The Boston Foundation

“Our laws need to reflect the realities of modern families and the loving environments where children grow and flourish." - Governor Healey

On August 9, Gov. Healey signed the Massachusetts Parentage Act (MPA) into law after unanimous passage in the House and Senate. The historic new law, which goes into effect on January 1, 2025, will protect LGBTQ+ families and families formed through assisted reproduction and will update MA’s parentage law so that it is clear, equitable, and provides legal protection for all families, including LGBTQ+ families.

As members of the GLAD coalition that helped pass the MPA, TBF and the Equality Fund are thrilled to celebrate this victory!

Massachusetts Parentage - GLAD The Massachusetts Parentage Act will ensure that all children and families in Massachusetts can access the security of legal parentage.

"Transparency breeds accountability. This law, and the transparency it brings, will help close the wage gap and build a Commonwealth that can better attract and retain talent," - Lee Pelton.

Yesterday, at the Massachusetts State House, Gov. Maura Healey signed into law the Frances Perkins Wage Equity Act! TBF is a proud partner, leading advocate and convener of the Wage Equity Now coalition, which has been working for years to bring this new law to fruition.

We're thrilled to celebrate this accomplishment with all our partners as we work together towards a more equitable city, region and state. Thank you for your support making this important moment possible. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3yvCBAL

Photo Credit: Governor's Office, Josh Qualls

“The Affordable Homes Act creates homes for every kind of household, at every stage of life, and unlocks the potential in our neighborhoods. Today we are taking an unprecedented step forward in building a stronger Massachusetts where everyone can afford to live,” - Governor Healey.

Today, TBF staff were pleased to join in Newton as Governor Healey signed the Affordable Homes Act! As housing costs continue to be one of the state’s greatest challenges, this legislation will support the access, availability, and affordability of housing in the Commonwealth.

Governor Maura Healey Signs Most Ambitious Legislation to Address Housing Costs in State History Affordable Homes Act to build or save 65,000 homes through $5.1 billion in authorizations and 49 policy initiatives

We're so thrilled to celebrate together and mark this milestone today as The Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act is signed into law! We're so grateful to everyone who played a role in passing this legislation along the way and the entire Coalition for their crucial partnership.

By mandating salary transparency, MA move closer to eliminating racial and gender wage gaps and takes a huge step forward in our pursuit of vital, prosperous and equitable communities.

Out Now: 'Homelessness in Greater Boston: Trends in the Context of Our Broader Housing Crisis.'

In this new analysis, Boston Indicators takes a deep dive into the data to look at how many people are homeless in Greater Boston, what recent trends are, who is falling into homelessness, and what role the region's housing crisis plays.

Please join us tomorrow on August 6th from 9:30 - 10:00 AM for an Author Briefing of the report with Boston Indicators researchers Kelly Harrington and Peter Ciurczak who will share their findings.

Register: https://bit.ly/46qZpy4
Read the report: https://bit.ly/3WR3uJ2

“This new law is an important next step toward closing wage gaps, especially for people of color and women. It will also strengthen the ability of Massachusetts employers to build diverse, talented teams.” - Gov. Maura Healey.

Thank you to our House and Senate for voting to pass The Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act, and to Governor Healey for signing it into law! As MA takes this key step towards eliminating racial and gender wage gaps, we're so grateful to everyone who played a role in passing this legislation along the way and the entire Coalition for their crucial partnership!

State's new pay transparency law will help women, minorities, say advocates - Boston Business Journal Wage equity advocates are celebrating a new bill intended to make the job-seeking process more transparent, and to decrease the disparity in wages seen by women and people of color.

Congratulations to all the 2024 NonProfitTimes Power & Influence Top 50, including our own President and CEO Lee Pelton! We're so grateful for Lee's leadership and vision for all of TBF's work along with his advocacy and championship for equity throughout Boston and the region.

Join us in celebrating and learning about all the distinguished nonprofit leaders honored this year!

The 2024 NPTPower & Influence Top 50 - The NonProfit Times Technology And New Ventures Had Top Executives Blazing New Paths In Guiding Their Organizations By Paul Clolery It is interesting that each year a trend is clear when the team submits initial ideas for The NPT Power & Influence Top 50 honorees. This is clearly the year of data, artificial intelligen...

How many people are homeless in Greater Boston, what are the recent trends, who is falling into homelessness, and what role does the region's housing crisis play? In their new analysis, 'Homelessness in Greater Boston: Trends in the Context of Our Broader Housing Crisis,' Boston Indicators takes a deep dive into the data to answer these questions.

Please join us on August 6th from 9:30 - 10:00 AM for an Author Briefing of this new report with Boston Indicators researchers Kelly Harrington and Peter Ciurczak who will share their findings.

Register: https://bit.ly/46qZpy4

"Through these and other nonprofit organizations that TBF has supported with grants and investments, we are proud to have played a role in preserving and building the spaces they inhabit. They are important hubs that create a multitude of opportunities, while simultaneously lifting people up and building and strengthening place-based power in the communities they serve."

