Barr Awards $25.8 Million in Third Quarter of 2018

At its third board meeting of 2018, the Barr Foundation Board of Trustees approved grants totaling $18.6 million, in addition to $7.2 million approved since the June board meeting. We are pleased to highlight several new and continuing partnerships below.

In Arts & Creativity, Barr awarded thirty-five grants totaling nearly $6 million. A $200,000 grant for Beyond Walls (fiscal sponsor is Neighborhood Development Associates) supported the second Beyond Walls Mural Festival of public art in downtown Lynn, which featured large-scale murals by international and local artists and street art such as sidewalk sculptures and storefront enhancements. To help grow the festival’s audience reach, Beyond Walls experimented with new collaborations to encourage community participation. The Mural Festival has attracted new foot traffic and commerce to Lynn’s downtown, demonstrating how the arts can lead community revitalization efforts. Barr also awarded twenty-nine grants totaling $4.8 million for a new initiative to be formally announced next week.

In Climate, Barr awarded seventeen grants totaling $10.5 million. In Clean Energy, a $1 million grant to Ceres, Inc. will continue its work to support regional and national business leadership on clean energy and climate mitigation. In Mobility, a $2.4 million grant to Conservation Law Foundation, Inc. (CLF) will further its clean energy, mobility, and resilience efforts by advancing climate-smart policies and practices in New England. A $2 million grant to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) will support MAPC’s Regional Plan Update, which is its long-range regional planning process for 101 cities and towns in Greater Boston. The plan will lay out a vision for the future, set goals and objectives to assess whether the region is moving in that direction, and implement strategies to inform policy and development decisions. In Resilience, a $400,000 grant to MAPC will support a new mini-grant program to advance climate resilience efforts in municipalities across Metro Boston. MAPC will provide resources and technical assistance to local towns and cities so they can enhance their preparedness and responsiveness to climate change.

In Education, Barr awarded sixteen grants totaling $4.4 million. Earlier this year, the Education team announced a new RFP, Planning for Post-Secondary Success for All Students, inviting New England schools to join a cohort to conduct comprehensive analyses of their high school student populations. The following districts have each been awarded $150,000:

• Hartford Public Schools in Hartford, Connecticut
• Malden Public Schools in Malden, Massachusetts
• Manchester School District in Manchester, New Hampshire
• Portland Public Schools in Portland, Maine
• Worcester Public Schools in Worcester, Massachusetts

These districts are committed to addressing findings and making the changes necessary to meet the needs and assets of their students. The insights generated from this analysis and the support of cohort members will help these schools articulate a vision and action steps to prepare all students for success in college, career, and the community.

In Sector Effectiveness, Barr awarded three grants totaling $580,000. A $175,000 grant to BoardSource will support research, convenings, and communications efforts to spur positive change in foundation board behavior and makeup. For thirty years, BoardSource has been a key support for nonprofit boards. It is now in the process of adapting its resources for the unique needs of foundation boards. A $225,000 grant to Fund the People (fiscal sponsor is Community Partners) will provide core support for continued research, resources, and communications to encourage further development and talent-investment in the nonprofit workforce. A significant component of the proposed work is the launch of a new initiative, Equity in Nonprofit Work, which will produce resources intended to empower people of color and other historically marginalized people to access nonprofit work, advance and sustain nonprofit careers, and ascend to nonprofit leadership.