The past year was a time for deepening connections and building relationships for all of us at the Cambridge Community Foundation. As we gathered together to mark 100 years of service to Cambridge, we were reminded of the power of community and of the “creative gene” that gives life here a unique flavor. The celebration at MIT’s Media Lab in March emphasized the rich diversity of our city, highlighting long-held Cambridge values and reinforcing for all of us the impor- tance of sustaining qualities we love about our city. We continue to look for ways to lift up our city’s unique strengths and create stronger links across boundaries in our community. The Foundation is here to strengthen Cambridge and to extend opportunity and a culture of common purpose, collaboration and philanthropy through our extraordinary nonprofit partners, supported by the ongoing generosity of donors. Here’s an example of impact drawing on all those elements. Early in the year, the Foundation received a phone call from Google’s Cambridge head- quarters. They had 200 slightly used laptops. Could we use them? The upshot of that was a partnership including the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Youth Centers and half a dozen nonprofit organizations that work with young people. Together we designed a program enabling students to earn a laptop by writing essays and designing projects that spoke to their aspirations and passions, acknowledging the challenges caused by a lack of access in a world driven by technology. The culminating event was a gathering at Google’s dazzling headquarters that transported more than a hundred young people to a place where new ideas are conceived and imaginations are let loose. (The cover of this report documents that evening.) Connections established there helped seed a vision of a future where Cambridge residents are full participants in the city’s economic future. Driving the vision and work of the Foundation is a dedicated Board of Directors. In June, we said thank you to a number who completed ten years of service, including directors Linda Chin, Martha McKenna, Paul Parravano, Mary Power, Mina Reddy and Nan Stone, and trustees Michael Duca and Dora Lewin. And we welcomed a new team to lead us on, into a new year. We offer this report as a record of a very full year. Sincerely, Geeta Pradhan Richard Harriman President and CEO Board Chairman Dear Friends, Foundation President Geeta Pradhan and Board Chair Rick Harriman on a site visit to the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House. Photo by Kayana Szymczak