Boston Schools Fund Annual Report 20/21

BOSTON
SCHOOLS
FUND
ANNUAL
REPORT
2020-2021

CEO AND BOARD CHAIR LETTER
We are excited to share Boston Schools Fund’s (BSF) inaugural annual report.
We are incredibly proud of the work of Boston’s students, families, educators,
and community leaders in these continued challenging times.
Boston is moving through an era of significant transitions. BSF effectively
prepared for this moment, launching a new five-year strategic plan on July 1,
2020. Our mission of educational equity and a vision of a day when every child
in Boston has access to a high-quality school endures; our approach to achieve
that mission and vision has adapted to reflect years of experience, and to meet
the conditions of the city today.
• BSF continues to act as a grantmaker and provide technical assistance
to schools. We helped 885 new children move into high-quality seats in
2020-2021.
• Boston School Finder hit a significant milestone this year with over
30,000 users. BSF has expanded its reach as an organization that is a
trusted expert in education with dozens of stories and commentary
reported in local and national media.
• We continue to collaborate with non-profit organizations and advocates
to demand greater opportunity and access to high-quality schools.
BSF helped to launch the All Children Thrive Boston (ACT Boston)
coalition, which was essential to elevating issues of education in this
year’s mayoral race.
BSF also continues to be committed to organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
How we do the work matters, too, which is why several years ago BSF committed
to practices of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. We cannot reveal and
dismantle the systemic inequities of this city without every member of the BSF
organization deeply understanding those inequities, and possessing the tools,
strategy, and encouragement to do so.
None of this would be possible without our supporters. To our many donors and
stakeholders, we thank you for generosity and trust and your shared commitment
to education in the city of Boston.
Will Austin
Founder and CEO
Lisa Jackson
Board Chair
bostonschoolsfund.org 2

VISION
We envision a Boston where every child, regardless of race, ability, income, or
neighborhood, attends a high-quality school that meets their needs as learners
and allows them to lead choice-filled lives.
MISSION
Advancing educational equity in Boston by providing opportunity and access to
high-quality schools.
OUR WORK
A child’s access to an excellent education and the potential for a bright and
productive future should not be determined by that child’s street address,
background, the careers of parents or guardians, or the luck of the draw.
For decades, the state of educational opportunity in Boston already demanded
significant change; COVID-19 has only brought these disparities into greater
focus, as Boston communities are inequitably impacted by the virus and as
families have differential resources to support students amid schooling.
The Boston Schools Fund team wakes up every day with one goal: increase the
number of children in Boston attending a high-quality school. We believe that
providing capacity and resources for high quality schools to expand and improve,
sharing data and information, collaborating with families and partners, and
influencing policy will result in the dramatic improvement of student outcomes
and life opportunities for Boston’s students, particularly those historically
marginalized.
IMPACT
In its first five years, Boston Schools Fund set an ambitious goal of creating
high-quality seats for 7,000 Boston school children, representing over 10% of
the city. Through grants and technical assistance to 38 schools, BSF’s work has
helped to create more than 8,000 new high-quality seats in the city of Boston.
bostonschoolsfund.org 3

OUR DRIVE TO CREATE EQUITABLE
ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR
HIGH-QUALITY SCHOOLS IS ANCHORED
IN FOUR CORE STRATEGIES.
1. EXPANDING ACCESS
2. TRUSTED SOURCE
OF INFORMATION
3. ORGANIZING PEOPLE
AND MESSAGES
4. ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
1. EXPANDING ACCESS
By 2025, BSF seeks to increase the share of Boston students in high-quality schools by 50%.
We provide funding and technical support across three grantmaking strategies:
1. Expand existing high-performing schools to reach more students
2. Accelerate improvement at high-potential schools to reach a high-quality bar
3. Sustain quality across our portfolio of schools to maintain quality over time
With deep experience in teaching, school leadership, and education systems, the BSF team
determines where to invest through a rigorous diligence process that holistically reviews schools on
a broad set of academic, financial, leadership, and community support metrics. Our focus remains
on investing and supporting schools to reach demonstrated results for Black and Latino students,
English Learners and Students with Disabilities. We partner closely with school leaders and their
teams to establish a shared vision and goals for growing and sustaining quality.
The onset of the pandemic led BSF to reinvest resources in its partner schools. Two rounds of
funding - Readiness in 2020 and Re-Centering in 2021 - resulted in BSF partner schools increasing
their enrollment and addressing the urgent academic, social, and emotional needs of their students.
Despite the interruptions of in-person learning in 2020-2021,
BSF was still able to work with the city to add 855 high-quality seats.
This includes an anchor investment in reconfiguring East Boston High School to grades 7-12.
Paired with BSF’s partnerships with six East Boston elementary schools, this represents
a first-of-its-kind PK-12 promise of quality for an entire Boston neighborhood.
bostonschoolsfund.org 4