With the increasingly rapid loss of spaces that are welcoming and meaningful, especially to residents of color, spatial justice is a concept that runs through much of TBF's work. In his recent blog post, Vice President and Chief Program Officer at TBF Orlando Watkins details four recent examples of TBF’s deep commitment to spatial justice.

Read it here: https://bit.ly/3Yvi9ui

"While Massachusetts has made important strides over the past couple of decades in improving support for birthing people, disparities persist for Black women. Only through intentional partnerships and genuine commitment to solutions that include the voices of birthing people will we be able to reverse these disparities."

Combining their expertise in a collaborative op-ed for the Dorchester Reporter, TBF staff Danubia Camargos Silva, Senior Program Officer for Nurturing Strong Beginnings, and Kelly Harrington, Senior Research Manager for Boston Indicators, discuss MA's maternal health crisis, addressing the stark and widening disparities facing Black women.

Read it here: https://bit.ly/4dk94su

“The impact of our work – and our goal of moving equity forward – is only as strong as the partnerships we have. We approach our work with the knowledge that everything we do is built in league with community – not for community.”

The Summer 2024 edition of TBF News highlights our Community Leadership pathway, and the programs and partners who are meeting essential needs, providing resources for nonprofits and leaders, and advocating for a more effective sector and stronger safety net.

Read TBF News Summer 2024: https://bit.ly/4fhncES

Today marks a significant step towards equity in Massachusetts - thank you to our House and Senate for voting to pass The Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act, sending the bill now to Governor Healey! By mandating salary transparency, we will move closer to eliminating racial and gender wage gaps in our pursuit of vital, prosperous and equitable communities.

Thank you to Senate President Karen Spilka, House Speaker Ron Mariano, the conference committee, former Lt. Gov. Evelyn Murphy, Megan Driscoll, and everyone who played a role in passing this legislation along with the entire Coalition for their steadfast partnership!

More about the bill and WEN Coalition: https://bit.ly/3mHU5Ud

We're thrilled to welcome Rich Robles, Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, as the newest member of the Latino Equity Fund's advisory board!

A leader in the Latino community and an advocate for diversity and inclusion across his many roles and efforts, we look forward to the experience and perspectives he'll bring to support LEF's mission to amplify the diverse voices within Greater Boston's Latino community in pursuit of more equitable access to economic prosperity and well-being.

More about LEF: https://bit.ly/3nYtpeM

“I think about the vital work that our community organizations do to make sure that every Asian resident in our region feels seen, heard, and treasured.”

In case you missed it, Danielle Kim, director of the Asian Community Fund at TBF, was featured in the Boston Globe to share more about the recent grants announced by ACF last week, including grants aligned with findings from the Asian Business Empowerment Council's recent report. Read it here: https://bit.ly/3Ww0yAb

More on ACF's grantees: https://bit.ly/3W0HvNS

Asian Community Fund awards $450,000 to local nonprofits in business, empowerment spaces - The Boston Globe The Asian Community Fund has doled out more than $1 million since the grant program launched in 2022, according to the announcement.

Over the past few months, our team has hosted a number of events and released new reports looking at topics including the state of our AAPI businesses, community wealth, hiring immigrants in MA, retirement inequality, addressing basic needs, and more.

If you missed any of our recent events that you were hoping to catch, we post recordings and recaps of the discussion to our website for anyone who may be interested in revisiting or tuning in for the first time.

All our event videos can be found on our website here: https://bit.ly/4bEH9m1

Photo from 'Setting Roots in Rocky Soil: The State of AAPI-owned Businesses in Massachusetts' report release event.

"There's a lot of untapped opportunities to empower and uplift AAPI businesses in Massachusetts so that they can address these challenges head on and have a better experience operating their business."

Did you have a chance to tune into WBUR last week to hear from the director of the Asian Business Empowerment Council, Q.J. Shi? Q.J., along with the founder of Madhrasi Chai Nancy Daniel, discussed ABEC's new report looking at the state of AAPI-owned businesses in Massachusetts. If you missed it live, the segment is now available online: https://wbur.fm/3zLkKWG

You can also check out the full report here: https://bit.ly/3xyRi5w

In a new blog for Candid, Candace Burton, Program Officer for Safety Net Grants at TBF, shares more about how TBF's Safety Net Grants program uses participatory grantmaking to strengthen our role as a community foundation. Just last week, SNG announced a total of $1 million in grants to 20 organizations, following a community-led application review process.

Read Candace's new blog: https://bit.ly/3Sr9W6X

More about the SNG grantees: https://bit.ly/4czYn4S

"These grants mean stability and inclusion for a community that brings a lot of potential and economic vitality to our state. Congratulations to all of the grant recipients who will be able to provide stronger services and impact more residents in the AAPI community," - MA Governor Maura Healey.

We're thrilled to announce the Asian Community Fund's 2024 grantees!

