Scott Knox named first-ever Director of the Equality Fund

Boston – The Boston Foundation is pleased to announce that M. Scott Knox has been hired to serve as Director of the Equality Fund, the Boston Foundation’s endowed fund supporting Greater Boston nonprofit organizations that serve and strengthen the LGBTQ community. Knox arrives at TBF with over two decades of experience with Boston-area nonprofits, most recently as Executive Director of Root, the Salem, Mass.-based nonprofit that trains young people for jobs in the culinary sector.

“With his range of experience as an Executive Director, fundraiser, community builder and board member for a number of area nonprofits, Scott comes to the Equality Fund with a wealth of experience to take the Fund to new levels of impact,” said Catherine D’Amato, co-founder and co-chair of the Equality Fund.

The Equality Fund at the Boston Foundation was established in 2012 to support Greater Boston nonprofit organizations that serve and strengthen the LGBTQ+ community and advance the equitable treatment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) individuals and their families.  To date, the Fund has provided more than 250 grants totaling nearly $1.5 million, with another round of grants slated to be announced in June in commemoration of Pride 2023.  The Equality Fund's grant-making priorities are guided by an Advisory Committee of community members and allies who possess a depth and breadth of understanding about the most pressing issues affecting LGBTQ people today.

As the first Director of the Equality Fund in its history, Knox will work in collaboration with the Advisory Committee to build a permanent endowment that will benefit the LGBTQ+ community of Greater Boston in perpetuity, so future generations can thrive and fulfill their potential.

For the last 25 years, Scott has worked to increase academic and economic opportunities for young people in Greater Boston. Before his time at Root, Knox served in a number of senior roles for the Edward M. Brooke Charter Schools, and in leadership roles at the Steppingstone Foundation and Jumpstart. He also has served on several boards across the region.

“Scott is already well known across Greater Boston for his work on numerous issues in education, workforce development, immigration and more,” said Elyse Cherry, co-chair of the Equality Fund. “We look forward to his leadership as we grow the Equality Fund and its work in support of the LGBTQ+ community and the nonprofits that play a critical role in it.”

Knox’s first day at the Equality Fund was April 10. A graduate of Boston College and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Knox is a long-time resident of Boston and lives with his partner in Roxbury.