EQUITY THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PHILANTHROPY

Chelsea was hit hard by COVID-19. With a large immigrant population, many working in the service industry, jobs were lost as restaurants and hotels cut back or closed—and basic human needs were threatened. But Chelsea is resilient and has a strong nonprofit infrastructure that quickly went into overdrive. Moving stories emerged of pop-up food pantries, clothing drives and extraordinary acts of kindness.

This year saw the culmination of an experiment that helped Chelsea respond to the pandemic and built bridges of trust between the Boston Foundation and the people of Chelsea. Called Chelsea 2021, it was a collaboration between our donors, nonprofit leaders, community members, city officials and our own staff, some with personal ties to Chelsea. It represented a model approach to philanthropy—and to social justice—that pumped $825,000 into the community and shifted much of the decision-making about the grants to our nonprofit partners.

CHELSEA’S BLACK HERITAGE FESTIVAL WAS HELD IN THE WAKE OF THE CITY’S REMARKABLE RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC. CHELSEA’S POPULATION IS DIVERSE: 66% LATINO, 36% MULTIRACIAL, AND 6% BLACK. A UNIQUE COLLABORATION OF TBF DONORS AND NONPROFITS CALLED CHELSEA 2021 HELPED THE CITY RESPOND TO COVID-19 (PAGE 22).

Photos by Darlene DeVita