“
It’s been nice to have a bank of resources available
and have people to re-center me in what my priorities are.
It reminds me I’m not alone in feeling the effects of the pandemic and there
is a way to recover... I have a small group of peers but then I also have a coach,
and then BSF is just wonderful. They’re always available to talk things out;
they are always asking for feedback. They want to make sure it is valuable.
Principal Kristin Goncalves, Patrick J. Kennedy School in East Boston
”
In March 2021 we launched EdRecentered.org —
a central hub for our Re-Centering Schools
initiative work. In partnership with Attuned
Education Partners, BSF released a
comprehensive School Re-Centering Guide to
inform leaders as they prioritized pandemic
recovery efforts for their own schools. This
guide, along with dedicated coaching from
Attuned, has served as the foundation for the
experience of our Re-Centering Schools cohort.
Five leaders from Boston Public Schools were
selected to participate in this cohort experience,
representing some of the neighborhoods most
impacted by the pandemic since it began.
BSF also launched a microgrant opportunity
open to all of our partner schools to leverage
the School Re-Centering Guide to address
immediate student and staff needs.
To date, nearly $270,000 has been distributed
to Boston schools and classrooms.
Students in the classroom on the first day of school at the Taylor;
photo courtesy of Jennifer Marks.
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BOSTON SCHOOLS FUND’S PORTFOLIO
19,500+
PUBLIC SCHOOL
Another Course To College 9-12 Hyde Park 236
Boston Arts Academy 9-12 Dorchester 482
Boston International High School 9-12 Mattapan 398
Charles H Taylor PK-05 Mattapan 327
Curtis Guild PK-06 East Boston 256
East Boston High 7, 9-12 East Boston 1,055
Ellis Mendell PK-05 Roxbury 269
George H Conley PK-06 Roslindale 192
Harvard-Kent PK-06 Charlestown 388
Hugh Roe O'Donnell PK-06 East Boston 272
James Otis PK-06 East Boston 410
John Eliot K-8 School PK-08 Central 781
Joseph P Manning PK-06 Jamaica Plain 175
Manassah E Bradley PK-06 East Boston 303
Margarita Muniz Academy 9-12 Jamaica Plain 315
Mildred Avenue K-8 PK-08 Mattapan 669
Nathan Hale PK-06 Roxbury 171
New Mission High School 7, 9-12 Hyde Park 481
Oliver Hazard Perry PK-08 South Boston 203
Patrick J Kennedy PK-06 East Boston 278
Richard J Murphy PK-08 Dorchester 907
Samuel Adams PK-06 East Boston 248
Thomas J Kenny PK-06 Dorchester 339
Warren-Prescott PK-08 Charlestown 548
William Ellery Channing PK-06 Hyde Park 215
CATHOLIC
CHARTER
Our Lady of Perpetual Help /Mission Grammar PK-06 Roxbury 275
St. Columbkille Elementary PK-08 Allston/Brighton 386
Cathedral High School 7-12 South End 309
St. Joseph Preparatory High School 9-12 Allston/Brighton 248
Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School 5-12 Hyde Park 540
Boston Collegiate Charter School 5-12 Dorchester 723
Boston Preparatory Charter Public School 6-12 Hyde Park 671
Brooke Charter School K-12 Multiple 2,053
Excel Academy Charter School 5-12 East Boston 1,389
KIPP Academy Boston Charter School K-8 Mattapan 613
MATCH Charter School 6-12 Multiple 1,213
Neighborhood House Charter School PK-12 Dorchester 810
Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (In-District) 9-12 Fenway 385
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2. TRUSTED SOURCE OF INFORMATION
Boston Schools Fund seeks to provide data to inform
and empower stakeholders in education. In 2017, BSF
launched Boston School Finder, a first-of-its-kind tool
to equip Boston families to navigate the enrollment
process for all 225+ Boston schools. Translated into 8
languages and garnering more than 30,000 users to
date, Boston School Finder has become a staple for
Boston’s families. Usage has significantly increased
during the pandemic, as families require more accurate,
timely information on their school options than ever
before.
BSF also plays a critical role in informing the general public around
education issues in Boston. Our weekly newsletter, FYI from BSF, has
grown to a wide distribution. BSF’s analysis and work has been featured
in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, the Associated Press, US News
and World Report, The Hechinger Report, The 74, and Commonwealth
Magazine. BSF’s content has shaped the public conversation and policy
in several topics, including Boston’s grade reconfigurations, as well as
use of federal relief funding.
CLICK LOGO TO READ MORE
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3. ORGANIZING PEOPLE AND MESSAGES
Now in its 7th year, BSF has become an effective partner in education
policy and advocacy. BSF supports family and community voice
through its partnership with School Facts Boston, a family-led
organization that seeks to support transparency and improvement
in education policy in Boston.
In 2021, BSF was a founding member of the All Children Thrive (ACT
Boston) coalition. Now with over 20 member organizations with reach
to tens of thousands of Boston families and students, ACT Boston
