Media Contact:
Brian Kane, Executive Director
bkane@mbtaadvisoryboard.gov
617-680-9144
March 12, 2025
Barr Foundation awards MBTA Advisory Board grant to support advocacy for transportation funding
In January, the Barr Foundation awarded the MBTA Advisory Board a $100,000 grant to support the Board’s legislative education initiative for the duration of 2025.
With strong leadership at the T and a firm commitment from Massachusetts leaders to cease “kicking the can down the road” on public transportation, there is a crucial window of opportunity to affect positive change in the Commonwealth’s public transportation. With the support of the Barr Foundation, the MBTA Advisory Board will expand its advocacy efforts with its legislative education initiative. It will continue to inform what is needed for a transportation system that best serves residents, the local economy, and the environment.
In the summer of 2024, following the announcement of a $700 million operating budget deficit for FY26 and a $24 million maintenance and repair backlog at the MBTA, the Advisory Board’s staff visited over 30 cities and towns in the MBTA service district and 25 Representatives and Senators on Beacon Hill to discuss transportation funding and improvement priorities. With the Barr Foundation’s investment, the Advisory Board will continue this campaign to provide educational resources and lead discussions about the challenges and opportunities with funding the MBTA. The Advisory Board believes that an equitable, accessible, and safe public transportation system is a vital component of the Commonwealth’s future, and it is imperative that local and state leadership address the long-term transportation operating and infrastructure deficits in Massachusetts.
The Barr Foundation supports nonprofits throughout New England, working to advance arts and creativity, climate action, and public education, and the Advisory Board is honored to receive this investment. The Advisory Board looks forward to a collaborative outreach effort, partnering with a wide coalition of stakeholders to amplify the priorities and represent the interests of all municipalities to the MBTA Board of Directors, the Legislature, and the public.
About the Barr Foundation:
The Barr Foundation’s mission is to invest in human, natural, and creative potential, serving as thoughtful stewards and catalysts. As stewards, Barr nurtures vital community assets. As catalysts, the Foundation advances breakthrough ideas to shape our collective future. Based in Boston, Barr focuses regionally and selectively engages nationally. We work in partnership with nonprofits, foundations, the public sector, and civic and business leaders to elevate the arts and creative expression, advance solutions for climate change, and connect all students to success in high school and beyond.
Founded in 1997, Barr has grown to become one of the largest private foundations in New England and has contributed over $1 billion to charitable causes. With assets more than $2.5 billion, Barr’s 2025 grantmaking budget is $130 million. We focus our grantmaking on arts and creativity, climate, and education – complemented by grants to strengthen New England’s social sector and for targeted special initiatives.
A set of core values defined by our founding trustees express our beliefs about what constitutes effective philanthropy and guide how the Barr Foundation carries out its mission. Barr is committed to strive for impact, act with humility, invest in leaders, take the long view, center racial equity, embrace risk, and demonstrate curiosity. These values also guide our hiring process and the workplace culture that we shape together. We aim to make Barr an inclusive workplace where all team members can bring their full and authentic selves and be supported to learn and grow. For more information, visit barrfoundation.org.
About the MBTA Advisory Board:
The MBTA Advisory Board was established by the state legislature in 1964. Our mission is to provide public oversight of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) on behalf of the 178 community members of the Advisory Board and the transit riding public. The MBTA Advisory Board provides policy guidance to the MBTA with the shared goal to provide effective, efficient, and equitable transportation services in the metropolitan Boston area. Through nine committees, the Advisory Board’s members review and comment on the MBTA’s annual budget, capital plan and other aspects of operations.