With this grant cycle, ACF is awarding $450,000 to 52 nonprofits serving Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across Massachusetts, bringing the fund’s cumulative grantmaking to more than $1M, which has been dispersed to 81 nonprofits since 2022. Read the announcement: https://bit.ly/3W0HvNS

Join the Asian Business Empowerment Council tomorrow, July 10, from 10:30AM–11:30AM at the Massachusetts State House in Room 428 for a briefing on their latest report, 'Setting Roots in Rocky Soil: The State of AAPI-owned Businesses in Massachusetts.' This briefing is hosted with the MA State Asian Caucus, the office of Senator Pavel Payano and the Office of Rep. Tackey Chan.

And, if you can't make it to the in-person briefing, you can read the report here: https://bit.ly/3xyRi5w

We're thrilled to share that Vetto Casado, Director of Shifting Power & Advancing Justice at TBF, is a recipient of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice’s 2024 Changemaker Awards!

The annual shine light on individuals who serve as models of inspiration for advancing the common good and celebrate the meaningful contributions they have made to their communities and beyond. Please join us in congratulating Vetto and all of this year’s awardees!

Learn more:
https://bit.ly/3LhAYcW

As you're out and about this summer, you might spot TBF on the Rose Kennedy Greenway!

The Greenway Conservancy, the nonprofit that manages that park, ensures that we all have access to this vibrant and inclusive gathering place. We're pleased to be able to support their work that offers healthy green space, engaging experiences, and a place to celebrate new ideas.

More on The Greenway:
https://bit.ly/3VXGLJE

Today we're thrilled to announce TBF's Safety Net Grants program, through a community-led grantmaking process, will award $1 million to meet essential needs of marginalized communities.

Twenty non-profit partners were selected for two-year/$50,000 grants in an entirely community-led process from more than 160 applicants. Safety Net Grants support social service organizations that respond to the essential needs of marginalized communities and vulnerable residents in Greater Boston.

Learn more about the program and 20 grantees: https://bit.ly/4czYn4S

“As Chair, Linda Mason has guided the Boston Foundation through a pandemic, a racial reckoning, a CEO transition, a rebrand and a shift in strategic focus. We will miss her inspired leadership, her passion for our work and her guiding hand.”

We're pleased to announce that Dwight Poler, founder and CEO of AccelR8 Ventures, will become Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors on July 1, taking over from Linda Mason, who leaves the Board after ten years of service because of term limits. We're also thrilled to welcome Raja Bobbili, Managing Director at Abrams Capital and Elaine Zecher, Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel of Boston, as new members to TBF's Board of Directors!

Thank you to Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll for joining us this week for our Board Meeting as we recognized Linda's decade of leadership and welcomed Dwight into his new position.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3L3CW0k

"Supporting the launch of the new Center for Economic and Social Justice, in the long-neglected home of a family known for its place in the slave trade, sends a powerful message about reclaiming history and restoring justice...the center does much more than build economic opportunity for RCC students. It also helps create jobs, grow businesses and provide more equitable access to new green technologies that can unlock the neighborhood's potential as a center for Black prosperity,” - Lee Pelton.

Congratulations to Roxbury Community College on breaking ground today on the future home of the Center for Economic and Social Justice! It's an honor to support this crucial development which will shape our community and offer new opportunities for many future generations.

Learn more:
https://bit.ly/3xvj1Eh

Today is first day of summer and longest day of the year and Boston is experiencing record-high temperatures with this week's heat wave. As we all contend with the heat and related health concerns, we know that urban heat islands are even hotter and their residents face disproportionate health risks. Armed with this knowledge and a desire for data to inform solutions, last week in partnership with A Better City, the City of Boston Environment Department, and Boston University, we launched an extreme heat pilot study with temperature sensors in five heat island neighborhoods: East Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester, Chinatown, and Mattapan.

It is no coincidence that these heat island neighborhoods experiencing the first and worst impacts of climate change are the same ones that have faced the harshest impacts of other inequities. That's why we look forward to the data we'll gather from this project and the ways we can use our convening, policy, research, and funder capacities to go deep on where equity, climate justice and health intersect. More on TBF's climate work: https://bit.ly/4cop2Bt

Learn more about the temperature sensor project: https://bit.ly/3XypkBQ

TBF recognizes the Juneteenth holiday in celebration, reflection, and to look ahead to a more equitable Boston. We look forward to continuing the celebrations and conversations these next few days with music, art, culture, ideas, joy, and community with our friends at Embrace Boston for their third Embrace Ideas Festival and Juneteenth Block Party!

Last night, an inspiring 2024 class of changemakers were recognized at the Juneteenth Embrace Honors event. And tomorrow, the two-day festival will kick off, filled with celebrations, keynote speakers, and special events, all capped off by the Embrace Ideas Festival Block Party with local artists and DJs.

Thank you to Embrace Boston for hosting this opportunity to celebrate Juneteenth with the Boston community!

https://bit.ly/4eEnYLU