Sector Effectiveness

Alongside Barr’s three core programs, our Sector Effectiveness grantmaking focuses on three strategies that are essential to the health and effectiveness of the people, organizations, and policies that are critical to the sector:

• Social change leaders. We invest in civic leaders who represent the diversity of communities in our region, work collaboratively across boundaries (including of race, class, and sector), inspire and encourage new ideas and connections, center equity, and advance positive change.

• Sector infrastructure. We support organizations that bolster the core infrastructure of the social sector, including nonprofits and philanthropy, and we prioritize efforts that advance racial equity.

• Equitable policy making. We invest in collaborative efforts that support the conditions, relationships, and capacity for robust civic engagement and inclusive policy making that centers racial equity, builds community power, and leads to positive systemic change.

Our Sector Effectiveness grantmaking is focused on New England, with a current emphasis in Massachusetts. We also participate in targeted national efforts that advance these priorities and benefit our region.

SOCIAL CHANGE LEADERS

Investing in a diverse network of civic leaders who inspire, center equity, and advance positive change.

To “invest in leaders” is a core value at Barr across all of our focus areas. Through our Social Change Leaders strategy, we invest in highly capable leaders who think strategically, develop new approaches, and collaborate to drive change. We envision a flourishing ecosystem for leadership throughout Massachusetts, where diverse networks of boundary-crossing, intergenerational changemakers are working together to create a more equitable, vibrant, and thriving Commonwealth.​

Barr’s Sector Effectiveness grantmaking in leadership has centered on:

• The Barr Fellowship

• Other networks of diverse cross-sector leaders in the region who reflect a shared interest to work together to create a more equitable, vibrant, and thriving Commonwealth.

• Field research and targeted national efforts that advance these priorities and benefit our region.

SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE

Strengthening organizations focused on the overall health, effectiveness, and resilience of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.

Nonprofit organizations need strong leadership and staff, effective operational systems, and healthy cultures to thrive. The Barr Foundation recognizes the vital role that social sector infrastructure organizations play to ensure that nonprofits have access to tools, skills, and resources to make thriving possible. We invest in organizations that support the potential of nonprofit organizations and the broader sector in our region, and in efforts that aim to build on the unique organizational assets and needs of BIPOC-led, racial equity-centered nonprofits.

To bolster critical infrastructure for the field, our grantmaking priorities are to invest in organizations that support nonprofits and philanthropies through policy engagement, knowledge- and practice-sharing, advancing racial equity, and networking and collaboration.

EQUITABLE POLICY MAKING

Building the conditions, relationships, and capacity for robust civic engagement and inclusive, equitable policy making.

Across Barr, we believe that proactive, robust, and authentic community engagement is essential for shaping better systems and policies. This is why our Sector Effectiveness team focuses on helping strengthen the overall conditions for policy development, implementation, and accountability. To advance a vision of a more healthy, vibrant, and effective philanthropic and nonprofit sector, we invest in collaborative efforts that seek to simultaneously address three areas necessary to be connected and aligned for policy change:

• Providing ready access to accurate and reliable data that is analyzed with an equity lens.

• Building capacity for inclusive processes that connect communities and decision-makers in robust and sustained ways to inform, engage, and build power among those who have been marginalized.

• Transforming civic leadership in Massachusetts so that it more effectively reflects, engages, and supports communities most impacted by historic and current inequities.

Grants awarded by the Barr Foundation originate in different ways. The majority are initiated by our staff. We value long-term partnerships, to that end many grants are renewals for current grantees.

Learn more about Barr’s grantmaking process

If you feel your organization's work may align with Barr’s priorities, we welcome a simple introduction. Send an email to SectorEffectiveness@barrfoundation.org with a brief description of your organization and the funding opportunity you would like us to consider (we suggest no more than 300–400 words).