An Overview of the Highland Street Foundation’s Massachusetts Giving

Nonprofits that serve children and families in Massachusetts are likely already familiar with the Highland Street Foundation (HSF). David McGrath, Jr., the founder and owner of TAD Resources International, Inc., created this foundation with his wife, JoAnn, and their five children, after running a temporary staffing company with over 300 branches. The Highland Street Foundation received most of its current endowment after David’s death in 1995, but JoAnn and two of her children continue to serve as foundation trustees today.

To help local nonprofits understand this funder and how to approach it for support, here is an overview of the Highland Street Foundation’s giving in Massachusetts.

Six main topics of interest

Children and families are the overarching focus for all HSF grantmaking, and it provides this support in a number of different ways. Specific topics of interest are education, housing, mentorship, healthcare, the environment, advancing women’s empowerment, support for veterans and the arts. Signature HSF events include sports partnerships with the Boston Red Sox, holiday events and nonprofit seminars. Grants often go to YMCAs, museums, K-12 schools, performing arts institutions, youth clubs and neighborhood centers.

California is another geographic interest

Most HSF grants stay within the foundation’s home state of Massachusetts. The foundation is based in Newton, Massachusetts, which is a suburb just outside the city of Boston. Recent Massachusetts grantees include the Nativity School of Worcester, Friends of the Boston Police and Clear Path for Veterans New England. Another place of interest is California. Far fewer grants go to groups in California, however, and HSF does not fund any organization based outside the United States.

Letters of inquiry are welcome

HSF doesn’t accept unsolicited grant proposals. It also has no open proposal submission deadlines or pre-established funding limits. That’s because the trustees have already built relationships with established grantee partners, and the foundation continues to fund those organizations steadily.

However, HSF does accept brief letters of inquiry that include a questionnaire to confirm eligibility, organization contact information, an overview of the organization and a concise funding request. If HSF is interested, staff will reach out for additional information. Nonprofits can submit letters of inquiry online through the foundation’s website.

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