At this forum, Boston Indicators and Massachusetts Housing Partnership Center for Housing Data will release a new research paper, 15-Minute Neighborhoods: Repairing Regional Harms and Building Vibrant Neighborhoods for All, which details a vision for building a regional network of mixed-use neighborhoods where all residents can reach their daily needs within a 15-minute walk from their home.
Join us for the release of a new Success Boston report about the effectiveness of transition coaching on the college success of Boston Public Schools graduates. The latest in a series of reports, this analysis focuses on the BPS Classes of 2013 through 2016, and includes updated findings on persistence and academic performance, along with the first set of findings on the impact of coaching on degree completion. The research—and the accompanying conversation—will also discuss the characteristics of effective programs that move the needle on college completion; what it takes for coaching to work; and what we can do to maintain the citywide gains we have made over the last decade.
Please join us for the Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2021 forum, Pandemic Housing Policy: From Progress to Permanence. This year’s edition of the Greater Boston Housing Report Card makes the case that the region’s most difficult housing challenges are still with us, that those challenges were compounded by recent events, and that the bold federal, state and local responses to the acute economic crisis should be parlayed into long-term responses to our ongoing housing crisis. The research presentation will be followed by a panel discussion of experts, each with a unique perspective on lessons learned during this unprecedented time.
Please join the Boston Foundation and MassINC for the release of a new report on the employment and earnings outcomes of community college students and graduates in Massachusetts. Drawing on a new statewide system linking data across high schools, postsecondary institutions, and employers, this research explores important and timely questions to better understand the impact of community colleges on students’ career trajectories and their value as a pathway to economic mobility in the Commonwealth.
Can a focus on data improve outcomes for Opportunity Youth? Since 2019, the Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC) has been partnering with the Boston Public Schools and Bunker Hill Community College, the largest youth- and young adult-serving institutions in the city, to incorporate a more comprehensive data-strategy into their work to address racial inequity in student experience and outcomes. You'll hear from representatives of both institutions, as well as youth and young adult leaders who will share lessons learned from this work and goals for the future.
Since 2014, the Boston Foundation’s Health Starts at Home initiative has brought together housing and health-care organizations in a series of partnerships. The purpose was to support work that demonstrates the benefits of stable, affordable housing on children’s health outcomes. This event marks the culmination of the seven-year Health Starts at Home initiative, with an assessment of its innovative and significant body of work. Please join us as representatives from the four Health Starts at Home partnerships describe their work and researchers from Health Resources in Action (HRiA) and Urban Institute share the final findings from the Health Starts at Home outcome evaluation.
Please join us for the announcement of this year's Pozen Prize winner and a joint celebration of the two 2021 school finalists: Boston Collegiate Charter School and Pioneer Charter School of Science II. The Pozen Prize is an annual competition that recognizes a Greater Boston school with innovative models and practices that consistently boost students' achievement. Initially focused on Commonwealth charter schools, the Prize now also includes pioneering district schools, including innovation, pilot and in-district charter schools.
In the wake of this anti-Asian hate and inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, increased visibility has allowed for a conversation about how Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities can build AAPI-led capabilities to mobilize for lasting change. In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, please join the Asian Community Fund and the Boston Foundation for a data presentation assessing the current needs of AAPI communities followed by a panel discussion featuring community leaders who will share how we can meet these needs while building AAPI power.
Join Boston Indicators, the Coalition for an Equitable Economy and the Boston Foundation’s Economic Inclusion team for the release of The Color of the Capital Gap: Increasing Capital Access for Entrepreneurs of Color in Massachusetts. The report analyzes the dynamics behind persistent racial disparities in access to capital and presents a set of bold and actionable solutions. After a presentation of the research, we’ll hear from policymakers, local experts advancing capital access solutions now, and entrepreneurs themselves.
The COVID pandemic provides us with an opportunity to reimagine education in Boston. Join us to explore data trends across our cradle to career outcomes in Boston and explore what data on student outcomes will be available in the near future to guide our recovery efforts. Hear from community leaders about new ways that we can work together to advance equity and a just education ecosystem in Boston.
Over the past month Boston Indicators has been releasing policy briefs through its new Seizing the Moment project. Written by a range of community leaders, briefs present concrete ideas for advancing equity and justice as we emerge from the pandemic, working to ensure that our region is more resilient when the next crisis hits. We’re inviting you to a unique event on Wednesday, April 14 to hear from and engage with these authors.
While the coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for the region’s arts sector and creative workers, there is some good news. Cultural organizations are finding new ways to build and finance space for rehearsal and recording, classes, performances, culinary enterprises, and more. Join us as leaders of four Boston-area organizations operating or seeking to build new cultural space share how they are approaching new business models, how they are faring in the pandemic, and the challenges and opportunities they see in retaining and creating new arts and cultural workspaces in the region.
