This post in our Adaptable Funder series focuses on community foundations, with an interview with Paul Grogan, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation (TBF). As the full scope of the COVID-19 crisis came into focus, few in philanthropy were as close to the front lines as community foundations. The depth and breadth of the inequities US community foundations had been tackling became clearer to others, and when the rising hum of demand for social justice and racial equity turned into a roar in late May, community foundations again were looked to as resources for insight as well as outreach and support.

TPI: Looking back, what structures and principles do you think were already in place that best prepared the Foundation for crisis response in 2020?

Paul: First, I’d like to say that community foundations all over the country showed agility in responding to crisis. Our assets are designated for the community, often with emergency funding provisions, and we are rooted in local partnerships, so we are in a position to respond very quickly. For example, when the shutdown first began in Boston we heard that so many businesses were being thrown into jeopardy. We were able to put together a program almost overnight, and saved about a hundred small businesses right away.

Boston is a town with a lot of resources, and we had forged deep partnerships with local and state government as well as nonprofits and other leaders in recent years. We are an older foundation and a permanent institution. We aren’t going anywhere and have matured with the city, so we were able to be flexible and imaginative. What’s helped here is a real collegiality that has developed. It’s not the turf battle that may exist elsewhere. We know nobody makes change all by themselves.

It was very, very important that groups proximate to the pain get listened to. Community foundations can and need to play the role of convenor to help build a robust civic realm steeped in trust. That’s been part of what we are working on with other community foundations across the country. At the Boston Foundation we’ve worked hard to ensure that if we call a meeting, people come and engage. And now when people can’t get together in person, so many forums and seminars are still going forward – people are participating virtually, sharing ideas, and building connections all across the country.

Read more about the Boston Foundation at The Philanthropic Institute.