Our Approach

At Barr, we strive to be transparent, foster open dialogue, and nurture constructive relationships. Five common themes characterize our work.

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Six Mount Holyoke High School students stand together in a hallway. Facing the camera, they read from paper scripts during a small group rehearsal.
Paul Schnaittacher
A small group of performers in a brightly colored alleyway are wearing yellow long-sleeve shirts and black pants and balancing with both arms extended and one leg high in the air.

Flexibility and nimbleness

In our view, the most effective strategies are not static. They balance staying power with an ability to learn, adapt, and pivot quickly when needed.

Racial Wealth Equity Initiative
Three women are sitting inside the Podcast Garage and speaking on a panel. One Black woman in the foreground wears a red blazer speaks into a handheld microphone.

A broad range of tools

We complement our grantmaking in many ways, including convening, capacity-building, research, and using communications to advance our priorities.

Investing beyond the grant

Knowledge and learning

We invest in various methods of generating meaningful and actionable insights for our work, our partners, and our field.

Learning and evaluation
In the early evening, a group of people, including children are dancing in a street that is closed to cars and in front of the Chelsea Theater in Chelsea, MA.

Openness and transparency

We share what we’re learning from both successes and failures to build understanding of our work and contribute to broader efforts that strengthen the social sector.

Acting on feedback
A group of people are standing in a park are looking at a public art exhibit by American visual artist, Liz Glynn.

Active collaboration

We form constructive partnerships with leaders from nonprofits, philanthropy, government, and business, as the opportunities before us require all to be engaged. 

Increasing our impact