COVID-19 laid bare the inequities in our modern world.

Everyone has been impacted by the virus and its implications. Yet, some communities suffered far more than others, a reality that guided Barr’s response to the pandemic. 

Our first grantmaking in response to COVID-19 focused on urgent needs in communities in Massachusetts – especially immigrant and Black communities that were disproportionately impacted. In deciding where to grant funds, we invested in organizations closest to those communities and most in touch with their needs.

Beginning in April 2020, our emergency-response grantmaking included: 

• $2.6 million in grants to community foundations and pooled funds that had been established in response to the pandemic. 

• $2 million to immigrant-serving organizations. 

• $1.36 million to organizations serving Black communities. 

• $2.675 million in augmented and extended support to 31 organizations principally focused on supporting immigrant and Black communities in response to the pandemic. 

• Over $2 million for vaccine equity efforts. 

While undertaking new, emergency grantmaking in response to the pandemic, we remained committed to our existing partners and our core programs of Arts & Creativity, Climate, and Education. The bulk of our resources focused on the needs of those partners – extending the flexibility and supports we committed to provide, when the Foundation shifted to all-remote operations in March 2020.