successfully advocated for education to become the top issue in the
2021 mayoral campaign. ACT Boston has created a platform to partner
and support the incoming administration, as well as play a vital, open
role to provide public accountability for educational progress.
CLICK LOGO TO READ MORE
4. ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
Boston Schools Fund is committed to running an efficient, effective
organization, ensuring as many dollars as possible flow to schools
and supporting initiatives. BSF’s FY21 audit reported that 91 cents of
every dollar raised was spent on BSF programming.
In 2015, BSF launched initially with only two staff members and a
small founding Board, and has grown its staff and Board strategically
to match BSF’s growth and needs. Alongside the growing and refining
BSF’s staffing model and Board development, BSF has incorporated
values and practices of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in
achieving its goals.
CENTS OF EVERY DOLLAR
RAISED WAS SPENT
ON BSF PROGRAMMING
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DONORS
In the first year of our new strategic plan, BSF is proud to report $4.4M
raised in grants and commitments. BSF retained 100% of its past year’s
donors, and added several new individuals, foundation, and corporate
partners. We are grateful to all who have joined in this work to advance
educational equity for Boston’s students. BSF’s current strategic plan calls
to raise $18.9M by 2025.
$500,000+
$200,000 - $499,999
$100,000-$199,999
$50,000 - $99,999
$25,000-$49,999
$10,000-$24,999
Up to $10,000
Barr Foundation
Imago Dei Fund
Anonymous
Jerry Hausman
Walton Family Foundation
Campaign for Great Schools
Lynch Foundation
Thomas Henry Lee Partners
Wellington Management Foundation
Bob Stansky
Brian and Stephanie Spector
City Fund
Matt and Susan Weatherbie
Michael and Nancy Tooke
Plymouth Rock Assurance Foundation
Richard and Joanne Spillane
Cabot Family Charitable Trust
Cedar Street Foundation
Jeff Naylor and Shawn Baker
Liberty Mutual Foundation
Longfield Family Foundation
Sidney A. Swensrud Foundation
U.S. Charitable Gift Trust
Anonymous
Kelly Family Foundation
Simon Brothers Foundation
Someone Else’s Child Foundation
Eastern Bank
Herb Morse
Jim and Cathy Stone
John Gilmartin
Lee Gartley
Lisa and Alden Jackson
O’Connor Fillinich Family Fund
Paul and Edith Babson Foundation
Sherif and Mary Nada
“
The Lynch Foundation
is proud to be the founding,
anchor donor for
Boston Schools Fund.
In recognition of BSF’s
impact and importance at
this critical time in Boston,
the Lynch Foundation
elected to continue funding
BSF beyond our initial
five-year commitment.
BSF is an exemplar for the
power of pooled
philanthropic funds,
and the impact they
”
can have on a city.
Katie Everett,
Executive Director
of the Lynch Foundation,
Founding Board Chair
of the Boston Schools Fund
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FINANCIALS
Boston Schools Fund ended FY21 in a strong financial position,
with $3,066,040 in net assets.
FY21 REVENUE AND EXPENSES (JULY 1, 2020-JUNE 30, 2021)
TOTAL PROGRAM EXPENSE
$2,200,535
Expand Access
$1,024,713
2021 TOTAL
PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT
(Grants and Commitments)
$4,400,000
Organizing People and Messages
$681,416
Trusted Source
$494,406
TOTAL EXPENSES
$2,839,010
TOTAL OPERATING +
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE
$638,475
Operating
$523,610
Administrative $114,865
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STAFF
Will Austin
Founder and CEO
Rana Kannan
Chief Operating Officer
Kerry Donahue
Chief Strategy Officer
Stefani Ferlan
Director of Investment
Meghan O’Keefe
Managing Director of Investment
Keiko Zoll
Director of Communications
Natalya Subbotina
Director of Operations
Emily Conner-Simons
Project Manager
Matt Hieronimus
Data Manager
Alexandra vonBallmoos
Administrative Assistant
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2021-2022
Lisa Jackson (Chair)
Head of Social Ventures, Tides (as of Jan 2022)
Andrea Wolfe
Executive Director (MA and RI), Propel America
Will Austin is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer
of Boston Schools Fund. Will served as a math teacher
at Roxbury Preparatory Charter School and was
nominated for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.
He subsequently served as Co-Director for Roxbury
Prep, and then as Chief Operating Officer for Roxbury
Prep for Uncommon Schools, overseeing the school’s
expansion from one to four campuses. A lifetime
resident of Boston and a graduate of Boston Public
Schools, Will holds an A.B. in Government from
Harvard College and a Master’s Degree in Education
from Tufts University.
CONTACT INFORMATION
contact@bostonschoolsfund.org
617.852.0773
53 State Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02109
bostonschoolsfund.org
Stephen Chan
Chief of Staff, President’s Office,
Northeastern University
Tammy Tai
Deputy Director, King Boston
Will Austin (President)
CEO, Boston Schools Fund