Boston Foundation Inc
75 Arlington Street, Boston, MA · IRS data through FY2025
Revenue, expenses and net assets
Revenue Expenses Net assets
| Tax year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $426,656,046 | $279,853,597 | $2,129,602,798 |
| FY2024 | $210,389,550 | $215,292,419 | $1,835,642,279 |
| FY2023 | $161,296,905 | $209,895,497 | $1,688,124,910 |
| FY2022 | $324,652,362 | $228,370,471 | $1,661,345,458 |
| FY2021 | $325,590,260 | $198,258,173 | $1,670,739,530 |
| FY2020 | $182,767,888 | $240,461,702 | $1,192,594,695 |
| FY2019 | $165,527,614 | $175,809,198 | $1,260,463,441 |
| FY2018 | $225,434,521 | $150,727,991 | $1,225,241,526 |
| FY2017 | $205,819,144 | $157,948,534 | $1,083,452,538 |
| FY2016 | $114,653,758 | $121,917,990 | $940,745,226 |
| FY2015 | $132,839,016 | $145,747,894 | $965,099,164 |
| FY2014 | $128,412,322 | $130,262,182 | $967,699,374 |
| FY2013 | $139,780,868 | $121,752,803 | $859,684,779 |
| FY2012 | $74,208,265 | $111,861,351 | $777,743,330 |
Form 990 filings
The returns filed by Boston Foundation Inc (EIN 04-2104021), including Form 990 PDFs and e-file data by year, are available in ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. The figures on this page come from IRS data files built from those returns.
Where the revenue came from
| Source | Amount | % of revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions & grants | $388,584,103 | 91% |
| Program service revenue | $3,977,796 | 1% |
| Other revenue | $34,094,147 | 8% |
Where the money was spent
| Category | Amount | % of expenses |
|---|---|---|
| Program services | $257,819,843 | 92% |
| Management & general | $18,014,690 | 6% |
| Fundraising | $4,019,064 | 1% |
What the numbers show
- Contributions & grants made up 91% of total revenue in FY2025.
- Program services accounted for 92% of functional expenses, management & general 6%, and fundraising 1%.
- 92% of functional expenses went to program services in FY2025. That is higher than 73.1% of 26 Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations organizations in MA.
- Net assets covered about 91.3 months of expenses at the end of the reporting year. That puts it in the 45th percentile among 1953 Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations organizations in MA.
- Total revenue was the highest among 1999 Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations organizations in MA.
- Total revenue rose from $74,208,265 in FY2012 to $426,656,046 in FY2025. Revenue increased in 8 and decreased in 5 of 13 year-over-year comparisons.
- Expenses exceeded revenue in 8 of 14 reported years (FY2012, FY2014, FY2015, FY2016, FY2019, FY2020, FY2023, FY2024).
- Net assets grew from $777,743,330 to $2,129,602,798 between FY2012 and FY2025.
- Contributions and grants made up 77% of revenue in FY2012 and 91% in FY2025.
- Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity).
Figures compared against other organizations of the same NTEE program area in the same state. See the methodology page for how these are calculated and the guide to reading nonprofit financials for their limits.
About this organization
As Greater Boston's community foundation, the Boston Foundation devotes its resources to expanding opportunities, improving lives and strengthening communities.
IRS status
| Ruling year | 1997 |
| Subsection | 501(c)(3) |
| Classification | Public charity |
| Program area (NTEE) | T310 — Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations (in MA) |
| Donations | Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity). |
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Source: Internal Revenue Service — Exempt Organizations Business Master File (downloaded November 4, 2026), Statistics of Income extracts, Form 990 e-file data, Publication 78 and the Automatic Revocation list. Figures are as reported by the organization; IRS processing may adjust them. This is not a charity rating and not tax advice. Confirm deductibility in IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
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