Building a robust ecosystem of support for leaders today.

Leaders must lead within the context of ‘now’. The unprecedented convergence of a global pandemic, national racial reckoning, a more visible climate emergency, and federal turbulence has resulted in profound changes to the contexts organizations are operating in. There is no going back. Programming to support the sector must be easily adaptable to suit evolving needs.   

Barr’s Sector Effectiveness program invests in highly capable leaders who think strategically, develop new approaches, and collaborate to drive change. We envision a flourishing ecosystem for leadership where networks of cross-sector, intergenerational changemakers representative of the diverse communities across our region, are working together to create a more equitable, vibrant, and thriving Massachusetts. 

Our Approach

Resilience requires access to resources, a clear sense of purpose, the ability to meaningfully contribute to an organization’s mission, and supportive practices and policies.  

This initiative includes two reciprocal elements: support for organizations, and support for individual leaders, a combination that we hope will contribute to a culture of healthier operating conditions and resilient leadership.

Our approach takes into account our findings and reflections from 20 years of investing in leaders through the Barr Fellowship and other programs. 

We learned that leaders come from everywhere, hold many different titles, and need a wide range of resources and supports to grow and thrive. Solutions work best when they are closely aligned with a leader’s present needs and aspirations, not one-size-fits-all. For these solutions to truly take root, organizations need to incorporate policies and ways of working that integrate resilience and wellness in support of all staff members.