On March 13, 2020, the Boston Foundation announced the establishment of the COVID-19 Response Fund to rapidly deploy flexible resources to organizations in Greater Boston that were providing critical basic needs to communities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The announcement inspired institutions, companies, individual donors, and other funders to contribute to the Fund, and just 18 days later, the COVID-19 Response Fund made its first grants.
Over the next two-plus years, the Foundation and its community of donors raised and distributed more than $18 million. As your community foundation, our thanks go to all who have been part of this massive endeavor and for giving your support when communities needed it most.
Assisted by the COVID-19 Response Fund, nonprofit organizations and their staffs have fed thousands of families culturally relevant food, preserved housing for residents at risk of homelessness, distributed vaccines, strengthened mental health services for survivors of domestic violence, delivered enriching youth programming when schools could not safely open their doors, and advocated for equitable access to relief funds for cities and towns devastated by the loss of livelihoods—and most tragically, lives—to the pandemic.
This report strives to capture the scope and timeline of the COVID-19 Response Fund's work, and the lessons we have learned over the past two years that are helping us reshape our work with community leaders and nonprofits as we venture out on Our New Pathway, TBF's new strategic plan. We are made hopeful by our continued progress and our shared commitment to create a more equitable city and region in partnership with community.
The COVID-19 Response Fund was just one of a number of resources that civic and philanthropic organizations created to support the needs of individuals, nonprofits, and other organizations in Greater Boston and Massachusetts. Below is a list of press releases from the Boston Foundation about COVID-19 Response Fund grantmaking during Phase I and Phase II of grantmaking.
Grant announcements:
February 15, 2021
December 11
July 28
July 23
July 1
June 1
May 26
May 18
May 11
May 4
April 28
April 21
April 13
April 6
March 31
March 13: Press release on the COVID-19 Response Fund launch
A list of grantees can be found here