The Barr Foundation Board of Trustees met in-person this September and approved grants totaling nearly $12.8 million. This combines with $37.5 million in new grants approved since the June 2022 meeting, totaling $50.3 million this quarter. Learn more about some of our partners and their work below.
In Arts & Creativity, Barr awarded 23 grants totaling $16.1 million. A $1.5 million grant to Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation, Inc. (MASS MoCA) will support its Assets for Artists program to meet the increased demand for its comprehensive, high-quality artist support services that includes trainings, business coaching, residencies, and networking for artists across Massachusetts.A $2 million grant to National Arts Strategies, Inc. will support two rounds of Creative Community Fellows: New England, which brings together 25 changemakers from across New England to develop their capacity to drive equitable change in their local communities and connect with peers. The grant also includes funds that allow NAS to pilot a new leadership program to reimagine and design more equitable arts organizations. A $325,000 grant to United States Artists, Inc. will support five exceptional New England artists with unrestricted $50,000 fellowships.
In Climate, Barr awarded 17 grants totaling $3 million. A $240,000 grant to Hyams Foundation will support movement building efforts for climate justice in Massachusetts. A $280,000 grant to Bikes Not Bombs, Inc. will support and expand staff training, bike shop operations, and youth and community engagement in Boston. A $210,000 grant to National Association of City Transportation Officials, Inc. (NACTO) will further its work to uplift equity, inclusion, and community perspectives on transportation at its annual Designing Cities Conference. Three grants totaling $70,000 to the YWCA Central Massachusetts, Youth Opportunities Upheld, and the Worcester Community Action Council will support Worcester’s community advocacy for a permanent fare-free system across the city. A $125,000 grant to Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven, Inc. will support its energy and environmental justice policy education work in Connecticut.
In Education, Barr awarded 39 grants totaling $19.2 million. A $3 million grant to Springpoint (fiscal sponsor is National Center for Civic Innovation) will scale its School Observation Visits and provide capacity-building support for Barr grantee school leaders to equitably serve all students. Six grants totaling $3.3 million to school district partners (Capitol Region, Chelsea Public Schools, Fall River Public Schools, Holyoke Public Schools, Sheila C. “Skip” Nowell Leadership Academy, and Brockton Public Schools) engaged in Beyond Engage New England will provide financial support and technical assistance for teams of educators to develop new high school models that champion success for all students. In addition to grantmaking, a $1.3 million contract with Attuned Education Partners will provide custom pandemic recovery supports for Barr’s school district partners to leverage Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief funds for transformative change.
In Sector Effectiveness, Barr awarded six grants totaling $805,000. A $250,000 grant to LEADS, Inc. will support the expansion of its LEADS (Leaders Engaged and Activated to Drive Systemwide Change) Fellowship to the North Shore of Massachusetts and build the 160-strong LEADS Network in the Merrimack Valley. This fellowship offers an executive education and relationship-building program for a diverse group of business, civic, and nonprofit leaders to make positive change in their community.
For more information about these and other grants awarded by the Barr Foundation, explore the graphic below.
