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.
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:
A new report from the Boston Opportunity Agenda captures the results of a survey of more than 600 early education professionals, and highlights demographics, education, turnover, and experience of the current workforce - as well as policy opportunities to attract and retain these vital workers.
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For Global Greater Boston, the Boston Indicators team partnered with the Immigration Research Initiative to explore in greater depth just who makes up Greater Boston's immigrant population, and the economic impact of immigration on the region, the immigrants and their families. The report finds that immigrants today are from vastly different regions than they were decades ago, but their positive impact on Greater Boston remains strong.
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Criminal Justice Reform in Massachusetts, written in partnership by Boston Indicators and MassINC, is the first systematic look at the impact of two landmark criminal justice reform laws passed in 2018.
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The 2023 Boston Foundation Annual Report, 'Pathways to Equity' introduces you to a dozen remarkable people who personify both TBF's four pathways, and the many ways that TBF and its communities are working to create a more equitable Boston.
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The Greater Boston Housing Report Card has tracked key housing metrics for more than two decades. In addition to data and analysis, the 2023 report features an exploration of how Community Land Trusts can unlock further affordable housing across the region.
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Our conversation explored the numerous obstacles new arrivals face as they try to survive and thrive in our ever-changing region amid challenges such as language barriers, increases in xenophobia, and a lack of cultural understanding. As stated by Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll during our conversation, “government cannot take this on alone,” which is why we hope you will rise to this unique challenge and help us to alleviate the many issues new Bostonians face.
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The second event of the Minding the Gap series focused on Enterprise Wealth and the relationship between race, business ownership, and wealth. Due to decades of systemic racism and discrimination from governments, banks, and other financial institutions, people of color have been routinely excluded from the prospect of enterprise ownership, leading to disproportionately low levels of businesses owned and grown in communities of color. This event featured two panel discussions: Business Incubators & Advocates, and Business Owners.
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Nearly 150 early education and care professionals and others committed to building a strong and equitable early education sector gathered, in person and online, on February 27 for the release of Strengthening the Foundation, A Review of the State of Early Education and Care, a major report that details the tremendous challenges faced by the sector.
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Global Greater Boston, a report jointly written by Boston Indicators and New York City–based Immigration Research Initiative (IRI), was released with a public online presentation and forum on February 14. Subtitled “Immigrants in a Changing Region,” the report looks at demographic data defining migration trends to Greater Boston over the last century-plus, with an emphasis on recent decades, and economic data depicting the notable challenges, mobility, and outsized contributions of the region’s immigrant population.
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At a packed in-person event at the Edgerley Center, researchers from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University joined a number of educational leaders to explore the changing demographics and critical resources required to support immigrant newcomers to Massachusetts high schools.
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