Our Grantmaking Process
Working in partnership with nonprofit and civic leaders across the region.
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Allston Brighton Health Collaborative, photo by Annielly Camargo
Our Grantmaking Process
There are a variety of ways organizations receive a grant from Barr. In most years, the majority of our grants support organizations we’ve previously funded. Yet, 15% to 30% of Barr grants help fund organizations we’ve never supported before. Learn about the different ways we make grant decisions at Barr below.
Building on Existing Partnerships
We consider deep partnerships essential to making a positive difference in the communities we serve, so we prioritize long-term relationships with organizations that share our vision and make a clear impact year-to-year. Many of our grants are multi-year commitments without set term limits. When a grant period ends, we often renew our support or fund new initiatives. Even when we don't renew a grant, we remain in close contact and on the lookout for new opportunities to continue our partnership in the future.
Proposals Invited by Staff
To stay informed about needs and opportunities for impact, our team spends a great deal of their time in communities, engaging with leaders, residents, and experts. These conversations can lead to invitations by Barr staff to submit a grant proposal.
Requests for Proposals
On occasion, Barr issues open requests for proposals (RFPs), to provide broad access to opportunities, and to help us stay curious and open to new ideas and possibilities. To learn about RFP opportunities, we encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter.
Inquiries From Potential New Partners
Through the pathways outlined above, we aim to remain open to new ideas and partners. Yet, we know our networks have limits. So, we also welcome inquiries from people who’ve taken a look at our goals and strategies and want to introduce themselves to the relevant members of our team. We encourage you to review our program pages and submit inquiries via the forms you’ll find there.
Give us Feedback
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us.Â
This anonymous feedback process helps us improve and as a result, is available to all Barr staff.Â