Foundations
Here's a look at documents from U.S. foundations
Featured Stories
Foundation Fighting Blindness Provides Public Access to Data From Its RUSH2A Natural History Study
COLUMBIA, Maryland, Nov. 14 (TNSjou) -- The Foundation Fighting Blindness issued the following news:
* * *
Foundation Fighting Blindness Provides Public Access to Data From its RUSH2A Natural History Study
RUSH2A has captured extensive data over four years from patients with USH2A mutations causing non-syndromic retinitis pigmentosa and Usher syndrome type 2A.
*
The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a driving force in the global development of treatments and cures for blinding diseases, is now providing open access to de-identified four-year data from individuals participating in RUSH2A, an ongoing
... Show Full Article
COLUMBIA, Maryland, Nov. 14 (TNSjou) -- The Foundation Fighting Blindness issued the following news:
* * *
Foundation Fighting Blindness Provides Public Access to Data From its RUSH2A Natural History Study
RUSH2A has captured extensive data over four years from patients with USH2A mutations causing non-syndromic retinitis pigmentosa and Usher syndrome type 2A.
*
The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a driving force in the global development of treatments and cures for blinding diseases, is now providing open access to de-identified four-year data from individuals participating in RUSH2A, an ongoingnatural history study for people with mutations in the USH2A gene causing Usher syndrome type 2A or non-syndromic retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The goal of RUSH2A and other natural history studies sponsored by the Foundation is to enable researchers and therapy developers to identify new, sensitive, and reliable clinical trial endpoints and inform clinical trial designs for emerging inherited retinal disease (IRD) therapies. With improved endpoints and trial designs, therapy developers have a better opportunity to gain regulatory approval for their treatments.
"The public release of RUSH2A data is removing barriers for everyone in the research community who is developing sight-saving therapies for inherited retinal diseases," said Todd Durham, PhD, SVP, Foundation Fighting Blindness. "As the global leader in driving retinal disease research, the Foundation is uniquely empowered to launch programs like RUSH2A, which are having a broad, paradigm-changing impact on advancing more treatments toward the finish line."
"The RUSH2A study has been a cornerstone to our ongoing evaluation of how we can develop effective treatments for USH2A-related conditions," said Dr. Zuhal Butuner, Chief Medical Officer, Sepul Bio, a business unit of Thea. "In an area of high unmet need, like USH2A, natural history studies can play a critical role in guiding clinical research. Incorporating key findings from the RUSH2A study into our ongoing USH2A clinical program has enabled the Sepul Bio team to lay down the foundational roadmap towards a potential treatment effect for those individuals with RP or non-syndromic RP due to variants in exon 13 of the USH2A gene. We are proud to partner with the Foundation Fighting Blindness in leveraging the RUSH2A data to drive forward our USH2A program and bring innovative RNA therapies to the community as quickly and effectively as possible."
RUSH2A has followed more than 100 USH2A patients for more than four years and will be extended for a total of nine years. Investigators are collecting natural history data using several functional and structural measures, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), microperimetry, full-field sensitivity, optical coherence tomography, and, as part of the extension, virtual-reality based mobility. RUSH2A is being conducted through the Foundation's Clinical Consortium, a network of more than 40 clinical sites with standardized protocols, equipment, and clinical IRD experts. The Jaeb Center for Health Research is the coordinating center for the Consortium.
The Foundation has invested more than $3 million in RUSH2A thus far. Co-funders of the study include BlueRock Therapeutics, Restore Vision, and Sepul Bio.
