Philanthropy Massachusetts documents funding flowing to Gateway City nonprofits

Philanthropy Massachusetts is excited to share the results of one of our latest in-depth research projects: A series of 26 “snapshots” highlighting philanthropic funding flowing to nonprofits in each of the Commonwealth’s 26 Gateway Cities. We line up the funding data with demographic data for those Cities, revealing the need and changes over time.

As MassINC defines them:

Gateway Cities are midsize urban centers that anchor regional economies around the state. For generations, these communities were home to industry that offered residents good jobs and a “gateway” to the American Dream. Today, they are reinventing themselves—often while navigating significant economic and social challenges. Yet these communities hold remarkable potential, with assets such as walkable neighborhoods and downtowns, young people and essential workers, strong infrastructure, transportation networks, and anchor institutions like museums, hospitals, and universities.

There are some limitations to the available data sets, which we’ll describe below. We believe nonetheless these snapshots will be both informative and spark conversation and deeper analysis. One of the most important questions we think the data raise is: Are certain Gateway Cities receiving the level of attention they merit from funders, given their documented levels of need for investment in their residents, in the context of philanthropy’s overall commitment to creating opportunities for everyone in Massachusetts to thrive?

This past summer, Philanthropy Massachusetts was delighted to welcome an undergraduate student in Biological Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to our team. During their time with us, they worked closely with our Research Specialist, Georganna Woods, to develop “Snapshots” focused on Massachusetts’ 26 Gateway Cities: Attleboro, Barnstable, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield, and Worcester.

To put this report in some broader context: Through our strategic planning process which involved extensive touchpoints with our members and social sector leaders, Philanthropy MA has been asked to play a role in providing local, timely data like these that can help philanthropy across the Commonwealth. As we lean into this role in the coming months and years, this data and information will shape discussions, help inform decision making, and deliver results.

About the Snapshots

Each Snapshot provides an at-a-glance look at:

Key social indicators and demographic trends in the 2018-2023 timeframe
Philanthropic funding data from 2018–2023 (the most recent year with complete data)

It’s important to note that foundation funding data is not an exact science. We can typically identify the geographic location of grant recipients and infer the general nature of their work. However, it is not always clear whether a recipient serves only the community in which they are based, or whether their work spans multiple regions, population groups, or issue areas. “Nonprofits” in the context of this report includes colleges and universities, museums, and other types of cultural organizations as well as organizations focused more directly on human services, workforce development, and growing opportunity for all people in the community.

Notes about Methodology

Giving totals (“total funding received”) reflect grants to nonprofits based in each community. Since many organizations serve multiple towns—or even international communities—funding amounts cannot be cleanly attributed to work within city borders.
The snapshots also do not include federal funding flowing to nonprofits in the communities. Instead, they measure funding coming from private foundations and public charities.
They do, however, make clear when large one-time grants to specific organizations in individual communities led to sharp deviations from historic patterns of funding.
Giving numbers include grants to higher ed, community foundations and health care/hospitals
Federal numbers are not included because Candid stopped tracking that info in 2020

For all these reasons, Philanthropy Massachusetts recommends that you use the snapshots as a starting point for understanding trends and identifying additional research that’s worth pursuing, not as conclusive analyses. We also welcome and ask for your input on how we might refine the study methodology in future years to make this report even more valuable to you and your organization.

Emerging Insights

Deeper analysis is needed to link funding directly to outcomes, but placing indicators and giving side by side helps spark new questions and insights. For example:

Lawrence showed particularly promising trends:


+8,060 population growth
-7% poverty (the largest decrease among Gateway Cities)
+6% high school graduation rate
+6% residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher

Funding to Lawrence increased somewhat steadily over this time period as well, but it would take deeper research to understand if/how funding may have played a part in the mosaic of factors that contributed to improved social indicators and outcomes.

Other notable findings include:


The 10 Gateway Cities whose nonprofits received the largest amounts of the kinds of funding studies, ranked by absolute dollars received, were: Worcester, Springfield, Lawrence, Lowell, Salem, New Bedford, Quincy, Lynn, Brockton, and Pittsfield.
Worcester had the largest population increase (+22,066), followed by Brockton (+9,167).
Holyoke experienced the steepest population decline (-2,686), followed by Chelsea (-1,618).
Lynn saw the biggest jump in high school graduation rates (+7.3%).
Salem recorded the largest increase in bachelor’s degrees or higher (+9%).

These Snapshots are far from the final word, but rather a tool we hope will inspire deeper exploration. They highlight opportunities and challenges within Gateway Cities, inviting funders, policymakers, and community partners to ask new questions and consider how philanthropy can most effectively support thriving, equitable futures across the Commonwealth.

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