Change is Inevitable: Funders Join Forces to Help Arts Organizations Prepare for “Shifts in the Cultural Sector”

Change is Inevitable: Funders Join Forces to Help Arts Organizations Prepare for “Shifts in the Cultural Sector”

With arts organizations increasingly buffeted by change, two Massachusetts foundations have rolled out a new $25 million initiative to help groups build the “adaptive capacity” they need to thrive in turbulent times.

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The Liberty Mutual Foundation Is Fifteen Years Old. What’s It All About?

The Liberty Mutual Foundation Is Fifteen Years Old. What’s It All About?

As Liberty Mutual Foundation moves through its 15th year, we ask president Melissa MacDonnell about its current work and aspirations. She discussed the foundation’s latest work in its three main areas of giving.

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Key Linkages: A Foundation Works Across Sectors to Help Vulnerable Populations

Key Linkages: A Foundation Works Across Sectors to Help Vulnerable Populations

Helping low-income people make gains in health and other areas often requires that service providers work together more effectively. We look at how a funder in Massachusetts is upping its efforts to make that happen.

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$1 Billion Over 10 Years: Who’s Been Getting the Most TBF Support in Massachusetts?

$1 Billion Over 10 Years: Who’s Been Getting the Most TBF Support in Massachusetts?

The Boston Foundation has given more in grants in the past 10 years than in all of TBF’s first 92 years. Where’s the money been going?

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Places to Gather: How a Community Foundation is Growing Public Spaces

Places to Gather: How a Community Foundation is Growing Public Spaces

Investing in public spaces in a thoughtful way is trickier than it looks. The Rhode Island Foundation is yet another funder that’s ramping up giving in this space. Why is it giving more here? And what’s its approach?

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This 172-Year-Old Bank is Giving Millions in New England and the Tri-State Area

This 172-Year-Old Bank is Giving Millions in New England and the Tri-State Area

The Berkshire Bank Foundation gives at least $2 million annually to nonprofits that operate within the bank’s territory—which includes Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. We take a closer look.

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“Considerable Growth.” The Cape Cod Foundation Sees a Rise in Donors and Giving

“Considerable Growth.” The Cape Cod Foundation Sees a Rise in Donors and Giving

As the Cape Cod Foundation prepares to turn 30, it’s attracting more donors and ramping up its annual giving of local grants and scholarships. We take a quick look.

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The Wonderful World of Mini-Grants: Who’s Giving Them and Why?

The Wonderful World of Mini-Grants: Who’s Giving Them and Why?

Mini-grants, which are often in the range of $250 to $2,500, have an important place in institutional philanthropy, even though you don't hear much about them.  

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The Amica Companies Foundation: a Northeast Corporate Funder Giving on Both Coasts

The Amica Companies Foundation: a Northeast Corporate Funder Giving on Both Coasts

The Amica Companies Foundation is staying committed to Rhode Island causes. Over the past few years, it has also funded nonprofits in other parts of the U.S. that its employees are connected to through volunteerism.

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Avangrid Foundation: A Northeast Grantmaker With an Interest in Food Insecurity

Avangrid Foundation: A Northeast Grantmaker With an Interest in Food Insecurity

The Avangrid Foundation is helping a local food bank distribute fresh food year-round in an era when about 14 percent of Americans use food pantry or meal services.

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Where the Boston-based Wagner Foundation’s Giving Has Been Heading Lately

Where the Boston-based Wagner Foundation’s Giving Has Been Heading Lately

When we first started covering Herbert and Charlotte Wagner’s giving through the Wagner Foundation, this was a very Boston-focused funder. Things have changed, but local groups haven’t been forgotten.

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A Community Foundation That's Moving Grant Money to Local Medical Researchers

A Community Foundation That's Moving Grant Money to Local Medical Researchers

We don't see many community foundations prioritize medical research, which is more typically funded by national foundations and major philanthropists. But the Rhode Island Foundation has been working to catalyze and guide donor activity in this space since 2008.

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Seniors as an Asset: A Funder's Push for Age-Friendly Communities in the Northeast

Seniors as an Asset: A Funder's Push for Age-Friendly Communities in the Northeast

The Tufts Health Plan Foundation continues to fund organizations that work to improve seniors’ quality of life—including a program in Boston that wants to make the whole city accessible and inclusive for older residents.

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Unequal Outcomes: Why a Health Funder is Focused on Marginalized Communities

Unequal Outcomes: Why a Health Funder is Focused on Marginalized Communities

The grantmaking of the Maine Health Access Foundation offers a good example of how regional health funders are grappling with the complex interplay between issues of poverty, power and health. 

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Spreading it Around: How a Health Funder is Using Small Grants to Sustain Momentum

In an era of mega-givers and "big bets," making lots of very small grants may seem out of step with the times. But as we’ve reported, quite a few funders give out mini-grants for different reasons. Here’s an example.

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Embrace Change: A Funder Guides Arts Organizations to Work Differently

Embrace Change: A Funder Guides Arts Organizations to Work Differently

The Barr Foundation, a stalwart Boston funder, is helping arts groups to take more risks and engage in stronger civic leadership. What’s its plan for making the arts more “relevant?”

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Sure and Steady: A Foundation That's a Big Believer in Multi-Year Support

Sure and Steady: A Foundation That's a Big Believer in Multi-Year Support

If there's one thing that nonprofits may want from foundations even more than general operating grants, it's multi-year support. The Cummings Foundation is expanding an unusual program that offers exactly that.

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A K-12 Funder Reviews Its Strategy, With an Eye on Racial Equity

A K-12 Funder Reviews Its Strategy, With an Eye on Racial Equity

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation, a leading K-12 funder in New England, has lately been engaged in a strategic planning process that puts race front and center. How’s it changing as a result?

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Spotlight Rhode Island: A Community Foundation That's Backing LGBTQ Causes

Spotlight Rhode Island: A Community Foundation That's Backing LGBTQ Causes

The Rhode Island Foundation is over a century old and the largest funder of nonprofits in the state. Here's a look at this funder's LGBTQ grantmaking strategy.

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A Foundation for Giving: How This Real Estate Mogul Has Built His Philanthropy

A Foundation for Giving: How This Real Estate Mogul Has Built His Philanthropy

Bill Cummings isn't one of the flashy mega-givers that often get attention these days. But he's been a pathbreaking philanthropist in his own way. He talks to IP about his new book and how he operates. 

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