Donor Education + Events
Our programs and events keep you in touch with community issues and your own approach to philanthropy.
Our donors are always invited to Boston Foundation programs that are open to the public. Chief among these is Understanding Boston, a series of forums, educational events and research presentations that provide information and insight into issues affecting Greater Boston, its neighborhoods and the region. See recent Understanding Reports and forum videos below.
Donor-Only Events
The Boston Foundation hosts events for donors that engage them in programmatic topics (an evening at Commonwealth Shakespeare, for example, or a screening of a film about a prison transition program) and that introduce them to thought leaders in philanthropy: Donors were invited to a “Jeffersonian Dinner” with Dr. Atul Gawande, and to a concert and conversation with Peter Buffett at the Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum. We offer a series of philanthropic workshops each year to help donors and their friends learn more about the mechanics of estate and charitable gift planning from experts in the field. Past programs have included:
- Responding to Financial Markets: Life Income and Related Plans
- Charitable Planning with Real Estate Interests
- Estate and Gift Planning Basics
- Charitable Contributions of IRA and Qualified Retirement Plan Assets
- Planning for the Future of Your Donor Advised Fund
Report
Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2025
The 2025 Greater Boston Housing Report Card again explores the data at the heart of our housing challenges in Greater Boston, with a special section devoted to how communities in the region are implementing the requirements of the Commonwealth's MBTA Communities Act.
Read More
Report
Season of Giving Guide 2025
As we enter the traditional giving season, TBF has compiled our 2025 Giving Guide, designed to help you discover meaningful opportunities to support the causes that inspire you most. We invite you to consider one or more of the trusted nonprofit organizations in the guide linked on this page.
Read More
Report
Sounding the Alarm: Federal Policy Impacts on the Massachusetts Nonprofit Sector
A survey of more than 500 Massachusetts nonprofit leaders and workers taken in the early months of the Trump Administration captures the extreme concern and downbeat expectations for both critical nonprofits and the communities they serve.The results helped guide TBF's plans for our Meeting the Moment effort.
Read More
Report
Meeting the Moment: SNAP Cuts and the Local Fallout
A new analysis from Boston Indicators finds more than 40,000 current SNAP recipients could find their benefits canceled or made more difficult by rules contained in the controversial One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Read More
Video
From Classroom to Career: A Forum on Setting a New Vision for High School in Massachusetts
A forum featuring the top education leaders for Boston and the Commonwealth brought together leaders, educators, employers, and nonprofit partners to discuss bold strategies for transforming secondary education.
Read More
Video
The Asian Community Fund's 2025 Gala: Rising Together
Nearly 700 community leaders, partners, and supporters gathered on the first Friday of October for the Asian Community Fund’s 2025 Gala: Rising Together: a vibrant celebration of AAPI leadership, connection, and belonging across our region.
Read MoreVideo
Recap: Building the Workforce to Power Massachusetts’ Climate Future
Massachusetts top climate official and other leaders gathered at the Edgerley Center for a lively discussion of how to attract, train and employ the thousands of people the state will need to further our climate goals.
Read More
Video
Recap: Parents as Civic Leaders: Reimagining Family Engagement in Today's Climate
In the first Coffee and Conversation of the 2025-2026 season, panelists dug into questions around how families can be supported in their efforts to be even more powerful advocates for access to child care and early education opportunities.
Read More