Barr Foundation’s Post

As the Director of Racial Wealth Equity at Barr, Lisette Le is zooming out to see how we can build community wealth and support systems change. From this angle, the possibilities loom larger than the obstacles. Read more on our blog about Lisette's journey to Barr, how she approaches her work, and her favorite neighborhoods in Boston.

Barr's newest slate of grants supports our partners' work to transform their fields: In Arts and Creativity, The Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation, works to unify and uplift the AAPI arts and culture sector in Massachusetts. Within Climate, TransitMatters furthers the leadership of grassroots and community-based organizations working to improve the MBTA and public transit. In Education, Springpoint expands project-based Transformative Learning Experiences curriculum units to prepare them for system-level adoption. Learn more about all of this quarter's grants on our blog.

When students and adults work together to co-create excellent, equitable high school experiences, students are better able to reach their goals. In this blog, Education Program Officer Alison Gross describes how Barr grantees are leading efforts to position student experiences, perspectives, and ideas as a north star for decision-making.

The latest (Ed)ition newsletter focuses on an important path to achieving excellence in schools—listening deeply to those who experience them daily.    Visit the link below to explore grantee stories, reports on the state of education in Massachusetts, and resources for incorporating community voices in future visions for education. https://lnkd.in/ehSwYiXa

HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team) is working with gas utility companies like Eversource Energy to repurpose existing infrastructure in the effort to achieve net-zero emissions in Massachusetts by 2050. “By [working at] a utility scale, we can cover the costs of the transition to this safer form of heating and cooling without leaving anyone behind” says Zeyneb Magavi, HEET co-director. Read more from Miriam Wasser for WBUR.

Tens of thousands of residents across Massachusetts have found fulfilling careers in the clean energy industry already. Through the ACCESS program, Climate grantee Browning the Green Space is working to ensure this growing workforce is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. ACCESS is a paid opportunity that provides tradespeople and entrepreneurs of color with coaching, capital, and connections to support their businesses. In turn, their communities gain more touchpoints to adopt renewable energy or to enter the field themselves. "We are invested in continuing to grow our impact on diversifying clean energy contracting and building wealth for BIPOC business owners,” says Kerry Bowie, executive director at BGS.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Clean Energy Scorecard tracks and scores the adoption of #cleanenergy plans, policies, and programs in large U.S cities. The 2024 scorecard includes a deeper focus on equity, including metrics like funding support for households adopting clean energy, inclusive contracting policies for service providers, and meaningful engagement between the community and city staff.

“It isn’t often that you see gas utilities, unions, and environmentalists on the same page.” When that happens, “you just get a kind of momentum we are not used to seeing,” says Zeyneb Magavi, Executive Director at HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team), a nonprofit pushing to replace natural gas infrastructure with geothermal power. Barr supported HEET’s initial research on geothermal networks. Read on to see how the concept is taking off around the country.

Jill Valdés Horwood, Director of Barr's Boston Waterfront Initiative, was named a 2024 Harbor Hero by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. The honor recognizes her efforts in service of the harbor's ecology and commitment to inclusive and equitable access for our community. Learn more about Jill's work on the Barr blog: