News, reports, speeches, and more from Barr staff, Fellows, grantees, and others to illustrate the challenges we are focused on and what we are learning.
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Active, Healthy, Ready to Learn (and Fighting Climate Change) with Safe Routes to School
Posted by Mary Skelton RobertsIn 1969, about half of all American children walked or biked to school. Of those living within a mile from school, 87% walked or biked. Today, less than 15% do. This has enormous implications not only for morning gridlock and vehicle emissions (a significant factor in climate change), but also for children’s health and readiness to learn. In greater Boston, this trend is being reversed by a program called Safe Routes to School. A new short film featuring a successful effort in Revere, Massachusetts shows why.
Date Posted: May 21, 2013 | Categories: Barr Grantees
Topics: biking, climate change, revere, safe routes to school, transportation, walkboston, walking -
Celebrating a Disruptive Innovation in the Heart of Boston
Posted by Mariella PuertoIn early spring, Barr Senior Program Officer Mariella Puerto was invited to speak at a 10th anniversary celebration for the Boston Nature Center - a project she had been involved with from its earliest days. In her remarks, she recounts BNC's story of disruptive innovation that catalyzed big change in two very complex and (in different ways) stuck systems.
Date Posted: April 08, 2013 | Categories: Barr Grantees, Presentations & Speeches
Topics: boston nature center, boston public schools, disruptive innovation, environmental education, green design, mass audu, systems thinking -
Barr Foundation seeks president
Posted by Stefan LanferIn January, 2013, Pat Brandes announced her intention to step down as executive director after twelve years with Barr, the last five in this role. To lead a national search for Pat’s successor, Barr engaged Isaacson, Miller, Inc., a national executive search firm headquartered in Boston. To review the job description and to submit inquiries, nominations, or to apply, read on…
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What if our great leaders became a great network?
Posted by Stefan LanferA new animation on the big ideas behind what the Boston Globe once called, “a web of collaboration rippling through the nonprofit community with increasing effect.”
Date Posted: April 01, 2013 | Categories: Barr Fellows
Topics: barr fellowship, collaboration, leadership, networks, social capital -
A Leadership Pipeline for Philanthropy
Posted by Kimberly HaskinsApplications for the 2013-14 Class of Proteus Diversity Fellows are now open. Learn more about this unique program dedicated to identifying, recruiting and cultivating emerging practitioners of color who represent the next generation of leaders in philanthropy.
Date Posted: March 28, 2013 | Categories: Barr Grantees
Topics: diversity, leadership, pipeline, proteus -
Climate Resilience North and South
Posted by Pat BrandesIn this quarterly perspective, Pat Brandes reflects on a recent trip to Haiti, and the contrasts between efforts there and at home in Boston, to build resilience to climate change. Though the contexts differ in innumerable ways – in each place, she finds that the path to a more vibrant, just, and sustainable world with hopeful futures for children depends on some of the same fundamental things. Read on…
Date Posted: March 19, 2013 | Categories: Quarterly Perspectives
Topics: boston, climate change, green ribbon commission, haiti, john powell, local agency, networks, resilience, sea level rise, situatedness -
The science and social science of climate change
Posted by Pat BrandesFor foundations and others working on climate change, we pay a lot of attention to the science. Yet, climate change is also a powerful force in the social sciences, amplifying disparities between the haves and the have-nots – as was made plain in the recent aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. To better understand why this is the case and what it may take to change these dynamics, Barr, together with the Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, invited dr. john a powell to speak with grantees, foundation staff, and other colleagues. Pat Brandes opened the session with a reflection on the ways race still matters in Boston, on what – besides personal “grit” - resilience to climate change already depends on, and on Barr’s learning about moving beyond a focus on promoting diversity and inclusion to structural change.
Date Posted: March 08, 2013 | Categories: Presentations & Speeches
Topics: climate change, climate justice, equity, smart growth, structural racism -
Introducing Barr’s new Director of Education
Posted by Stefan LanferWe are delighted to announce the appointment of Wendy Puriefoy as Barr’s new Director of Education. In this role, Wendy will lead the foundation’s efforts to break the links between zip code and school achievement in Boston. Wendy brings a national perspective on education reform, deep historic knowledge of Boston, and significant experience in philanthropy to Barr.
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Finding the “just” in climate change
Posted by Mary Skelton RobertsIn all of its work, Barr is guided by a vision for a vibrant, just, and sustainable world, with hopeful futures for children. In Barr’s climate change portfolio, the applications of “vibrant” and “sustainable” are clear – but articulating how this work is also about creating a more “just” world can be more elusive. To shed some light and to guide us into a deeper conversation on this topic, in January, I invited dr. john a powell to speak with Barr grantees, staff, and other Boston funders. Read on…
Date Posted: February 08, 2013 | Categories: Reports & Case Studies, Presentations & Speeches
Topics: climate change, equity, john powell, race, targeted universalism -
The Invisible Elephant in the Room: Gas Leaks and Climate
Posted by Mariella PuertoFor two years, Massachusetts has been ranked number one in the country for energy efficiency. In 2010 alone, reductions in energy use prevented over a billion cubic feet of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. Two recent reports, however, shine a spotlight on an until-recently unaccounted for source of GHG emissions – methane that leaks from old and leaky pipes that, by the authors’ estimates, mean the state is losing more ground than it’s gaining. Read on…
Date Posted: January 28, 2013 | Categories: Barr Grantees, Reports & Case Studies
Topics: boston, boston university, conservation law foundation, energy efficiency, massachusetts, methane, natural gas, natural gas leaks