Instructions for requesting data access to the RUSH2A data set are available at: https://public.jaeb.org/ffb/view/RUSH2A
The RUSH2A study investigators have published 16 peer-reviewed papers to date (https://public.jaeb.org/ffb/pubs). The following research paper from the journal TVST reviews four-year results and recommendations from RUSH2A: Endpoints and Design for Clinical Trials in USH2A-Related Retinal Degeneration
About the Foundation
Established in 1971, the Foundation Fighting Blindness is the world's leading private funding source for retinal degenerative disease research. The Foundation has raised more than $954 million toward its mission of accelerating research for preventing, treating, and curing blindness caused by the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases including: retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration, Usher syndrome, and Stargardt disease. Visit FightingBlindness.org for more information.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.fightingblindness.org/news/rush2a-public-access-3115
San Diego Foundation Awards Record Number of Grants to Nonprofits
SAN DIEGO, California, Nov. 13 (TNSrep) -- The San Diego Foundation posted the following news release:
* * *
San Diego Foundation Awards Record Number of Grants to Nonprofits
*
San Diego Foundation today released its 2025 Annual Report and Fifty & Forward campaign update, reporting more than 9,000 grants and $102.4 million in giving during the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
The report (https://www.sdfoundation.org/about-us/annual-reports/2025-annual-report/) shows that San Diego Foundation awarded 9,081 grants to 2,552 nonprofits, helping local students pursue higher education, supporting families
... Show Full Article
SAN DIEGO, California, Nov. 13 (TNSrep) -- The San Diego Foundation posted the following news release:
* * *
San Diego Foundation Awards Record Number of Grants to Nonprofits
*
San Diego Foundation today released its 2025 Annual Report and Fifty & Forward campaign update, reporting more than 9,000 grants and $102.4 million in giving during the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
The report (https://www.sdfoundation.org/about-us/annual-reports/2025-annual-report/) shows that San Diego Foundation awarded 9,081 grants to 2,552 nonprofits, helping local students pursue higher education, supporting familiesworking toward stability and protecting the environment across the region. The release comes during National Community Foundation Week, which recognizes the role community foundations play in strengthening communities across the country.
Released during the Foundation's 50th anniversary year, the report also marks major progress toward Fifty & Forward, a San Diego Foundation multiyear grantmaking and giving campaign, which aims to award $500 million in grants and raise $1 billion to shape a more just, equitable and resilient San Diego As of Sept. 30, 2025, San Diego Foundation and its donors have granted $407.6 million, or 82 percent of the grantmaking goal, and raised $984.3 million, or 98 percent of the fundraising goal, nearly reaching the $1 billion milestone and strengthening the region's ability to meet long-term community needs.
The report also shows that a record three-quarters of all grantmaking flowed through donor-advised funds at San Diego Foundation. That trend reflects a growing number of donors using SDF as their philanthropic home and actively recommending grants to the causes and communities they care about.
"In challenging times, the story of San Diego is the generosity of its people and determination of its nonprofits," said Mark Stuart, President and CEO of San Diego Foundation. "We are profoundly grateful to the donors who are stepping up so nonprofits can keep doing the hard work of helping students pursue their dreams, supporting families working toward stability and caring for the places that make our region home."
Giving by sector in 2024-2025 included:
* $24,573,923 for education
* $21,810,229 for health and human services
* $18,498,669 for community building
* $13,722,282 for the environment
* $12,820,922 for arts and culture
* $5,007,099 for youth development
Highlights from the 2025 Annual Report include:
* Growing Future Leaders : $4.9 million in scholarships awarded to nearly 1,300 local students through the Community Scholarship Program, helping more San Diegans access and succeed in higher education.
* Building Strong Families : A $15 million Ready to Learn initiative to transform early literacy in San Diego County, supporting young children and their families with the tools they need to build strong reading skills.
* Creating Healthy Environments : Support for community-led efforts like Berry Good Food's Seeds for the Future initiative, which is transforming schoolyards in Southeast San Diego into food-producing gardens and outdoor classrooms that give students access to fresh food and nature where they live and learn.
The report notes that San Diego Foundation's assets totaled $1.669 billion in 2025, reflecting the long-term stewardship that helps ensure charitable funds remain available for future generations.
Looking ahead, San Diego Foundation will continue working with donors and partners to respond to the impacts of federal cutbacks on food, housing and health programs, building on the 50-year legacy of local philanthropy highlighted in the 2025 Annual Report and Fifty & Forward campaign update. That work includes efforts such as United for San Diego and the San Diego Unity Fund, which are helping communities navigate cuts to food, housing and health support.
About San Diego Foundation
San Diego Foundation believes in just, equitable and resilient communities where every San Diegan can prosper, thrive and feel like they belong. We partner with donors, nonprofits and regional leaders to co-create solutions that respond to community needs and strengthen San Diego. Since our founding in 1975, our community foundation has granted $1.8 billion to nonprofits to improve quality of life in San Diego County and beyond. Learn more at sdfoundation.org.