Join MassINC, the Coalition for an Equitable Economy and the Boston Foundation as we map out the tools, resources and commitments necessary to achieve racial and ethnic parity in business ownership by the end of the decade. We’ll spotlight findings from a new MassINC report, Unleashing the Potential of Entrepreneurs of Color in Massachusetts, hear from leaders and small business owners about how we can come together to help more people of color achieve their business aspirations.
The City of Chelsea has been an epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis in Massachusetts. This webinar will focus on the innovative “Chelsea 2021” initiative, a new donor and community partnership aimed at ensuring a just and equitable recovery for Chelsea through deep engagement and enlightened philanthropy.
Join us for a conversation for early education leaders with grassroots leaders, health care providers and child care directors, as we explore vaccine hesitancy and what it means for the education community. We will cover historical and current trends, community resources and how to support those who need more information.
Join us for the release of a new research report on the labor market experiences of recent college graduates from the Boston Public Schools. The report examines how well graduates of local four-year colleges and universities are connecting to internships and landing “that good first job” after graduation.
Join community leaders as they share learnings about investing in place and advancing spatial justice. The forum will address the promise and shortcomings of a place-based philanthropic strategy and, ultimately, highlight the role of community leaders in shaping vibrant, resilient, and equitable places.
SkillWorks partnered with PolicyLink, the National Equity Atlas, Burning Glass Technologies, and the National Fund for Workforce Solutions on the newly-released report Advancing Workforce Equity in Boston: A Blueprint for Action. Join us for a presentation of the report's data followed by a conversation about how we can leverage this data in Greater Boston to implement the changes necessary for an equitable economic recovery and future.
The Boston Foundation and Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tisch College invite you to join in a conversation on evidence-based lessons on how to prepare young people to thrive in civic life. In this webinar, experts will share evidence-based research on how we can prepare young people to be active citizens.
In November the Boston Foundation released the Racial Equity Capacity Builders Directory, a compilation of individuals and organizations that provide consulting and training services to Greater Boston nonprofits seeking to advance racial equity within their organizations. Please join directory authors Curdina Hill and Molly Mead to learn how to get the most out this resource and start or deepen your organization's racial equity work.
Please join the Boston Foundation, SkillWorks, and the first cohort of the Catapult Leadership and Learning Lab for a candid conversation about the first year of Catapult, what worked and what didn’t, the numerous ways in which a post COVID-19 economy has had an impact on the Project’s central premise and ways to move forward.
This year the Birth to Eight Collaborative is replacing the annual State of Early Education and Care report with two research briefs on the impact of COVID-19 on child care in Boston. Join the Boston Opportunity Agenda for the release of the first brief which explores the changes in child care supply from 2017 - March 2020, demand and the impact of the pandemic through September 2020.
Community colleges in Massachusetts educate more students than the rest of the state's public higher education system combined. Yet, their students are frequently overlooked for internships, which can open the door to successful careers. Please join the Boston Foundation and Bunker Hill Community College for a conversation about the assets, competencies, and cultural wealth these students bring to their internships, and the changes in practices employers should implement to support them more equitably and effectively.
Please join the Boston Foundation and SkillWorks for an introduction to Andre Green and a discussion about the future of workforce development with an explicit focus on racial equity. This virtual event will feature a conversation with Amanda Cage, President and CEO of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.
On October 29, 2020, the Asian Community Fund and the Boston Foundation hosted the Fund's first event, to learn how the Asian-Pacific Islander (API) community is enduring amidst the challenges of racism and COVID-19. The event, featuring a panel of community leaders, highlighted the diversity of the Asian/Pacific Islander community, and the work and impact of the new Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation.
The Boston Foundation and Barr Foundation invite you to the release of the Building Movement Project's new Race to Lead report - The Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap in Massachusetts: A Race to Lead Brief. Building on the 2018 report and forum, and on the recently released national report, Race to Lead Revisited: Obstacles and Opportunities in Addressing the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap, this webinar will explore the racial leadership gap that has persisted in the Massachusetts nonprofit sector.
The cost and availability of housing in Massachusetts is a pain point for many working families. Greater Boston's traffic is among the worst in the country. Building more affordable housing near transit stations could address both those problems - but to date, it's not happening. A new report by Boston Indicators in collaboration with researchers from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program explores the problem, and presents a big idea for the path forward.
Join us online as the Boston Foundation and Animating Democracy share a review of the Live Arts Boston program's first three years of impact, featuring a panel discussion with LAB grantees Karen Young, Ana Masacote and Billy Dean Thomas, and a performance from LAB grantee Naseem Alatrash.
Ariadne Labs and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Women & Health Initiative conducted a recent survey and set of interviews that explored the racial and ethnic disparities in access to community-based social support services for pregnancy and postpartum health. The Boston Foundation is pleased to host a virtual event to review and discuss the project’s preliminary findings.
The Boston Foundation, together with Project Bread and Children’s HealthWatch, is pleased to join Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley for an exploration of pre-existing racial and ethnic inequities in food access, now dramatically exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion will include data from before and during the pandemic, with a focus on opportunities to achieve equity in food access as part of recovery for all.
On October 1, 2020, the Boston Foundation was proud to host, in collaboration with the Obama Foundation, "Opportunity, Justice and Philanthropy." The one-hour conversation, introduced by longtime Boston Foundation donor and friend Demond Martin, focused on the opportunity for philanthropy to play a leading role in enhancing opportunity and expanding justice, with David Simas, Chief Executive Officer, The Obama Foundation; Charles Daniels, 2019 Obama Fellow; Chief Executive Officer, Fathers' Uplift, and TBF Vice President for Programs Orlando Watkins, moderated by former Massachusetts Sen. William “Mo” Cowan.
Cheryl Dorsey, President of Echoing Green, and Orlando C. Watkins, Vice President for Programs at the Boston Foundation, will discuss Cheryl’s research on racial bias in funding, Orlando’s efforts to tackle the issue as a Black executive in philanthropy and how the philanthropic sector in Greater Boston can reform its funding practices with a racial equity lens.
The third in a series of Greater Boston Housing Report Card Research Briefs will look at the economic recovery and the future of housing in Boston.
Though our local economy was booming for years, it was failing to deliver for far too many households. With the COVID crisis providing new interest in the concept of providing guaranteed income to all residents, Boston Indicators explores one vehicle that could expand cash payments to thousands of households - building upon the state's Earned Income Tax Credit. Join us for the release of a new report and discussion.
In the second event of the 2020 Greater Boston Housing Report Card webinar series, we outline the history of place and patterns of segregation in Massachusetts, assess their role in quality of life, social mobility, and public health, and highlight how those issues are exacerbated during the COVID-19 crisis.
In Massachusetts, federal and state civil rights laws prohibit housing discrimination based on race and source of income, among other factors. Research conducted from August 2018 to July 2019, however, demonstrates that the reality is far from this ideal in the Greater Boston area. Please join us via webinar for the release of a report detailing the project’s findings and recommendations.
Coffee & Conversations is a monthly series that features an in-depth look at the work of our grantees, including emerging lessons. We invite donors, early childhood stakeholders and thought partners to join us in these learning sessions. Join us for this session, where experts will share their concerns and considerations for reopening and reimagining an equitable early childhood system.
Contemporary American cities, including Boston, have been profoundly shaped by racial injustice over decades and centuries. Join urbanists, activists, and open space experts to discuss how cities have historically maintained infrastructures of spatial segregation — and what we might do to create a more inclusive urban fabric in Boston.
The first event in the series of 2020 Greater Boston Housing Report Card webinars, this event examined households’ ability to pay rents and mortgages, the prospects facing lower-income households at the end of the eviction and foreclosure moratorium, and some innovative responses from municipalities.
TBF and the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program mark the release of a new book, "Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities." Author and Brookings fellow Andre M. Perry will discuss the historical basis and present-day implications – particularly in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic – of the devaluation of Black communities.
Join us for a webinar where we discuss early findings from the Boston Indicators' COVID Community Data Lab, a new project that scans best available data sources to analyze how our communities have changed since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in early March.
Please join the Boston Foundation and YW Boston for a lunchtime webinar during which we will present results from InclusionBoston, hear from nonprofit leaders actively working to advance racial equity at their organizations, and share recommendations, challenges, and promising practices for this work.
Recognizing the importance of immigrants to Massachusetts and the value of English proficiency for immigrants’ advancement both economically and socially, the Boston Foundation and the Latino Legacy Fund commissioned a study to explore the region’s ESOL landscape and calculate the “return on investment” (ROI) of teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL).
You’re invited to the release event for Kids Today, a report that details decades of population trends that left Boston with fewer children — and the implications of that on enrollment across Boston’s public schools. This work was produced by Boston Indicators in partnership with the Boston Foundation’s Education to Career Strategy.
As the Greater Boston regional economy continues to grow, we’re seeing a rapidly expanding gap between the demand for qualified talent and the lack of workers ready to fill in-demand roles. In this latest report, the Boston Foundation’s Project Catapult and SkillWorks collaborated with Monitor Institute by Deloitte to surface and share ways that “next-gen” workforce organizations can work to improve outcomes for workers and employers alike. We will share and discuss the report’s findings and explore how together we can change Greater Boston’s workforce system for the better.