Boston Foundation Funds
Donating to the Boston Foundation and Our Funds
The Fund for Boston's Future and Annual Fund for Civic Leadership support our endowment and operations. In addition, the Boston Foundation holds other funds that address specific areas, populations or initiatives, or have been created by donors to support specific purposes or in honor of specific individuals. Most of our funds that are currently accepting donations from the public are listed below. To support a fund not listed below, use the contact information at the bottom of the page.
The Fund for Boston's Future and the Annual Fund for Civic Leadership support the Foundation’s discretionary grant making and operations.
The Fund for Boston's Future
At the heart of everything the Boston Foundation has done over the last century is our endowment, the Fund for Boston's Future. Established through bequests left by hundreds of forward-thinking Bostonians since 1917, the Fund is endowed to generate funds in perpetuity; it fuels the work of the Foundation and provides the resources that have sparked positive change and enabled new ideas.
The Annual Fund for Civic Leadership
The Boston Foundation has become a major civic leader for our region—with crucial support from the Annual Fund for Civic Leadership. The Fund raises funds annually that allow the Foundation to sponsor research, host panels and engage across the community with donors, nonprofits, policy makers and thought leaders for real impact on issues critical to Greater Boston.
The following funds were established by the Foundation in partnership with donors or committees in pursuit of particular goals.
In addition to the above, donors and committees have created a number of other funds supporting specific areas of focus or overarching needs that have been identified by residents and leaders as central to the vitality of the Greater Boston community. These funds also accept individual donations.
Equity and Justice Funds
Asian Community Fund
The goal of the Asian Community Fund is to increase the visibility of the Asian American community and expand resources for nonprofits that serve disadvantaged Asian Americans.
The Equality Fund
Established at the Boston Foundation in 2012, the Equality Fund is a permanent, committee-advised, field of interest fund with two primary goals: making high-impact grants to nonprofits serving the diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community.
The Latino Equity Fund
The first Latino-focused fund in Greater Boston is a unique partnership of Latino philanthropists and leaders, the Boston Foundation and Hispanics in Philanthropy.
Business Equity Fund
The Business Equity Fund at the Boston Foundation is designed to address longstanding barriers to growth financing and technical assistance that have historically limited opportunity for entrepreneurs of color.
For Arts and Artists
Free for All Fund at the Boston Foundation
The Free For All Endowment Fund was established to ensure the permanent legacy of Charles Ansbacher's vision to enhance the lives of all Bostonians through the common language of music. The late conductor's passion lives in the fund's mission "to ensure that everyone from the Boston region—children, adults, families—will have regular and permanent access to the rich world of classical, orchestral music and related cultural events."
Brother Thomas Fund
The Brother Thomas Fund was established at the Boston Foundation in 2007 to honor the legacy of Brother Thomas Bezanson, a Benedictine monk and world-renowned ceramic artist, who wanted the sale of his work to support “struggling artists.”
Note to fundraisers:
Planning a fundraiser for a fund held at the Boston Foundation? Please contact us at donorservices@tbf.org to let us know, so we can ensure any funds you raise are credited to the correct fund.
Many platforms, such as Facebook, will not share information about specific fundraisers, even those which are raising money for Boston Foundation funds.
The following funds have been created by donors at the Boston Foundation so that others who wish to support the fund’s purpose or honor the fund’s namesake could easily do so. These are (in alphabetical order):
Make a Gift
If you’re so moved, we welcome donations directly. If you’d like more information about partnering with the Foundation on your philanthropy, contact our Donor Services team.
Check
You can make a donation by sending a check to:
The Boston Foundation
PO Box 843027
Boston, MA 02284-3027
Checks should be made out to the Boston Foundation with the name of the fund or initiative in the memo field.
Publicly traded securities
For questions or to make a gift of publicly traded securities, cash wire or mutual funds, please contact the Fund Administration office at (617) 338-2213.
Complex assets
For non-traditional gifts such as real estate or privately-owned securities of LLC/LLP interests, please contact Kate Guedj, Senior Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer, at 617-338-2670.
Credit Card
Credit card donations can be made using Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express to any of the funds listed above. Contributions to a Donor Advised Fund, Designated Fund or other funds not listed below can be made using the General Form.