Preface
I
f there is one thing that stands out in this history, it is that the Boston
Foundation has always been bound up in the life of the city, this fascinating place that has experienced such great swings in fortune over the last century. It is no coincidence that the Boston Foundation was founded when it was, at the tail end of a forty-year period of tremendous, wrenching change in our country that saw big cities rise and big urban problems materialize right along with them. One factor made the Boston Foundation unique among all of the community foundations that were being formed around the same time: From its earliest days, and thanks to a generous donor named James Longley, there was capital, flexible capital. It meant that even its earliest leaders had the resources to support the most innovative solutions to those big urban problems, such as the settlement houses that were helping newcomers arriving in Boston to seek the American Dream. Boston is renowned for its innovation in the areas of business, law, medicine, science and technology. But this history tells us that a spirit of innovation has always existed in the social sector as well—in health care, education, housing, the arts and the social services. Bostonians from all walks of life have looked around and imagined ways to build a better city. In so many cases, the Boston Foundation was there to support those leaders. And, from the 1960s forward, it began participating in the city-building itself. A deep dedication to social justice connects everything the Boston Foundation has done over the last 100 years—the impulse to help people who are trying to get a foothold on the ladder of opportunity. And, as the dedication to this book conveys, this work would not have been possible without the generosity and vision of our donors. Our donors are, and always have been, the lifeblood of the Boston Foundation. Paul S. Grogan President & CEO, The Boston Foundation
BOOK ONE
Responding to Need
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