OVERVIEW: The Highland Street Foundation supports education, housing, mentorship, healthcare, environment, and the arts in Boston, but also elsewhere in Massachusetts, and occasionally in California.
IP TAKE: Highland Street is a funder that’s probably already on the radar of nonprofits that serve children and families in Massachusetts. It requires grantseekers take an eligibility quiz to get started, but otherwise it’s very accessible and reviews unsolicited LOIs throughout the year. Grants aren’t exceptionally large here, but they are plentiful. So, if you’re looking for a modest amount of support to help your project or program reach children and families in need, HSF is a good place to start.
PROFILE: Established in 1989, the Highland Street Foundation (HSF), also known as Highland Street Connection, is based in Newton, Massachusetts. It is the foundation of David McGrath, Jr. and his wife, JoAnn McGrath. David owned TAD Resources, a Boston-area staffing company that was purchased in 1995 by industry leader Adecco. The foundation was endowed with proceeds from the sale. The foundation’s mission is to address “the most pressing needs and concerns for children and families in Massachusetts and California.” It states interest in education, housing, health, the environment, the arts and mentoring programs. This funder works broadly across these areas of interest and several Signature Initiatives.
Grants for Public Health and Access
The Highland Street Foundation steadily supports health care in California and Massachusetts, although giving in this area has flagged somewhat in recent years.
- Funding appears to focus on increasing access to quality services for people in need.
- The Highland Holidays initiative works to “alleviate the burdens many families bear” by distributing toys, gifts and winter clothing to people in need through the foundation’s nonprofit partners.
- Grantees include California’s Rancho Mirage Health Foundation, Boston’s Health Care for the Homeless program, and Ellie’s Fund, which provides free support services to patients receiving treatment for breast cancer in Massachusetts.
Grants for K-12 Education and Youth
Highland Street supports K-12 and higher education, as well as initiatives for out-of-school learning, youth development and mentoring programs.
- K-12 funding appears to prioritize private Catholic schools, with grants going to the Nativity School of Worcester, the Nativity Preparatory School of New Bedford, the Campaign for Catholic Schools and Xavier College Preparatory High School in Palm Springs, California.
- According to recent tax filings, Catholic institutions are also a priority. Past grants have supported Anna Maria College, Boston College and Regis College, all located in Massachusetts.
- Highland Street also supports a broad range of camps and out-of-school learning programs for children and teens, although this giving appears to stay mainly in the Boston area. Recipients include Camp Harborview of Boston, Squashbusters, Boys and Girls Club of Boston and Crossroads for Kids in Duxbury and the Boston Children’s Museum.
- Youth mentoring is another area of interest, with ongoing support going to MENTOR: the National Mentoring Partnership.
- The foundation’s Let’s Get Rolling initiative partners with the City of Boston to provide bikes and instruction to Connect, Learn, Explore: Boston’s Commitment to Youth.
Grants for Housing and Homelessness
The Highland Street Foundation names housing as a main area of focus and prioritizes housing shelters and services for the homeless.
- Grants for organizations working with homeless populations appear to stay in the Boston area. Recipients include Boston’s St. Francis House, the Greater Boston Food Bank, the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance, the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and Homestart, which provides housing, prevention and stabilization services to homeless and vulnerable people and families.
- Affordable housing for veterans, elderly and disabled people is also of interest to this funder through its Veterans Support initiative, although these grants tend to be smaller. Recipients include Caritas Communities, 2Life Communities, Homes for Our Troops and Dismas House of Massachusetts and the Southeastern Mass Veterans Housing Program.
Grants for Women and Girls
Support for women’s organizations stems from the foundation’s JoAnn McGrath Women’s Empowerment initiative and focuses on organizations that help women develop and maintain financial independence and security.
- Specific areas of interest include education, career development and supportive services for victims of domestic violence.
- Grantees include Dress For Success Boston, Reach Beyond Domestic Violence of Waltham, Massachusetts and the Women’s Lunch Place of Boston.
Grants for Environmental Causes
The environment is a smaller area of concern for this funder, with only a few grants supporting outdoor recreation and public green spaces.
- Grants have gone to Boston’s Friends of the Public Garden, the Fund for Parks and Recreation in Boston, the Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Spring, California.
Grants for Arts and Culture
Arts and culture represent another smaller giving area for Highland Street, but this funder does make grants to performing and visual arts organizations of all sizes, as well as some historical preservation efforts.
- Larger grants have gone to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Palm Springs International Film Society and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
- Smaller grants have supported community arts programs like the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Berkshire Museum, Boston’s Revolutionary Spaces and the Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts.
Grants for Philanthropy
The Highland Street Foundation supports the nonprofit community through several special initiatives.
- The Community Impact Consultants program supports nonprofits in Massachusetts with six months of support from a professional consultant with “extensive and proven management and nonprofit experience” to address a specific organizational need. Organizations with annual budgets ranging from $500,000 to $4 million may apply via the application portal.
- The foundation runs Nonprofit Seminars to help organizations learn about timely issues in the field and network with other entities. Past topics include the principles of fund raising, public relations, data security and building relationships with with state government agencies.
- The Light of Dawn Awards are named for Dawn Jaffier a youth worker and coach who became a victim of gun violence. The awards are a collaborative effort of the foundation, other nonprofits, local businesses and community leaders. They annually recognize three nonprofit professionals whose work shows dedication “to building stronger communities for the promise of a better tomorrow.”
Important Grant Details:
Highland Street’s grants typically range from $500 to $250,000; however, the most common amount is closer to $5,000. It awards around $6 million in grants annually.
- The foundation names Massachusetts and California as geographic priorities, but more than half of its grants stay in Massachusetts.
- Small organizations with strong community impact are well represented among its grantees.
- This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals, but grantseekers may submit letters of inquiry via the application portal. See the inquiry FAQ here.
- For information about past grants, see the foundation’s awarded grants or stories of impact pages.
- Email addresses for individual staff members of the Highland Street Foundation are available at the contact page.
- The foundation’s phone number is (617) 969-8900.
PEOPLE:
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