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Boston Schools Fund at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Boston Schools Fund

BOSTON SCHOOLS FUND (bsf) is a non-profit organization that advances educational equity through opportunity and access to high-quality schools.

$869k
Granted FY2024still arriving
7
Grants FY2024still arriving
4
States reached
$180k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Education$7.7MScience & Tech$91kYouth Development$15kHuman Services$15kArts & Culture$10kCommunity Improvement$5kEmployment$5k
02FY2024 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 7 grants below total $458,483, the rows itemized in this filing. The $868,642 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $410,159 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k3 grants · $30k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $428k
$64,800
Median grant
4
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ATTUNED EDUCATION PARTNERS$179,940
CONSORTIUM ON REACHING EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION INC$103,743
THE CANIZALES GROUP LLC$80,000
BOSTON EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND$64,800
THE CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION$10,000
FRIENDS OF THE RAFAEL HERNNDEZ SCHOOL$10,000
CONSERVATORY LAB CHARTER SCHOOL$10,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY21–22, $30k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%EAST BOSTON SOCIAL CENTER INC: $15k → 16%UNION CAPITAL BOSTON: $15k → 16%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 14% of Boston Schools Fund’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 86% of the giving stays in MA; by stated purpose, 84%.

Boston Schools Fundlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

90%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$7.0M · 20 repeat orgs$816k to everyone else

20 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2024, 13 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

20
24

Total granted

$7.0M
$816k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-17%
+75%

Still filing today

65%
46%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationHuman ServicesPhilanthropyArts & CultureEmploymentOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • 5I
    50CAN INC
    3× · 2021–2023 · $928k · revenue +562%
  • AO
    ACADEMY OF THE PACIFIC RIM CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC
    4× · 2018–2021 · $405k · revenue +167% · 63% of their budget
  • PREPARATORY FOUNDATION INC
    4× · 2017–2022 · $310k · revenue +35%

Funded once

  • FO
    FRIENDS OF EXCEL ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS INCgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $129k · revenue +349%
  • TM
    THE MATCH FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2017 · $86k · revenue -55%
  • BT
    BRASS TACKS INNOVATIONS
    one grant, 2021 · $60k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Bridge Boston Foundation Inc

To promote the financial well-being of bridge boston charter school by raising funds to support various full service and educational activities of the school.

Education
2
Benjamin Franklin Educational Foundation Inc

To support the benjamin franklin classical charter public school which promotes a classical education.

Education
3
Kipp Lynn Fund Inc

To promote the financial well-being of kipp academy lynn public charter school and kipp massachusetts, inc. by soliciting, receiving and administering funds for construction, operation and maintenance of the school, and to support the…

Philanthropy
4
Boston After School & Beyond Inc

Boston after school & beyond, inc. is a public private partnership that pursues a unified after-school and summer learning system that promotes stakeholder alignment, a focus on results, and access to learning opportunities, particularly…

Education
5
The Phoenix School Inc

The mission of the School is to develop global citizens who are compassionate, creative, and technologically proficient individuals in a dynamic and interconnected world.

—
6
Boston Green Academy Foundation Inc

The primary purpose of boston green academy foundation, inc. is to raise funds to provide financial support for the programs and operations of the boston green academy, a horace mann charter school.

Education
7
The Nantucket Education Trust Inc

To generate private support for public education on nantucket, to foster private and public partnerships that benefit the children of nantucket public schools, and to honor excellence in teaching and learning.

—
8
Alma Del Mar Foundation Inc

The foundation's purpose is to provide financial assistance in order to further the educational goals of the alma del mar charter school located in new bedford, ma.

Education
9
Belmont Education Foundation Inc

To provide learning excellence and special initiatives grants to teachers and administrators and to provide educational enrichment materials for the belmont public schools system, a school system with a student population of approximately…

Education
10
New England Lawboston

New england law/boston dedicates itself to preparing students to be successful lawyers and leaders in the public and private sectors through integrated practical, theoretical and ethical education of the highest caliber and to contributing…

Education
11
Boston Day & Evening Academy Foundation Inc

Educational program

Education
12
Brookline Education Foundation

The brookline education foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving brookline's commitment to excellence in public education. the foundation raises private funds to support innovative teaching, administrative leadership,…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Kipp Massachusetts Inc; the most unlike its peers is Margarita Muniz Academy Foundation Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

