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Boston Foundation

The Boston Foundation, one of the nation's oldest and largest community foundations, has an endowment of close to $675 million. Last year, the Foundation made grants of $51 million to nonprofit organizations and received gifts of $41 million. The Boston Foundation is made up of 750 separate charitable funds, which have been established by donors either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. The Foundation also serves as a civic leader, convener, and sponsor of special initiatives designed to build community. For more information about the Boston Foundation and its grant making, visit www.tbf.org, or call 617-338-1700.

http://www.tbf.org

Human Services: Getting Your Money's Worth?

Tue, Sep 23, 2003

Join a panel of experts as they discuss the 2003 report *Reforming the Commonwealth's $2 Billion Purchase of Human Services: Meeting the Promise for Clients and Taxpayers*, which finds that while most clients still receive good care, they and their families frequently face long waiting lists, substantial barriers to access, and difficulty navigating the system, and many are not getting services matched to their particular needs. The Commonwealth's vast system for purchasing human services needs major reform, according to a report released on September 23, 2003 by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. This report, prepared by the Massachusetts Taxpayer Association in collaboration with the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers, and with major funding from The Boston Foundation, concludes that the burden of the system's flaws falls on the clients, who too often do not receive the quality services they need, and the taxpayers, who are not getting a fair return on the $2 billion spent annually on services purchased from private providers. Since its inception three decades ago, the purchasing system has grown rapidly to become the primary means of delivering human services, ranging from group homes for the developmentally disabled to treatment for juvenile offenders. Over 1,100 provider organizations care for 600,000 Massachusetts residents.

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Boston Foundation
Mapping School Choice in Massachusetts

Wed, May 21, 2003

Hear a panel of experts discuss the recent release of a report that maps school choice statewide, examines school choice in Metropolitan Boston, and reviews national data on the subject.

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Boston Foundation
Preventing Juvenile Crime: The CHINS Law

Tue, Oct 7, 2003

This forum examines the CHINS law with the intent to put forth a positive vision for reform. Thirty years ago, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts established a system called CHINS ("Children in Need of Services") to address problems of troubled youth. The law was intended to help keep these youth out of further trouble, steering them toward more productive pathways through services and other help. The reality is that the system is currently not working. A study by the state's Commissioner of Probation found that over half of all CHINS youth were arraigned for adult criminal or juvenile delinquent offenses within three years of their first CHINS petition. This event is part of the Community Safety Forum Series hosted by The BostonFoundation, The Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation and coordinating partnersMassINC and The Crime and Justice Institute.

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Boston Foundation
Boston Unbound: Challenges for the 21st Century

Sun, Jan 4, 2004

In this lecture, journalists Neal Pierce and Curtis Johnson tackle one question: What are the Boston region's most critical challenges for the 21st Century? Pierce and Johnson provide an overview of their findings here and take audience questions. Hired by The Boston Foundation commissioned journalists Neal Pierce and Curtis Johnson to take an independent look at that question. Authors of the book Citistates and principals of The Citistates Group, Pierce and Johnson have written reports for newspapers on the strategic issues facing 21 other US regions over the past 17 years. To prepare for this report, they interviewed more than 300 Boston area opinion leaders and observers, ranging from government to universities, businesses to advocacy groups.

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Boston Foundation
Nonprofit Forum: Leading through Effective Governance

Wed, Dec 15, 2004

In addition to being an overseer of management and fiscal accountability, today's nonprofit board member also needs to be a connector, leader, bridge-builder, fund-raiser, and strategic partner of management and constituency. This forum explores the future of nonprofit governance, examines current practices, and highlights interesting examples of thoughtful board governance in changing times.

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Boston Foundation
Good City: Writers Explore 21st Century Boston

Thu, Jan 27, 2005

The Boston Foundation commissioned *The Good City* to provide a fresh image of Boston for newcomers to the city, such as those attending the Democratic National Convention and newly arriving college and university students. Full of established writers and fresh voices, a rich collection of essays celebrates Boston's past, present, and future. This collection presents a vivid new portrait of Boston through the writing of fifteen of the city's finest authors. Fresh eyes are cast upon the urban landscape and psyche, with provocative pieces by architecture critics Robert Campbell and Jane Holtz Kay, and Jack Beatty on Boston's political past and present. Boston has long been known as a literary city, but novelist Patricia Powell offers a new take on the literary landscape and the immigrant experience. Susan Orlean offers up a loving tribute to the city she left and then returned to. Best-selling novelist Anita Diamant celebrates her discovery of a true spiritual home in Boston, while *Boston Globe* columnist Scott Kirsner investigates what makes Boston a powerhouse of scientific and technological innovation. *All Souls* author Michael Patrick MacDonald pens a moving essay on gentrification and what it means to old neighborhoods like Southie, while *Boston Globe* columnist Derrick Jackson looks at Boston as a laboratory for advancing race relations. No book about Boston would be complete without a discussion of sports, so Howard Bryant, author of *Shut Out* and columnist for the *Boston Herald*, explains the city's recreational obsession. All of these writers and more offer an illuminating profile of the city that many people consider the birthplace of America.

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Boston Foundation
After the Tsunami: Philanthropy in the Global Era

Tue, May 17, 2005

A panel of experts discuss the pros and cons of the globalization of philanthropy, focusing particularly on the aftermath of the tsunami. How do we balance the demand for disaster relief created by a tsunami, against the daily struggles faced by people at home and abroad across a whole range of challenges?

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Boston Foundation
CORI: Balancing Individual Rights and Public Access

Wed, May 18, 2005

Members of the criminal justice system and community groups discuss the fairness and effectiveness of the Criminal Offender Record Information system, as a part of a Boston Foundation series on rational public policy in criminal and social justice.

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Boston Foundation
Boston Unplugged: Mapping a Wireless Future

Wed, Feb 15, 2006

In 2006, a panel convened to address wireless technology and affordable strategies to bridge the "digital divide". They sought to pave the way for innovation and new tools to strengthen education, enrich civic participation and nurture community networks. Internet access is a critical tool for cities across the country and around the world that compete in the new economy driven by knowledge networks and information.

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Boston Foundation
Linking Money to Mission

Wed, Jun 1, 2005

This forum focuses on expanding our understanding of how nonprofit capital structures' tangible and intangible assets and liabilities affect organizational missions. How should these assets and liabilities be thought about in pursuit of excellence and organizational stability? The forum also highlights inspiring examples of mission effectiveness enabled by sound financial business practices.

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Boston Foundation