at the event unpacked what these trends mean for our shared efforts to move forward toward justice. The event included music, food, drink and opportunities to connect at receptions both before and after the program.
Thursday, April 6, 2023, 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Click here for the event video and recap
Success Boston Convening: Citywide Postsecondary Enrollment & Completion Trends & the Impact of Coaching
On March 23, we gathered for the release and discussion of two new research reports about the postsecondary enrollment and completion trends of Boston students. Following the research presentations, panelists representing the Boston Public Schools and local college access and success nonprofit organizations discussed the implications of the research as well as recent directions and developments in supporting Boston students on their postsecondary journey.
Thursday, March 23, 2023, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
