The #OBBBA will widen wealth disparities in Boston along racial lines. Cuts to social services like SNAP and Medicaid reduce families' ability to achieve long-term security. Funds go to necessities like food and healthcare, instead of assets like higher education, a home, or retirement accounts.
New research from Boston Indicators shows that federal policy changes related to the #OneBigBeautifulBill will widen wealth inequality: the bottom 10% of earners lose $1,200 annually while top earners gain $13,600.
www.bostonindicators.org/reports/repo...
Introducing Ali Noorani, Barr's next president. Ali Noorani appears wearing glasses and smiling on a green background.
Following a rigorous national search, we are thrilled to announce Ali Noorani as Barr’s next president.
Ali’s enthusiasm for our core program areas of arts, climate, and education shines through, as does his readiness to propel Barr into its next chapter.
barrfdn.link/president
Vilém Flusser, Does Writing Have a Future? First published in German in 1987, a prescient exploration of the fate of the book in the digital age Dylan Everett, Program Associate, Catalyze New Models
Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day, Amishi P. Jha, PhD An acclaimed neuroscientist offers 12-minute exercises to harness the power of our attention to better meet life's demands. Jenny Curtin, Program Director
Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering, Malcolm Gladwell Stories that trace social epidemics and tipping points, a guide to making sense of the contagions of the modern world John Travis, Senior Program Officer, Invest in Educators
Eve L. Ewing, Original Sins An eye-opening look at how American schools have helped build and reinforce an infrastructure of racial inequality Jess Rose, Senior Program Officer, Catalyze New Models
As lifelong learners, it's no surprise that Barr's Education team has serious summer reading plans. See what's on their list for the holiday weekend:
Announcing EPIX: a three-year investment supporting public art that sparks collective imagination across Massachusetts.
EPIX grantees produce new work that inspires collective action and shifts how public art is understood and valued in Massachusetts.
www.barrfoundation.org/blog/announc...
Solar is helping New England stay cool this summer.
Solar arrays on roofs and parking lots generate about 5,000 megawatts of power for New England, more than all of the region's nuclear power plants combined.
www.wbur.org/news/2025/06...
Communities across Massachusetts are sweltering this week.
In the new Community Heat Resilience pilot, cities and community-based orgs are working together to establish the infrastructure, policy, and education needed to protect citizens this summer and in the years ahead.
barrfdn.link/heat
Mohawk Trail Regional School reinvented itself to invite students shape to their studies.
So far, the result has been promising—happier, more empowered teachers, students pursuing their passions, and rebounding enrollment.
“Environmental justice is what civil rights looks like relative public health,” says Dwaign Tyndal of Roxbury-based Alternatives for Community and Environment. "Fights around environmental justice are a way for new generations to join the civil rights movement."
Worcester-born artist Sharinna Travieso's favorite canvas is public spaces.
After working on major community murals, she’s transforming school walls across Massachusetts.
In Fitchburg, MA, local institutions are leveraging the city’s unique qualities to stimulate growth. A long-vacant school will become 68 units of artist-preferred affordable housing alongside studio space, galleries, and a rail trail.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/28/a...
Merrimack Valley’s MeVa is Massachusetts’ first fare-free transit system.
A rider survey found that the economic, environmental, and health benefits, weighing in at $2 million, exceeded the loss of revenue from bus fares.
www.wbur.org/news/2025/02...
Bikers wearing helmets and reflective vests cheer outdoors.
Low and moderate-income Massachusetts residents can now apply for rebates to purchase new pedal-assist electric bikes!
This program from @Massachusetts Clean Energy Center will cover about 3,000 vouchers, distributed by lottery.
Learn more and apply: ma-ebikes.masscec.com
This project will provide a critical natural buffer against rising sea levels for local communities. As the project develops over the next 2 to 5 years, residents will be invited to share their input.
Mass Audubon, GreenRoots, and neighborhood developers are transforming 18 acres of abandoned land to build affordable housing and preserve the waterfront’s natural habitat.
www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/...
Introducing Barr's New Website. A large group of artists stand in a circle in a grassy field.
We are excited to introduce the new barrfoundation.org. 🎉
Visit the site to explore our program areas, search the grants database, and see our grantees’ work in action.
Advocating for nonprofits is essential.
We will invest in social sector infrastructure that enables knowledge sharing between orgs. This work has been part of our grantmaking at Barr for many years, and we anticipate investing further in the near term.
Our success hinges on maintaining relationships that are rooted in mutual trust, respect, and care.
We are organizing trainings and capacity supports, working to reduce administrative burden, and creating more flexibility in how Barr funds can be used.
Barr’s steadfast commitment to center racial equity remains unchanged.
To us, that means investing in leaders and solutions that bring us closer to a world where everyone can pursue their unbounded potential, and where the promise of equal opportunity for all becomes a reality.
Volunteers package seeds at an event hosted by GreenRoots.
The barrage of action in the past several weeks previews the challenges that the #nonprofit and #philanthropy sectors will face in the years ahead.
Barr is in this work for the long haul. Here's how we are approaching this moment in these early stages.