At the heart of everything the Boston Foundation has done over the last century is its endowment, the Permanent Fund for Boston. Established through bequests left by hundreds of forward-thinking Bostonians since 1917, it is now valued at some $1 billion. The Permanent Fund is endowed for generating funds in perpetuity;it fuels the work of the Foundation and provides the resources that have sparked positive change and enabled new ideas.
The Boston Foundation has become a major civic leader for our region—with crucial support from the Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership. The Campaign 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 the economic competitiveness and civic health of Greater Boston.
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.
The words and work of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King continue to offer an example of thoughtful and courageous pursuit of a more just society. The Embrace Boston Fund (formerly King Boston Fund) supports the development and creation of a multifaceted, permanent memorial to the Kings in Boston, where they spent formative years, to keep their inspiring legacy front and center.
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.
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 first Latino-focused fund in Greater Boston is a unique partnership of Latino philanthropists and leaders, the Boston Foundation and Hispanics in Philanthropy. Its mission is to create and maintain a permanent endowment, and to contribute to our region’s civic vitality by supporting issues and organizations that advance the socioeconomic status of Latinos while enhancing the leadership capacity of the entire Latino community.
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 today; and building a permanent endowment that will benefit Greater Boston’s LGBTQ community forever.
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."
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 donations can be made using Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express to any of the funds listed below. Contributions to a Donor Advised Fund, Designated Fund or other funds not listed below can be made using the General Form.