The Boston Foundation

"While Massachusetts has made important strides over the past couple of decades in improving support for birthing people, disparities persist for Black women. Only through intentional partnerships and genuine commitment to solutions that include the voices of birthing people will we be able to reverse these disparities." Combining their expertise in a collaborative op-ed for the Dorchester Reporter, TBF staff Danubia Camargos Silva, Senior Program Officer for Nurturing Strong Beginnings, and Kelly Harrington, Senior Research Manager for Boston Indicators, discuss MA's maternal health crisis, addressing the stark and widening disparities facing Black women. Read it here: https://bit.ly/4dk94su

“The impact of our work – and our goal of moving equity forward – is only as strong as the partnerships we have. We approach our work with the knowledge that everything we do is built in league with community – not for community.” The Summer 2024 edition of TBF News highlights our Community Leadership pathway, and the programs and partners who are meeting essential needs, providing resources for nonprofits and leaders, and advocating for a more effective sector and stronger safety net. Read TBF News Summer 2024: https://bit.ly/4fhncES

Today marks a significant step towards equity in Massachusetts - thank you to our House and Senate for voting to pass The Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act, sending the bill now to Governor Healey! By mandating salary transparency, we will move closer to eliminating racial and gender wage gaps in our pursuit of vital, prosperous and equitable communities. Thank you to Senate President Karen Spilka, House Speaker Ron Mariano, the conference committee, former Lt. Gov. Evelyn Murphy, Megan Driscoll, and everyone who played a role in passing this legislation along with the entire #WageEquityNow Coalition for their steadfast partnership! More about the bill and WEN Coalition: https://bit.ly/3mHU5Ud

We're thrilled to welcome Rich Robles, Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, as the newest member of the Latino Equity Fund's advisory board! A leader in the Latino community and an advocate for diversity and inclusion across his many roles and efforts, we look forward to the experience and perspectives he'll bring to support LEF's mission to amplify the diverse voices within Greater Boston's Latino community in pursuit of more equitable access to economic prosperity and well-being. More about LEF: https://bit.ly/3nYtpeM

“I think about the vital work that our community organizations do to make sure that every Asian resident in our region feels seen, heard, and treasured.” In case you missed it, Danielle Kim, director of The Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation, was featured in the Boston Globe to share more about the recent grants announced by ACF last week, including grants aligned with findings from the Asian Business Empowerment Council's recent report. Read it here: https://bit.ly/3Ww0yAb More on ACF's grantees: https://bit.ly/3W0HvNS

Over the past few months, our team has hosted a number of events and released new reports looking at topics including the state of our AAPI businesses, community wealth, hiring immigrants in MA, retirement inequality, addressing basic needs, and more. If you missed any of our recent events that you were hoping to catch, we post recordings and recaps of the discussion to our website for anyone who may be interested in revisiting or tuning in for the first time. All our event videos can be found on our website here: https://bit.ly/4bEH9m1 Photo from 'Setting Roots in Rocky Soil: The State of AAPI-owned Businesses in Massachusetts' report release event.

"There's a lot of untapped opportunities to empower and uplift AAPI businesses in Massachusetts so that they can address these challenges head on and have a better experience operating their business." Did you have a chance to tune into WBUR last week to hear from the director of the Asian Business Empowerment Council, Q.J. Shi? Q.J., along with the founder of Madhrasi Chai Nancy Daniel, discussed ABEC's new report looking at the state of AAPI-owned businesses in Massachusetts. If you missed it live, the segment is now available online: https://wbur.fm/3zLkKWG You can also check out the full report here: https://bit.ly/3xyRi5w

In a new blog for Candid, Candace Burton, Program Officer for Safety Net Grants at TBF, shares more about how TBF's Safety Net Grants program uses participatory grantmaking to strengthen our role as a community foundation. Just last week, SNG announced a total of $1 million in grants to 20 organizations, following a community-led application review process. Read Candace's new blog: https://bit.ly/3Sr9W6X More about the SNG grantees: https://bit.ly/4czYn4S

"These grants mean stability and inclusion for a community that brings a lot of potential and economic vitality to our state. Congratulations to all of the grant recipients who will be able to provide stronger services and impact more residents in the AAPI community," - MA Governor Maura Healey. We're thrilled to announce the The Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation's 2024 grantees! With this grant cycle, ACF is awarding $450,000 to 52 nonprofits serving Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across Massachusetts, bringing the fund’s cumulative grantmaking to more than $1M, which has been dispersed to 81 nonprofits since 2022. Read the announcement: https://bit.ly/3W0HvNS

Join the Asian Business Empowerment Council tomorrow, July 10, from 10:30AM–11:30AM at the Massachusetts State House in Room 428 for a briefing on their latest report, 'Setting Roots in Rocky Soil: The State of AAPI-owned Businesses in Massachusetts.' This briefing is hosted with the MA State Asian Caucus, the office of Senator Pavel Payano and the Office of Rep. Tackey Chan. And, if you can't make it to the in-person briefing, you can read the report here: https://bit.ly/3xyRi5w