Boston Foundation donors rally to provide for the One Fund Boston
June 6, 2013
Boston – Seven weeks after the bombings at the finish of the 2013 Boston Marathon, the Boston Foundation announced today that donors have pledged more than $816,068 to the One Fund Boston, above and beyond a $100,000 grant from the Boston Foundation approved in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.
The total of $916,068.75 delivered today demonstrates the commitment of the Foundation and its donors thus far to provide for those most directly affected by the bombings – the victims and their families. New pledges continue to raise the overall total, which could reach $1 million. Boston Foundation President and CEO Paul S. Grogan today presented a ceremonial check for the total amount to One Fund Boston officials at the One Fund offices in Back Bay.
“We are touched but not surprised by the generosity of those who have donor-advised funds with the Boston Foundation to the One Fund,” said Grogan. “Those who set up donor-advised funds with us are making a commitment to solve problems and support the needs of the Greater Boston community, and at this time it is only natural that they would step up and join thousands of others who have given what they can, gifts large and small, to the One Fund.”
The Boston Foundation was a charter supporter of the One Fund, which was established by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to support the victims of the attacks. One Fund Administrator Ken Feinberg has pledged to begin distributing the proceeds of the Fund to victims and their families by the end of June.
“The One Fund has given the city and state an outlet to channel its desire to support the victims of this tragic event,” added Grogan. “A Fund cannot heal, but we hope it can provide much-needed support to those who must bear the burden of this act of senseless violence.”
The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation, is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the nation, with net assets of more than $900 million. In 2012, the Foundation and its donors made $88 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and received gifts of close to $60 million. The Foundation is a partner in philanthropy, with some 900 separate charitable funds established by donors either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. The Boston Foundation also serves as a major civic leader, provider of information, convener and sponsor of special initiatives that address the region’s most pressing challenges. The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), an operating unit of the Foundation, offers special consulting services to philanthropists. Through its services and its work to advance the broader field of strategic philanthropy, TPI has influenced billions of dollars of giving worldwide. For more information about the Boston Foundation and TPI, visit www.tbf.org or call 617-338-1700