***
Original text here: https://www.sdfoundation.org/news-events/sdf-news/san-diego-foundation-awards-record-number-of-grants-to-nonprofits/
Mellon Awards $6.5M to Institutions Advancing Jazz Scholarship and Storytelling
NEW YORK, Nov. 13 -- The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation issued the following news on Nov. 12, 2025:
* * *
Mellon Awards $6.5M to Institutions Advancing Jazz Scholarship and Storytelling
The Mellon Foundation today announced over $6.5 million in grants dedicated to expanding jazz scholarship and strengthening its cultural infrastructure as part of the Foundation's $35M commitment to preserving America's first original art form.
At the center of this latest round of funding for Mellon's jazz initiative is a $5.8 million grant to support the work the Jazz Study Group (JSG)--an interdisciplinary collective
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Nov. 13 -- The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation issued the following news on Nov. 12, 2025:
* * *
Mellon Awards $6.5M to Institutions Advancing Jazz Scholarship and Storytelling
The Mellon Foundation today announced over $6.5 million in grants dedicated to expanding jazz scholarship and strengthening its cultural infrastructure as part of the Foundation's $35M commitment to preserving America's first original art form.
At the center of this latest round of funding for Mellon's jazz initiative is a $5.8 million grant to support the work the Jazz Study Group (JSG)--an interdisciplinary collectiveof scholars, artists, and musicians that has transformed jazz scholarship over three decades. Mellon is also announcing additional support for three community-based institutions that play vital roles in sustaining jazz artistry, education, and community engagement nationwide--the Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and Jazz Institute of Chicago, and The World Stage in Los Angeles.
"This suite of grants builds on decades of focused and groundbreaking work by artists, scholars, and generational leaders rooted deeply in our jazz traditions," said Mellon President Elizabeth Alexander. "We honor the essential histories and legacies they will continue to illuminate, spurring further innovation and exploration of this quintessentially American art form."
Founded in 1995 by distinguished jazz scholar Robert G. O'Meally, JSG is a collective comprising more than 30 US-based and international members who convene annually to explore interdisciplinary approaches to studying jazz. JSG's community has included prolific jazz musicians, thinkers and scholars such as Amiri Baraka (writer and scholar), Albert Murray (literary critic and novelist), Max Roach (drummer and composer), Abbey Lincoln (vocalist and songwriter), Randy Weston (pianist and composer), and Geri Allen (pianist and composer) among others.
Over three decades, JSG has served as an incubator for seminal jazz biographies, oral histories, cultural criticism, and compositions, resulting in more than 25 publications and compositions created in collaboration with a host of renowned artists and scholars. Select titles born of this collective include: Epistrophies: Jazz and the Literary Imagination (Brent Hayes Edwards); Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins (Aidan Levy); Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra (John Szwed); Jammin' at the Margins: Jazz and the American Cinema (Krin Gabbard); and Clawing at the Limits of Cool: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and the Greatest Jazz Collaboration Ever (Farah J. Griffin and Salim Washington); among many others.
With Mellon's support and fiscal sponsorship from the Jazz Foundation of America, the Jazz Study Group will launch the Jazz Generations Initiative, co-designed by O'Meally in New York and pianist/composer, Courtney Bryan in New Orleans, to foster intergenerational dialogue and preserve jazz heritage - partially through oral history interviews conducted with celebrated jazz elders. The initiative will produce JSG's second anthology of essays and jazz historiography - Uptown Conversation: The New Jazz Studies, Vol. 2 (a follow up to the 2004 volume); work to make its rich collection of archival materials publicly accessible; and also establish Bamboula: Jazz Studies in Motion - a residency program to be based in New Orleans. Across both New York and New Orleans, the initiative will also partner with artist-run nonprofits and institutions through the Jazz Community Initiative, centering jazz artistry and scholarship within the communities that sustain the music.
"Jazz has always been about connection--between disciplines, between generations, between communities," said Robert O'Meally, founder of the Jazz Study Group. "With the Jazz Generations Initiative, co-led by composer Courtney Bryan and myself in partnership with the Mellon Foundation, we are creating a bridge between New York and New Orleans--a living network where artists and scholars can listen, learn, and carry forward the transformative stories and sounds of this music."
In addition to supporting work of JSG, Mellon is also announcing nearly $1M in support for essential regional organizations, including:
* Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (Chicago) - A renowned collective of composers and musicians that has nurtured generations of creative voices. This funding will bolster AACM's capacity to continue building community and providing vital platforms for experimentation and innovation in jazz.
