Barr Foundation Announces $16.6 Million in New Grants

We invite you to explore all of the grants awarded this quarter through our online grants database. Below we highlight just a few of these new and continuing efforts and how they align with Barr’s strategic priorities announced earlier this year.

In Arts & Creativity, Barr awarded seven grants totaling $6 million. Two new partnerships aim to strengthen media and technology platforms for the critical discussion and visibility of diverse art-making, as well as offer virtual meeting grounds for the arts community. With a $1-million grant, WBUR will expand and diversify The ARTery’s contributors, content, and platforms—offering programming online, on air, and in person. A $700,000 grant to Emerson College’s HowlRound, already a democratizing force in the theater field, will increase access through technology enhancements and will commission a case study on the platform's approach.

In Climate, Barr awarded 12 grants totaling nearly $2.7 million. A $500,000 grant to Ceres will help engage more businesses and investors in clean energy policies, in Massachusetts and nationally, amplifying private-sector voices supporting the transition to clean energy. A $700,000 grant to Transportation for America will support technical assistance for metropolitan planning organizations in Massachusetts and nationally to incorporate greenhouse gas emissions reductions data into decision-making for more sustainable and equitable transportation policies. A $330,000 grant will support Phase II of Climate Ready Boston through the UMass Boston McCormack Graduate School.

In Education, Barr awarded 14 grants totaling $6.9 million. Many of these aim to connect all students to success by embracing innovating approaches to teaching and learning. They include a $2.2-million grant to Match Education to scale Match Beyond, which helps young adults from low-income backgrounds in Greater Boston earn college degrees and secure employment through a combination of online education, one-on-one coaching and tutoring, and job placement services. In addition, with a $1-million grant, uAspire will conduct and disseminate timely research on college affordability best practices to better meet the needs of all students, in particular low-income and first-generation students.

In Cross-Program Initiatives, Barr awarded four grants totaling $700,000. A $75,000 grant to support the City Awake Delegates program will strengthen this platform for next-generation leadership and civic engagement in the key issues facing our region. With a $225,000 grant for core support, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations will also experiment to address emergent issues in philanthropy and find new approaches to advancing institutional change, as well as increase its presence and partnerships in New England.

View our grants database