Since its founding in 1916, the Cambridge Community Foundation has focused its strategic and philanthropic resources on the city of Cambridge.  Drawing on a century of experience with community organizations, Cambridge’s great universities and academic institutions, the city government, and philanthropic partners, the Foundation works to achieve a thriving and vibrant Cambridge.

We are the only foundation exclusively focused on Cambridge, and we place the well being of the city as a first priority in everything we do.  We are truly of and for Cambridge, and three overarching goals motivate our work:

  • We are committed to the principle of whole community responsibility to build shared prosperity
  • In partnership with our donors, our strategy is to build the Cambridge Endowment, a permanent fund endowing opportunity, support, and access for the community and its future
  • We believe that civic leadership is essential to a thriving community, and that a community foundation is vested with the independence, knowledge, research capacity, and resources to ensure a sustained focus on equity, justice, and opportunity

The Foundation’s deep connections across the city, its independence, and its thoughtfulness have made it a beloved Cambridge institution.  A gift to the Cambridge Community Foundation sustains the spirit and vitality of the city, and it helps to ensure opportunity and access for the people who live, work, and study in our city.