Grantmaking
We select partners based on a proven track record of success in providing effective and efficient service to people who are impacted by poverty in the Bay Area. Here is a full list of our current partners:
Ayudando Latinos a Sonar (ALAS)
ALAS’s mission is to enrich the lives of the Latino population on the Coastside, inspire trust, build safe spaces, advocate for the community and support farmworkers and the healthy development of their children.
ALAS’s programs initiated with their cultural arts programs and have grown their services to include culturally centered mental health services, wrap around case management, immigration and social justice advocacy as well as our educational program. ALAS is committed to working with children, youth, families, farmworkers, asylum seekers, seniors and our general Coastside community.
Issue Area: Education, Technology Access
The Center for Excellence in Life
The Center for Excellence in Life (TCEL) is a non-profit whose mission is to mentor, inspire and empower women and underrepresented youth and aspiring professionals in the pursuit of excellence
TCEL offers STEM education, virtual internship programs, career development workshops, volunteer opportunities, field trip, mentorship for youth and professionals
Issue Area: STEM Education, Career Development
GLIDE
GLIDE is a nationally recognized center for social justice, dedicated to fighting systemic injustices, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis, and transforming lives. Through their integrated comprehensive services, advocacy initiatives, and inclusive community, we empower individuals, families and children to achieve stability and thrive.
GLIDE is on the forefront of addressing some of society’s most pressing issues, including poverty, housing and homelessness, and racial and social justice.
Issue Area: Homelessness, Poverty
Bottom Line
Bottom Line is dedicated to helping first-generation students from low-income backgrounds get into college, graduate and go far in life. In Massachusetts, they currently support more than 3,300 students along the path from college to career.
As one of the first community-based organizations to focus on college completion, they now operate regional programs in Boston, where they were founded in 1997, New York City and Chicago that collectively serve over 7,800 students. As they grow, their results remain strong. With almost 2,800 alums, their historical graduation rate is over 78%, almost 20 points above the national average.
Issue Area: College Access
Breakthrough Greater Boston
Breakthrough Greater Boston works to improve the educational equity by inspiring excitement for learning, creating paths to college, and promoting careers in education. Breakthrough is unique from other college access programs in that they offer a comprehensive academic support that intervenes early (before 7th grade) and six-years of programming through a Students Teaching Students model, featuring near-peer instruction and mentoring.
Breakthrough has consistently demonstrated that low-income students and students of color can achieve at the highest level when engaged in a culture of high expectations and provided the support necessary to advance academically.
Issue Area: Education
BUILD Boston
BUILD is a youth entrepreneurship program dedicated to creating a more diverse, equitable workforce by ensuring high school students in under-resourced communities have access to the mentorship, professional development, and funding they need to graduate high school, go to college, and launch successful careers.
Through BUILD’s unique “Shark Tank” style program, Boston teens develop 21st Century Skills and work with peers and mentors to develop business ideas, pitch for seed funding, and launch real businesses.
Issue Area: Youth Entrepreneurship
CASPAR
CASPAR’s mission is to improve the lives of individuals and families who have been affected by substance use disorder. Dedicated to underserved populations, including individuals who are indigent and homeless, CASPAR’s vision is to reduce the harm associated with substance use disorder and contribute to a healthier community. To achieve this vision they offer a comprehensive array of substance use treatment services with integrated mental health and homelessness services.
Since July 2014, CASPAR has been part of Bay Cove Human Services, a Boston-based non-profit agency that is committed to providing individualized and compassionate services for people facing the challenges associated with developmental disabilities, mental illness, homelessness, aging-related needs and/or drug and alcohol addiction.
Issue Area: Homelessness, Addiction Recovery
Circle of Hope
The mission of Circle of Hope is to provide homeless children, women, and men in Boston and MetroWest with clothing, toiletries, and other necessities in order to preserve and enhance overall health and personal dignity. The LSC funded Get Set program provides homeless college students in the Greater Boston area with basin necessities not covered by financial aid.
Issue Area: Basic Needs, College Students
CitySprouts
The CitySprouts mission is to cultivate wonder for all children with hands-on learning through urban gardening. CitySprouts partners with public elementary and middle schools in Boston and Cambridge to provide hands-on science education through schoolyard learning gardens.
CitySprouts reaches thousands of children from preschool through middle school to level the learning field for children in economically stressed neighborhoods, English language learners, and students with differing abilities. Of our 21 school partners, 80% are Title 1 schools.
Issue Area: Education
Cradles to Crayons
Cradles to Crayons (C2C) provides children from birth through age 12 living in homeless or low-income situations with items they need to thrive. C2C provides “KidPacks” of clothing to children in Massachusetts who face the challenge of clothing insecurity — lack of reliable access to quality, properly fitting, seasonally appropriate clothing. C2C is a leader in volunteer engagement and provides one of the largest volunteer opportunities in Greater Boston.
Issue Area: Basic Needs, Children
Food for Free
Food For Free improves access to healthy food within our community by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste, strengthening the community food system, and creating new distribution channels to reach under-served populations. They envision a future where everyone in our community—regardless of age, income or ability—has consistent access to fresh, healthy, delicious food.
Issue Area: Hunger Relief
Girls Inc.
In partnership with schools Girls Inc focus on the development of the whole girl. She learns to value herself, take risks, and discover and develop her inherent strengths.
The combination of long-lasting mentoring relationships, a pro-girl environment, and research-based programming equips girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers, and grow up healthy, educated, and independent. Informed by girls and their families, we also advocate for legislation and policies to increase opportunities and rights for all girls.
