Barr Foundation

At Veritas Prep Charter School, "it's less about making sure every single kid is going onto college, than it is about them having access, having a track record, knowing they can, and figuring out what's the right path for them," says Rachel Romano, the school's Founder and CEO. “When you prepare kids to have that as the option — when everyone is prepared to pursue a college degree — then all the doors are open to them.”

National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) has launched Freedom to Move, a youth-led movement aimed at transforming America's transportation system. Through this initiative, Executive Director Jacob Smith and the NOYS team will work to equip young people to lead critical conversations and drive the change needed to make our streets safer and more accessible for everyone. Find your place in the movement: https://lnkd.in/eWzTt-FR

Zoning regulations have made it harder to build walkable, equitable, affordable communities with easy connections to jobs and social activities. To support reform at both the state and federal level, Climate program grantee Smart Growth America has launched the Center for Zoning Solutions, a new hub for resources, thought leadership, and direct technical assistance.

With a new brand and a sharp articulation of their mission, Massachusetts Public Health Alliance has marked a new milestone in their work toward healthy, equitable, just, and thriving communities where racism, poverty, and zip code do not determine health or lifespan. We celebrate MPHA's ongoing work with Transportation For Massachusetts as they co-lead the Regional Transit Authorities Advocates Coalition, prioritizing the needs of transit riders as vital components of health equity.

For arts organizations, “small changes in pursuit of pay equity can create ripple effects on staff morale, organizational culture, retention, recruitment, and even productivity and program quality.” Nonprofit Quarterly covers ongoing efforts by the Berkshire/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Project, led by a group of Barr Arts + Creativity grantees, to document arts workers’ experiences and commit to systemic change.

The new Equity and Justice Reporting Unit at GBH will cover opportunity gaps in Greater Boston. Led by Paul Singer, the team of four journalists will engage, listen, and amplify the voices of communities of color to explore and expose injustice. “Our communities’ stories are dynamic, aspirational, and complex and we look forward to learning alongside GBH and their audience,”? says Lisette Le, Director of Barr’s Racial Wealth Equity initiative.

Like many other foundations, Barr has been discussing the implications of the upcoming presidential election for our work. Many of the issues that concern us most—the fragility of our democracy, growing polarization, backlash against racial equity, scapegoating of immigrants—will remain with us well after November 2024. President and Trustee Jim Canales has outlined three commitments we plan to bring to navigating the aftermath of November 5 together: ?? We will remain steadfastly committed to our values. We will demonstrate with our voice and our actions how they are much more than words on a website to us. ?? We will keep relationships at the center. Philanthropy doesn't have a monopoly on wisdom—our impact depends on partnerships rooted in trust and long-term commitments. ?? We will not retreat from our focus on racial equity. Even and especially amid efforts to undermine progress, we'll stand firm with our partners and allies in this necessary work.

A report from New England United for Justice (NEU4J) synthesizes ideas from nearly 2,000 residents of Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan to form an updated action agenda that is grounded in residents’ experience and vision for change. The result is a strategic plan for the organization that is focused on needs, goals, and priorities supplied by the community.

Collaboration is central to arts leadership, but there are too few cases of major players joining forces to tackle shared issues. Grantees in the ArtsAmplified initiative are using new funds to experiment, step into larger civic roles, embrace new artistic directions. Celebrity Series of Boston and GrubStreet are working to attract young adults through digital marketing and joint social events, in an effort to build a sense of community among new audience members. The Institute of Contemporary Arts and The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are testing how art museums can mitigate their environmental impact, with the goal of developing actionable recommendations that enable climate activism at any size. ArtsEmerson and The Huntington are exploring new models for community investment and resource sharing that aim to strengthen the entire arts ecosystem in Boston. Read more about these generative collaborations on the Barr blog, written by San San Wong and Jamilah Bradshaw.

After nine years of leadership during a transformational period for the foundation, Roger Nozaki will step down from his position as Vice President for Strategy and Programs in May 2025. During his tenure, Roger shepherded the near-doubling of Barr's grantmaking and program staff, launched our Learning and Evaluation department, deepened Barr’s commitment to racial equity, and advanced the organizational shifts required by COVID and now hybrid work. Knowing that Barr is in a very different place today than when Roger joined our team in 2016, we intend to take some time to consider how to structure this important leadership role for the next phase of Barr’s journey. For now, we extend our deepest gratitude to Roger for his leadership and friendship.