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The Hyams Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$6.0M
Grant Range
$1K - $0.5M

The Hyams Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: ~$6 million (2023: $5,980,865)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed; foundation prioritizes existing grantees and accepts few new applications per year
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed; three grant cycles per year (winter, spring, fall)
  • Grant Range: $1,000 - $500,000 (typical grants: $1,000 - $100,000)
  • Total Assets: $137,975,556 (2023)
  • Geographic Focus: Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts

Contact Details

Pre-application contact strongly recommended - contact staff before submitting any application

Overview

The Hyams Foundation is a private, independent foundation established in 1921 by Godfrey M. Hyams, a Boston metallurgist and financier. With assets of approximately $138 million and annual grantmaking of around $6 million, the foundation is dedicated to increasing economic, racial, and social justice and power within working-class communities in Massachusetts.

The foundation's overarching goal is to dismantle persistent, racialized economic disparities in Massachusetts. Originally focused on general Boston charitable causes, the foundation redirected its efforts beginning in the 1970s toward racial justice and interethnic relations. Since 2008, Hyams has awarded over $35 million to racial justice organizations.

The foundation describes itself as "a small to mid-sized funder committed to movement building for racial, social, and economic justice." As former trustee Omar Simmons put it, Hyams is "a movement organization that happens to have an endowment." The foundation brings community members directly into its grantmaking processes and prioritizes organizations with diverse boards and staff.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

1. Core Support Grants

  • General operating or project support for "movement base building groups, coalitions, and movement support organizations"
  • Three grant cycles per year: winter, spring, and fall
  • Supports organizations engaged in grassroots community organizing and empowerment

2. Building Movement Infrastructure Project (BMIP)

  • Mini grants for grassroots organizations
  • Eligibility: Must maintain active membership in one or more movement organizations
  • Specific funds include:
    • Communications Fund: Infrastructure development and organizing strategies
    • Executive Transitions Fund: Leadership transition support
    • Hardware/Software/IT TA Fund: Technology infrastructure
    • Movement Convenings Fund: Meeting space rental
    • Small Capital Projects Fund: Space and real estate needs
    • Political Security Fund: Security training attendance

3. Special Opportunities Fund

  • Up to 10% of total grantmaking
  • Supports discrete, time-bound initiatives
  • Responds to urgent community needs
  • Catalyzes action on issues
  • Note: Cannot be used for organizational cash flow or financial emergencies

4. Program-Related Investments (PRIs)

  • Low-interest loans for affordable housing and community development
  • Example: $1.5 million commitment to LISC Boston's Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing Accelerator Fund
  • Focus on revitalizing working-class neighborhoods and creating sustainable housing

Priority Areas

  • Racial justice and equity
  • Movement building and grassroots organizing
  • Community-identified issues affecting low-income communities and communities of color
  • Civic engagement and voter mobilization
  • Affordable housing (particularly for families of color)
  • Teen development
  • Public policy advocacy for racial equality

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations outside Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts
  • Financial emergencies or cash flow problems of individual nonprofits (via Special Opportunities Fund)
  • Organizations without demonstrated commitment to racial justice and community organizing
  • Organizations lacking diverse boards and staff
  • Direct services without connection to systems change work

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees (2023)

  • Penn Loh - President/Chair/Trustee
  • Iris Gomez - Clerk/Trustee
  • Julie Goodridge - Treasurer/Trustee

The foundation has an eight-person staff and prioritizes organizational diversity with racially and ethnically diverse leadership. Both board and staff have strong representation of leaders from social change organizations.

Executive Director Jocelyn Sargent's perspective on grantmaking:

"By partnering with the organizations we fund, we have a unique opportunity to support transformative, community-based action to produce just and fair systems and processes."

The foundation is committed to participatory grantmaking, bringing community leaders into decision-making to share power from the boardroom through staffing to research and grantmaking functions.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

  1. Make Initial Contact First: The foundation strongly encourages pre-application communication. Contact staff at info@hyamsfoundation.org or (617) 426-5600 before submitting any proposal.

  2. Register Online: To apply, register your organization on the foundation website.

  3. Submit Letter of Interest: Letters of interest can be submitted at any time, though formal applications follow specific deadlines.

  4. Grant Cycles: Three Core Support grant cycles annually (winter, spring, fall)

Eligibility Requirements

  • Organization must be a 501(c)(3) or have fiscal sponsorship
  • Clear mission benefiting low-income and minority communities in Boston or Chelsea
  • Demonstrated commitment to racial justice and community organizing
  • "Solid, overall organizational capacity such as an active and effective board, solid financial and other internal management practices"
  • For BMIP mini grants: Must maintain active membership in specified movement organizations
  • Diverse boards and staff (the foundation holds that "ethnically diverse boards and staff are more effective")

Decision Timeline

  • Three formal grant cycles per year
  • Median application time: 13 hours (based on grantee reviews)
  • Specific decision timelines not publicly disclosed

Reapplication Policy

The foundation prioritizes support for current or previous grantees and only considers a few new applications each year. Unsuccessful applicants should maintain contact and consider reapplying in future cycles.

Application Success Factors

From Grantee Reviews (GrantAdvisor):

  • 100% positive rating on relationship quality, accessibility, and goal accomplishment
  • Reviewers describe the foundation as: culturally sensitive, builds relationships, "gets" nonprofits, risk-taker, positive sector leader, friendly, insightful, responsive, and openminded

Specific Advice from Reviewers:

"Remain true to your grassroots mission and authentic relationship building on your quest to strengthen your voice and power in the philanthropic and social sector."

What Makes Applications Stand Out:

  1. Authentic commitment to racial justice: The foundation supports community organizing and cares deeply about addressing racial inequities. "Don't even think about them unless you are very committed to both."

  2. Grassroots voice: The foundation pushes grantees toward "authentic grassroots voice" and community-led decision-making.

  3. Organizational diversity: Applications should demonstrate diverse boards and staff, particularly from the communities served.

  4. Movement building focus: Show how your work builds power in low-income communities and communities of color.

  5. Systems change orientation: Since 2015, the foundation has concentrated funding on organizations advocating for systems change rather than direct services alone.

Recent Grantees (2022-2023):

  • Resist ($466K for Boston Education Justice Alliance, Matahari Women Workers' Center, Reclaim Roxbury)
  • Community Labor United Inc ($370K for Democracy HUBs, New England United for Justice)
  • Third Sector New England Inc ($260K for Center for Support Immigrant Organizing, Voter Table Education)
  • The City School (youth leadership and social justice mentoring)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Contact before applying: Pre-application communication is essential. The foundation "welcomes open communication throughout the application process" but expects contact before submitting any proposal.

  2. Boston and Chelsea focus only: Geographic eligibility is strictly limited to these Massachusetts communities.

  3. Prioritizes existing relationships: As a "small to mid-sized funder," Hyams prioritizes current/previous grantees and accepts few new applications annually. Build relationships before expecting funding.

  4. Racial justice is non-negotiable: Every aspect of grantmaking centers on racial justice and equity. Organizations must demonstrate genuine commitment to both racial justice and community organizing.

  5. Demonstrate organizational diversity: The foundation evaluates whether applicants have diverse boards and staff, viewing this as essential to effectiveness.

  6. Movement building over direct services: Since their 2015 strategic shift, the foundation prioritizes systems change and organizing over direct service delivery.

  7. Embrace participatory approaches: The foundation values organizations that involve community members in decision-making and program design, mirroring their own participatory grantmaking model.

References

Information compiled December 2025

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