The Legacy Fund for Boston

The Legacy Fund for Boston (LFB) was established in 2018 with the sole purpose of managing charitable funds for the benefit of the City of Boston and its residents. The principal purpose of LFB is to receive and distribute funds to enhance and preserve the character, sense of community and space, and cultural aspects of the City of Boston, with a particular focus on historic preservation. More specifically, LFB’s efforts would result in Boston’s continued presence as a vibrant, diverse, world-class city that respects, protects, and celebrates its historic resources coincident with enlightened development and change. LFB was incorporated as a public charity in 2022 as it began to receive charitable funds, and made its first grants in 2024.

Mission

The Legacy Fund for Boston is a public charity that supports the endurance of places and spaces that are meaningful to Bostonians and the historic character of the entire city of Boston.

Application Procedure

The deadline for Letters of Inquiry for 2026 funding is September 1, 2026. Please review the guidelines here.

2025 Legacy Fund for Boston Grant Recipients

The Legacy Fund for Boston is a public charity that distributes grant money funds drawn from local real estate mitigation funds for the purpose of preserving and enhancing Boston’s historic spaces. In 2025, the Legacy Fund awarded a total of $140,509 to 11 projects across nine Boston neighborhoods. Read about each project below.

2025 Grant Recipients

Boston Little Saigon - Dorchester

For a year-long educational and cultural preservation initiative honoring the strength and resilience of Vietnamese refugees who resettled in Boston. Through 1975: Preserving Vietnamese Diaspora Histories in Dorchester, community members will be invited to share, reflect, and connect across generations and cultures.

Community Service Care, Inc. - Jamaica Plain

For architectural and structural engineering planning to address critical preservation needs at the Community Care Boston building at 39 Saint John Street, a late 19th-century Queen Anne building in Jamaica Plain that has long served as both a historic fixture and a community resource. Preserving this building will protect a piece of Boston’s architectural heritage while serving as the cornerstone to the Community Care Fellowship, a program that provides affordable housing and structured volunteer placements for students and young professionals.

Friends of the Public Garden, Inc. - Back Bay/Beacon Hill

To update the Boston Common Tree Canopy Plan, to guide the park’s tree succession and canopy renewal. The project aims to fill canopy gaps, restore historic character, and enhance shaded seating in Boston’s most iconic historic park, enhancing the outdoor space for future generations.

Gibson Society, Inc. - Back Bay/Beacon Hill

Funds provided for the planning and design of systems upgrades and an accessibility study at the Gibson House Museum, which focuses on interpreting a century of life in Boston’s Back Bay. The grant will allow the Gibson Society to plan preservation work that protects the house and the museum’s collections while ensuring its stories can be shared with local residents and broader audiences.

Historic Boston Incorporated - Downtown Boston

To support the research and planning for the Unfreedom at the Old Corner Bookstore project, to address critical gaps in public awareness and historical interpretation within the community along the Freedom Trail at the HBI-owned Old Corner Bookstore complex. The initiative will allow HBI to engage local residents, scholars, and visitors in exploring themes of social and cultural unfreedom related to the bookstore’s site, ensuring that the stories embedded there are shared widely and thoughtfully.

Madison Park Development Corporation - Roxbury

Funds provided to support research into the significant contributions of a group of Black activists depicted in the Grove Hall Post Office mural and to document grassroots efforts to beautify a long-neglected corner of the Grove Hall neighborhood.

Old North Illuminated - North End

For the design of accessible seating, including companion seating, for the pew boxes in the Old North Church in Boston’s historic North End. The pew boxes, which contain interpretive panels, are not currently ADA-accessible. Old North Illuminated is a secular, independent nonprofit, and believes this project can produces an innovative solution for accessibility in a more than 300-year-old structure.

Paige Academy - Roxbury

For the completion of a comprehensive Capital Needs Assessment for the historic preservation of Paige Academy’s 26-28 Highland Avenue building. It is a historic building constructed in 1875 located within the Highland Park Architectural Conservation District. The school serves 120 students from Boston families who attend our early childhood, pre-kindergarten, elementary, and summer programs.

South End Historical Society, Inc. - South End

For a preservation assessment of the South End Historical Society’s archives. The society’s mission is to preserve and share the history of Boston’s South End neighborhood by collecting, preserving, and providing access to materials that document the area’s history.

St. Mary's Episcopal Church - Dorchester

For a comprehensive Conditions Assessment and Master Plan for St. Mary’s historic 1888 church and 1907 parish house, to identify structural repair needs and advance long-term preservation and sustainability initiatives across the property. St. Mary’s facilities are important to multiple community groups and organizations throughout the Uphams Corner, Jones Hill, and Dorchester neighborhoods, serving as a meeting place, workspace, and spiritual refuge.

United South End Settlements - South End

For schematic design and design development for the restoration and re-opening of the Children’s Art Centre. United South End Settlements plans to return the building to its original mission – bringing art and cultural enrichment to children and families, regardless of race, ethnicity, or ability to pay.