Boston Bridges Initiative

Est. 2020

Founded in 2020, the Boston Bridges Initiative seeks to facilitate cultural exchange and promote meaningful social interaction between city and suburban families and within racially diverse communities in the Greater Boston Area. We hope that you can join us on this journey.

Our Mission:

BBI’s Grant Program

Boston Bridges Initiative awards grants of up to $5,000 to support programs and events that foster lasting friendships and dialogue between suburban and urban families and within racially diverse communities. Interested in learning more? See below!

Partners & Programs

BBI Administered Programs

Downsize for Diversity

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Mark Thomas Memorial Fund

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Tenacity Challenge

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Founding Rationale

Greater Boston is a diverse and sophisticated metropolis, but city kids and suburban kids rarely interact with one another in meaningful ways, to everyone’s detriment. Segregation persists as a prime barrier to cross-racial understanding.

Racially diverse schools and school desegregation efforts provide the opportunity for cross-racial understanding but not the means. We need to promote more informal encounters and settings to help kids develop relationships and to deliver on the promise and mutual benefits of a more integrated educational environment.

There is an absence of funding and programming aimed primarily at promoting cross-racial social interaction and understanding. This is where BBI aims to bridge the gap.

Boston Bridges Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, award grants that support initiatives beyond the classroom. These grants foster lasting friendships and dialogue among students and families within racially diverse communities and between suburban and urban communities.

Thank you for joining us on this journey.

For a brief history of segregation in Greater Boston, see How Has Boston Gotten Away with Being Segregated for So Long? by Boston Magazine.