* Jazz Institute of Chicago (Chicago) - A cornerstone of jazz education and cultural programming, connecting students and the public to the music's rich legacy. This funding will strengthen the Institute's role in cultivating the next generation of jazz artists and audiences and increasing access to jazz in communities.
* The World Stage (Los Angeles) - A vital cultural hub in South LA founded to preserve and advance African American music, literature, and oral traditions. This funding will help sustain the World Stage's role as home for consistent, high art jazz performance, education, and community on the West Coast.
By investing in research, storytelling, and operating support for key regional hubs, this initiative preserves the histories of jazz while sustaining the communities and traditions that keep the art form thriving for future generations.
To stay informed about additional funding within Mellon's Jazz Initiative, subscribe to the Mellon Foundation newsletter at mellon.org/newsletter.
* * *
About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation's largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.mellon.org/news/mellon-awards-institutions-advancing-jazz-scholarship-storytelling
Lessons from History for Today's Economic Challenges
NEW YORK, Nov. 13 -- The Peter G. Peterson Foundation posted the following news release:
* * *
Lessons from History for Today's Economic Challenges
*
In a set of five new essays, distinguished economists and historians identify cautionary tales from history that are relevant to understanding and addressing today's fiscal, economic and political challenges in the United States. In the nonpartisan Peter G. Peterson Foundation's latest Expert Views essay series, " Lessons from History for America Today," the authors use historical examples to explain the current risks to American economic health
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Nov. 13 -- The Peter G. Peterson Foundation posted the following news release:
* * *
Lessons from History for Today's Economic Challenges
*
In a set of five new essays, distinguished economists and historians identify cautionary tales from history that are relevant to understanding and addressing today's fiscal, economic and political challenges in the United States. In the nonpartisan Peter G. Peterson Foundation's latest Expert Views essay series, " Lessons from History for America Today," the authors use historical examples to explain the current risks to American economic healthand global leadership.
"America remains the most influential country in the world, but our deteriorating fiscal condition risks weakening this foundation," said Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peterson Foundation. "America's unsustainably growing national debt leaves us more beholden to lenders, and has the potential to erode the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency. In these important and timely new essays, the authors identify insightful lessons from history, providing guidance for our nation's leaders to chart a sustainable path forward."
The following is a list of the essays and their authors, which are summarized here, and can be read in full here :
* "Deficits and Debt in the Lens of History" by Barry Eichengreen (George C. Pardee & Helen N. Pardee Chair and Distinguished Professor of Economics and Political Science, University of California, Berkeley)
* Eichengreen examines two historical moments when America successfully addressed its debt.
* "The Debt Crisis and American National Security" by Richard Haass (President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations; Senior Counselor, Centerview Partners) and Carolyn Kissane (Clinical Professor and Associate Dean, New York University's Center for Global Affairs)
* Haass and Kissane frame America's rising national debt as a threat to national security that requires immediate action.
* "Trussing the Big Beautiful U.S. Dollar" by Harold James (Claude and Lore Kelly Professor in European Studies, Princeton University)
* James highlights two areas that have emerged as risky attempts to improve America's fiscal outlook: stablecoins and an AI-driven technological revolution.
* "Welcome to the New Era of U.S. Debt, Where the Bond Market Is King" by Heather Long (Chief Economist, Navy Federal Credit Union)
* Long writes that the United States has entered a new era of permanent high deficits and rising debt, which means that our economy is especially vulnerable to the reactions of the bond market.
* "Exorbitant Politics? The Future of U.S. Debt and Fiscal Policy" by Layna Mosley (Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University)
* Mosley explores key risks that threaten the fiscal privilege that America holds as the dollar's reserve currency status.
Expert Views is a recurring essay series that brings together leading voices to examine our country's most pressing fiscal and economic concerns. In past editions, experts from across the ideological spectrum have:
* Shared their views on why the government should establish a bipartisan fiscal commission to propose comprehensive reforms to stabilize the debt
* Provided practical advice to help lawmakers rise above political gridlock and make bipartisan progress
* Examined the impact of inflation and high interest rates on our fiscal outlook
* Assessed the opportunities and challenges for America's fiscal future recovering from a pandemic
***
Original text here: https://www.pgpf.org/press/lessons-from-history-for-todays-economic-challenges/
Health Foundation Responds to the Latest NHS Monthly Performance Statistics
LONDON, England, Nov. 13 -- The Health Foundation posted the following news release:
* * *
Health Foundation responds to the latest NHS monthly performance statistics
Responding to the latest NHS monthly performance statistics, Tim Gardner, Assistant Director of Policy at the Health Foundation, said:
'These figures present a challenging outlook for the NHS, particularly as it heads into what NHS leaders have warned is likely to be one of the toughest winters the health service has faced.
