Barr Awards $34.5 Million in Third Quarter of 2024

On September 11th, the Barr Foundation Board of Trustees met in person and approved three grants totaling $6.5 million. This adds to grants approved by the Trustees, President, Vice President for Strategy and Programs, and Program Directors for a total of $34.5 million awarded since the Board of Trustees meeting in June.

Learn more about some of our partners and their work below.

In Arts & Creativity, Barr awarded 19 grants totaling $7.8 million. A $1 million grant to Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción will support the construction of La CASA – the Center for the Arts, Self-determination, and Activism. Located in the South End neighborhood of Boston, La CASA will be a home for Latinx arts, culture, and community empowerment. In addition, a $2 million grant to the National Arts Strategies will support two years of the Creative Community Fellows New England. This program supports a diverse community of arts and culture leaders through professional development opportunities with national experts, coaching, mentorship, and peer exchange. A $1 million grant to Double Edge Theatre will support the Living Culture and Arts Justice Village, a master planning and capital facilities project to create a new design center and artist housing at their rural campus in Ashfield, Massachusetts.

In Climate, Barr awarded 22 grants totaling $9.6 million. A $420,000 grant to Springfield No One Leaves (fiscal sponsor Right to the City Alliance, Inc.) will support advancing transportation and climate justice in the greater Springfield, Massachusetts community. A $35,000 grant to Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition (fiscal sponsor TSNE) will support Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition in co-hosting the Youth Bike Summit. The Climate Program also awarded two general operating support grants to Browning the Green Space, Inc. and the Racial and Environmental Justice Committee, two of our partners focused on economic and racial justice.

The Education Program awarded 32 grants totaling $11.9 million. A $100,000 grant to Seek Common Ground (fiscally sponsored by New Venture Fund) was awarded to support the Project for Adolescent Literacy, which aims to improve literacy in middle and high school. A $115,000 grant was awarded to the Coalition for Anti-Racism and Equity, Inc. for its youth fellowship programming designed to empower high school and college students from underrepresented communities of color. The Portrait of a Graduate cohort members received renewal grants totaling $3.5 million to support transformation in learning and teaching to advance their community-driven Portrait of a Graduate. A $1.5 million contract was awarded to The Learning Agenda, which includes leading the design, facilitation, and coaching support for the Portrait of a Graduate cohort community.

Sector Effectiveness awarded 12 grants totaling $2.5 million supporting a broad range of programs and services that meet basic needs, improve quality of life, and strengthen democracy. An eighteen-month, $110,000 grant to the Urban Institute will develop and amplify insights on Massachusetts nonprofit and donor trends by collecting data through the 2024 National Survey of Nonprofit Trends and Impacts. Further, this grant will support convening a committee of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders in Massachusetts and the sharing of information on opportunities and challenges facing the sector in 2025.

Racial Wealth Equity Initiative awarded 7 grants totaling $2.6 million.