24 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 24 of the 44 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
24/24
Grantees still filing
14/24
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE BOSTON EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION INC: $1,840,748 · OtherTHE BOSTON EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION INCBOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $762,719 · OtherBOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLSATTUNED EDUCATION PARTNERS: $666,840 · OtherATTUNED EDUCATION PARTNERSCONSORTIUM ON REACHING EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION INC: $164,709 · OtherTHE CANIZALES GROUP: $160,155 · Other+16 more: $526,324 · Other+16 more50CAN INC: $928,248 · Education50CAN INCBROOKE SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC: $444,000 · EducationBROOKE SCHOOL FOUNDATION INCACADEMY OF THE PACIFIC RIM CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC: $405,086 · EducationACADEMY OF THE PACIFIC RIM CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDA…NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDATION: $382,697 · EducationNEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDATIONCENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION INC: $241,400 · EducationCENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION INCFRIENDS OF EXCEL ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS INC: $129,200 · EducationEDWARD M KENNEDY ACADEMY FOR HEALTH CAREERS FOUNDATION: $125,311 · Education+11 more: $671,712 · Education+11 morePREPARATORY FOUNDATION INC: $310,000 · PhilanthropyUNION CAPITAL INC: $15,000 · Human ServicesEAST BOSTON SOCIAL CENTERS INC: $15,000 · Human ServicesBOSTON ARTS ACADEMY FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureBOSTON PRIVATE INDUSTRY COUNCIL INC THE: $4,500 · Employment
Other$4,121,495Education$3,327,654Philanthropy$310,000Human Services$30,000Arts & Culture$10,000Employment$4,500

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTHE BOSTON EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION INC: $1,840,748 over 8y, 11% of budget50CAN INC: $928,248 over 3y, 2.9% of budgetBROOKE SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC: $444,000 over 2y, 3.5% of budgetACADEMY OF THE PACIFIC RIM CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC: $405,086 over 4y, 63% of budgetNEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDATION: $382,697 over 3y, 4.9% of budgetPREPARATORY FOUNDATION INC: $310,000 over 4y, 3.0% of budgetCENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION INC: $241,400 over 3y, 3.9% of budgetFRIENDS OF EXCEL ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS INC: $129,200 over 1y, 6.9% of budgetKIPP MASSACHUSETTS INC: $110,000 over 2y, 4.3% of budgetFriends of Perry Inc: $106,654 over 3y, 90% of budgetNORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: $95,176 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWARREN-PRESCOTT FOUNDATION INC: $58,250 over 1y, 22% of budgetKIPP BOSTON FUND INC: $50,000 over 1y, 7.5% of budgetBOSTON COLLEGIATE CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC: $35,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE RAFAEL HERNANDEZ SCHOOL INC: $33,948 over 2y, 3.0% of budgetMARGARITA MUNIZ ACADEMY FOUNDATION INC: $26,750 over 1y, 12% of budgetCONSERVATORY LAB FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetUNION CAPITAL INC: $15,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetEAST BOSTON SOCIAL CENTERS INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetBOSTON ARTS ACADEMY FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Edvestors IncFidelity FoundationBoston Foundation IncBarr FoundationEastern Bank Foundati…Combined Jewish Phila…Liberty Mutual Founda…Cummings Foundation G…Fidelity Non-Profit M…One8 FoundationWellington Management…Boston After School &…
Edvestors IncMA30.4× affinity12 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Edvestors Inc · Fidelity Foundation · Boston Foundation Inc · Barr Foundation · Eastern Bank Foundation · Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston Inc · Liberty Mutual Foundation Inc · Cummings Foundation Grants Inc (Fka Oneworld Boston Inc) · Fidelity Non-Profit Management Foundation · One8 Foundation · Wellington Management Foundation · Boston After School & Beyond Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Boston Schools Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Boston Schools Fund. Bigger dots raise more.

2025
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 140%3%13%28%50%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 4%
  • East Boston Social Centers Inc: 40% of income from government
  • Margarita Muniz Academy Foundation Inc: 4% of income from government
  • Northeastern University: 4% of income from government
  • Conservatory Lab Foundation Inc: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
14get no government money at all
5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 44 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2024, the most recent year this funder made grants.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Boston Schools’ filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home