'Urgent and emergency care continues to face considerable pressure, with over 54,000 patients waiting
... Show Full Article
LONDON, England, Nov. 13 -- The Health Foundation posted the following news release:
* * *
Health Foundation responds to the latest NHS monthly performance statistics
Responding to the latest NHS monthly performance statistics, Tim Gardner, Assistant Director of Policy at the Health Foundation, said:
'These figures present a challenging outlook for the NHS, particularly as it heads into what NHS leaders have warned is likely to be one of the toughest winters the health service has faced.
'Urgent and emergency care continues to face considerable pressure, with over 54,000 patients waitingover 12 hours in emergency departments for a bed in October, nearly 10% more than the same month last year. While figures for September show a slight decrease in the elective waiting list to 7.39 million, and a welcome reduction in waiting times, restoring the 18-week standard by the end of this parliament remains a tall order.
'Making sure the health service has what it needs to deliver on the government's flagship pledge of cutting NHS waiting lists is clearly on the Chancellor's mind, as she warns of difficult decisions to come at this month's Budget. But turning political promises into better patient care will take a system-wide approach to recovery that ensures sufficient capital investment, improvements in productivity and makes good on the government's promise to prioritise prevention. An urgent resolution to the dispute between the government and resident doctors is also vital.'
* * *
Original text here: https://www.health.org.uk/press-office/press-releases/health-foundation-responds-to-the-latest-nhs-monthly-performance-statistics
CLF Reaches Settlement With Patriot Beverages to Protect Local Waters
BOSTON, Massachusetts, Nov. 13 -- The Conservation Law Foundation issued the following news release on Nov. 12, 2025:
* * *
CLF Reaches Settlement with Patriot Beverages to Protect Local Waters
Funds from beverage manufacturer will lead to $485,000 to fund water quality monitoring in community
*
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) and Patriot Beverages, a beverage manufacturing and bottling company, have settled a lawsuit over violations of the Clean Water Act. Patriot Beverages primarily manufactures and bottles flavored waters and teas, like Propel Water, Gatorade, and Pure Leaf Tea. Wastewater
... Show Full Article
BOSTON, Massachusetts, Nov. 13 -- The Conservation Law Foundation issued the following news release on Nov. 12, 2025:
* * *
CLF Reaches Settlement with Patriot Beverages to Protect Local Waters
Funds from beverage manufacturer will lead to $485,000 to fund water quality monitoring in community
*
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) and Patriot Beverages, a beverage manufacturing and bottling company, have settled a lawsuit over violations of the Clean Water Act. Patriot Beverages primarily manufactures and bottles flavored waters and teas, like Propel Water, Gatorade, and Pure Leaf Tea. Wastewaterand stormwater discharges from the company's Littleton facility were polluting Reedy Meadow Brook and Mill Pond with toxic chemicals and heavy metals like aluminum and phosphorus.
"This resolution sends a clear message that companies must take responsibility for the pollution they cause," said Ameya Gehi, staff attorney at CLF. "By holding Patriot Beverages accountable and ensuring they implement meaningful reforms, we're protecting the communities and ecosystems that rely on clean water."
The settlement stipulates that Patriot Beverages must upgrade equipment to maximize removal of pollutants from its discharges and improve water sample testing. In addition, the company will pay $385,000 to OARS and $100,000 to the Nashobah Praying Indians to fund a water quality and nutrient monitoring project.
"This funding allows OARS 3 Rivers to launch a science-based monitoring effort in a region of the watershed that urgently needs attention," said Matt Brown, executive director of OARS. "We're excited to expand our work into new communities, engage local volunteers in the science, and provide the kind of data and outreach that lead to real, lasting solutions. We're deeply grateful to CLF for recognizing the importance of this work."
