Over 100 years, the Cambridge Community Foundation has earned a place in the life of the city as a conduit for philanthropy and a partner in progress. Beginning in 1916 with a gift to provide scholarships to enable students to attend Harvard University, the Foundation has widened the scope of its work, thanks to the generosity of generations of donors.

Today, we stand poised to celebrate our first hundred years, and there is a special urgency to the Foundation’s opportunity to serve as a force for civic leadership. Using our proven toolkit as a convener, a catalyst for new ideas and a leader in collaboration, we seek to address the impact of growing income inequality. With the overarching goal of preserving Cambridge as a diverse, complex community where all are welcome and all can draw from the abundant resources of this extraordinary city, three core objectives motivate our actions:

• Create an inclusive vision and agenda for shared prosperity through grantmaking, civic leadership, and philanthropy;
• Build a permanent endowment to serve the city today and protect its future;
• Expand the capacity for civic leadership with a sustained focus on equity, justice and opportunity.

Our centennial offers a special opportunity to take stock of the Foundation, identifying our core values and strengths, promoting our work, and defining our role in the city. We plan to celebrate this landmark with events that will also introduce new leadership and a new culture to donors, potential donors, stakeholders and community members.

• Launch of the Shared Prosperity Project
• Centennial Celebration Gala