Hope & Comfort
Hope & Comfort works to end hygiene insecurity by distributing basic hygiene products to youth and families in need across Greater Boston.
Issue Area: Basic Needs, Hygiene
Household Goods
Household Goods provides a full range of donated furniture and household items, free of charge, to help people in need make a home. Each year Household Goods’ furnishes over 2,600 homes for individuals and families referred by social service agencies in Massachusetts. Household Goods helps people in need build a better life by providing the dignity of a furnished place to call home.
Issue Area: Basic Needs, Home
International Institute of New England
The mission of the International Institute of New England is to create opportunities for refugees and immigrants to succeed through resettlement, education, career advancement and pathways to citizenship.
Founded in 1918, IINE is one of the oldest and largest social service organizations for new Americans in the region, providing services in the form of refugee resettlement, English language classes, vocational skills training and job placement programming, and immigration legal services to over 2,500 new Americans each year.
Issue Area: Immigration
Just-A-Start
Since 1968, Just-A-Start has been strengthening the housing security and economic stability of low- to moderate-income people in Cambridge and nearby communities.
Each year, JAS serves 3,000 residents by creating and maintaining affordable housing, providing housing resources, and offering workforce training for youth and adults. As a community development corporation, JAS’s vision is a better future for each and every community member: a secure home, a sustaining career, and a connection to the community.
Issue Area: Career Development
Madison Park Development Corporation
Madison Park Development Corporation (MPDC) was founded by a group of dedicated community activists in 1966 and has since grown into a leading nonprofit developer of affordable housing.
MPDC works to foster a vibrant community for our 3,000 residents and the broader neighborhood through commercial development efforts, innovative arts and cultural programming at Hibernian Hall, as well as a noted Community Action department with programming that focuses on civic engagement and leadership development; community-based violence prevention and trauma response efforts; health and wellness; and a comprehensive continuum of workforce development initiatives that include year-round youth employment programs and innovative training for adults in the construction trades.
Issue Area: Career Development
Pine Street Inn
Pine Street Inn partners with homeless individuals to help them move from the streets and shelter to a home and assists formerly homeless individuals in retaining housing.
They provide a comprehensive array of programs including street outreach, emergency services, supportive housing, job training and connections to employment. They tirelessly advocate for collaborative solutions to end homelessness. Their vision is a home and community for everyone.
Issue Area: Homelessness, Career Development
Project Hope
Project Hope works in partnership with women and families in the Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston on their journeys up and out of poverty. We do this by being a catalyst for change in the lives of families, developing and providing programs and family support solutions to alleviate poverty and homelessness.
Issue Area: Family Homelessness, Career Development
Room to Grow
Room to Grow’s vision is that one day all parents will have the resources they need to unlock their families’ potential and become champions for babies and their community. They offer structured coaching, material goods, and community connections to support parents as they activate their natural strengths and expand their knowledge, so children thrive from the start.
Issue Area: Early Childhood Development
Rosie’s Place
Rosie’s Place was founded in 1974, as the first women’s shelter in the United States. Their mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives.
Today, Rosie’s Place not only provides meal and shelter but also creates answers for 12,000 women a year through wide-ranging support, housing and education services.
Issue Area: Homelessness
Science from Scientists
Science from Scientists’ mission is to teach and inspire the next generation to identify and solve real-world problems by improving STEM literacy.
Their vision is to inspire students, ignite interest, and improve STEM competency with the goal of filling the workforce pipeline with talented, competent individuals. SfS provides STEM enrichment programs both in- and out-of-school led by charismatic scientists and engineers.
Issue Area: STEM Education
Tech Goes Home
Tech Goes Home creates social justice and equity by empowering communities to access and use digital tools to overcome barriers and advance lives. Simply put, they bring computers, Internet, and training to those without so students can do homework, adults can find jobs and manage finances, and seniors can connect with loved ones and lead healthy lives.
Issue Area: Education, Technology
The Possible Project
The Possible Project was founded in 2010 by entrepreneurs Mark and Becky Levin to address growing youth unemployment and diminishing opportunities for low income youth to engage in careers that enable self-sufficiency. TPP is inspired by the belief that with an entrepreneurial spirit, all students can realize their full potential.
TPP uses entrepreneurship as a vehicle for students to develop social/emotional and job-readiness skills such as teamwork, critical thinking and professionalism. Additionally, each student acquires practical, technical skills necessary to compete in the knowledge economy. Students enroll in TPP for three years and progress through six levels. Throughout the program, students start planning their college and careers through the Pathways component.
Issue Area: Youth Entrepreneurship
The Wily Network
The Wily Network provides a critical safety net for promising students as they navigate college independently. Wily offers clinical coaching, financial assistance, community-building support, and networking to help them move from surviving to thriving.
Issue Area: Education, College Support
Waltham Fields Community Farm
Waltham Fields Community Farm (WFCF) promotes local agriculture and food access through our farming operations and educational programs, using practices that are socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable. They encourage healthy relationships between people, their food supply, and the land from which it grows.
Issue Area: Hunger Relief
Year Up
Year Up Greater Boston empowers motivated young adults to move from minimum wage to meaningful careers in just one year, by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support necessary to reach their potential and thrive in professional careers and higher education.
Students spend the first six months learning in-demand technical and professional skills before applying their skills during a six-month corporate internship.
Issue Area: Career Development