PLYMOUTH, Mass., October 30, 2025 – More than 150 people, including representatives from 15 community foundations throughout Massachusetts, gathered today for Philanthropy Massachusetts’ (PMA) 3rd annual Community Foundations Partnership Summit event featuring multiple learning and networking sessions.
Held at the Hotel 1620 Plymouth Harbor, the event featured expert speakers sharing how foundations are adapting in today’s rapidly changing funding and policy landscape. Sessions also covered topics including community engagement, nonprofit capacity building, evolving grantmaking strategies, and "news you can use" sessions for foundation staff on subjects including communications, program design and operations, foundation finance/operations, and CEO strategy.
Jonathan Cohen, VP of Community Impact for the
Greater Worcester Community Foundation, said: “Philanthropy Massachusetts is known for the consistent high quality and relevance of its programming, and this was such an incredibly helpful day for me and my community foundation colleagues. We left full of new ideas and insights into best practices and a long list of action items we can put into place both immediately and over the long term.”
Jessica Berns, PMA Vice President of Network Vibrancy, said: “It is PMA's privilege to serve as home to the Partnership and convener of the Summit. This was an opportunity for in-depth, in-person conversation with our community foundation members and partners and learn about the challenges they are facing and the many ways they are responding. PMA as an organization comes away from the summit with so much good, timely information to inform our work, and even stronger network connections with our funder members. And our Community Foundations continue to build connections across the state and learn from one another.”
Represented at the Summit were:
· Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
· The Boston Foundation
· Brookline Community Foundation
· Cambridge Community Foundation
· Cape Cod Foundation
· Essex County Community Foundation
· Greater Lowell Community Foundation
· Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation
· Community Foundation for Nantucket
· Foundation for MetroWest
· Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts
· Southcoast Community Foundation
· Watertown Community Foundation
· Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
· Greater Worcester Community Foundation