The Foley Hoag Foundation was established by the law firm of Foley Hoag in 1981. Originally focused on improving race relations among youth in Greater Boston, the Foundation’s mission is now broadened to support programs in Greater Boston, Denver, New York City, and metropolitan Washington, D.C., addressing inequity in its various forms. This includes work that reduces racial, ethnic, gender, and wealth disparities and promotes social justice, access to societal resources, and recognition of the inherent dignity of all people. Preference is given to innovative projects where a small grant is likely to make a meaningful difference.

Through its grantmaking activities, the Foundation is committed to creating communities in which all members share equitably in the knowledge, wealth, and resources of society and are free to achieve their full potential. The Foundation hopes that its funding interests and activities will encourage other firms and professional organizations to become more involved in community-based philanthropy.

The Trustees have added several refinements to the Foundation’s grantmaking strategy in an attempt to deepen and improve the impact of its funding on the complex and multi-faceted problem of inequality.

• Grant requests must come from smaller organizations with annual operating budgets of less than $750,000, where a small grant is likely to have a high impact.
• A preference for funding organizations with diverse boards and staff—or with active plans to diversify organizational leadership—that reflect the constituency of communities served.
• Interest in leveraging support either by making conditional or challenge grants. 
• Interest in encouraging organizations to collaborate or partner with one another to increase overall impact.
• A focus on Greater Boston, Denver, New York City, and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. While an organization is not required to be physically located within the boundaries of these cities, any grant request must focus on work that primarily benefits these communities.
• Proposals for Boston are open to all organizations meeting the Foundation’s mission and guidelines. Proposals for Denver, New York City and Washington, D.C., will be accepted by invitation-only. Organizations interested in an invitation to apply in Denver, New York City and Washington, D.C., should contact the Foundation’s Executive Director.
• Foley Hoag Foundation Grant Recipients must not discriminate on grounds of race, religion, age, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, political affiliation, disability or any other legally-protected status.

Application Deadlines

The Foundation meets in December and June of each year. The spring application deadline is April 1, followed by a fall application deadline of October 1. The Boston program employs an open application process. Proposals from Denver, Washington D.C. and New York City-based organizations will be considered by invitation-only. Organizations interested in an invitation to apply in Denver, New York City and Washington, D.C. should contact the Foundation’s Executive Director.

Application Procedures

Organizations interested in applying to the Foundation are welcome to contact staff prior to applying.

To Register in the Application System

• Click on Create New Account
• Enter your personal contact information
• Enter your organization’s contact information
• Click on the Proceed to Next Step button

1. Start New Application  — This allows you to review the available grants and apply. Enter “foley” as the Access Code.
2. Application Status  — This is your homepage where you can check on the status of your grants. This page will display the form you just filled out, what its status is and what the next form will be.

To apply now, please click here.

Contact Information

Chaletta Huertas, Administrator
Foley Hoag Foundation
c/o GMA Foundations
2 Liberty Square, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: 617-391-3098
E-mail: chuertas@gmafoundations.com

Your donation sustains the work of the Foley Hoag Foundation and helps support our grantmaking and educational efforts. In its over 40-year history, the Foundation has been able to expand its mission, giving capacity, targeted geographies, and overall programming in ways that were never imagined at its founding. Your support has made that possible. With a gift to the Foley Hoag Foundation, you join a community that is building a more equitable and just society. 

To donate, click here.