Added Sagamore Strong Medicine Bear of the Nashobah Praying Indians: "As descendants of the original stewards of these lands, we are honored to collaborate with OARS in protecting and preserving our waterways -- a vital resource that sustains all life on Earth. We are deeply grateful to CLF for connecting us with OARS and for emphasizing the shared responsibility we all have in ensuring access to clean water, promoting environmental preservation, and educating our communities about sustainable water management."
The company's wastewater and stormwater discharges also include dangerously high pH levels and high temperatures. The toxic pollutants that flow from the company's site directly into nearby waterbodies cause poor water quality and harm natural ecosystems and wildlife.
The settlement can be read here (https://www.clf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/CLF-v-Patriot-Beverages-ECF-No.-32-2025-11-10.pdf).
* * *
Original text here: https://www.clf.org/newsroom/clf-reaches-settlement-with-patriot-beverages-to-protect-local-waters/
2025 Housing Report Card Finds Construction Up and New Permits Down as Affordability Challenges Continue
BOSTON, Massachusetts, Nov. 13 (TNSrpt) -- The Boston Foundation issued the following news release on Nov. 12, 2025:
* * *
2025 Housing Report Card finds construction up and new permits down as affordability challenges continue
Just 1-in-7 renter households can afford a "starter home" in Greater Boston; Special topic from Boston University's Initiative on Cities explores MBTA Communities Act implementation
A new report on the current state of housing in Greater Boston presents a picture of strong construction, a concerning trend in building permits, and critical affordability challenges in
... Show Full Article
BOSTON, Massachusetts, Nov. 13 (TNSrpt) -- The Boston Foundation issued the following news release on Nov. 12, 2025:
* * *
2025 Housing Report Card finds construction up and new permits down as affordability challenges continue
Just 1-in-7 renter households can afford a "starter home" in Greater Boston; Special topic from Boston University's Initiative on Cities explores MBTA Communities Act implementation
A new report on the current state of housing in Greater Boston presents a picture of strong construction, a concerning trend in building permits, and critical affordability challenges inthe region. The mixed signals are the focus of the 2025 Greater Boston Housing Report Card, which was released at a Boston Foundation event this morning.
"This year's report data highlights some significant differences among housing construction, permits, and prices," said Luc Schuster, Executive Director of Boston Indicators, the research arm of the Boston Foundation. "While new data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows a significant uptick in new home completions in recent years, the increase has not significantly helped home affordability, and a decline in the number of new housing permits statewide suggests any construction uptick could be short-lived."
"It's easy to get lost in the numbers of units, permits, and cost burdens, but we must remind ourselves that at the end of the day, we are talking about real homes, families and communities," said Lee Pelton, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation. "The lack of supply and rising prices are not new, nor is the impact that our failure to build more affordable housing has on families, workers, and our overall economic competitiveness. If we want vibrant communities and a robust workforce, we need to step up and use the tools and innovations at our disposal to bring greater equity and affordability to families."
Once again this year, the research team from Boston Indicators wove together data on Greater Boston's demographics, housing prices, affordability, and housing instability in the Core Metrics section of the report. This year's report also includes research from the Boston University Initiative on Cities, a Special Topic exploration of the varying paths Greater Boston communities have taken to meet the requirements of the MBTA Communities Act.
2025 Greater Boston Housing Report Card cover
* * *
Explore the report and data (https://www.tbf.org/news-and-insights/reports/2025/november/greater-boston-housing-report-card-2025)
* * *
Through broad-based analysis of state documents and a deep dive into the implementation tactics of three suburban Boston communities -- Lexington, Needham and Wellesley -- the BU researchers highlight the differing paths the 177 cities and towns are taking to meet the law, which requires them to change their zoning and land use policies to allow for the construction of more housing.
"By requiring zoning changes but not the creation of new housing, the state both respected local control over housing policy and provided loopholes that some communities have seized on to meet the letter of the law but not its intent, which was to create thousands of new homes for Massachusetts families," said Katherine Levine Einstein, Associate Professor and co-director of the Boston University Initiative on Cities.
Data provide good, bad and ugly signs for Greater Boston housing
In the Core Metrics section, the Boston Indicators researchers found uplifting news in a new housing dataset from the U.S. Census Bureau. The new Address Count data, which tallies new postal addresses as a proxy for housing units, finds that Massachusetts has created 97,656 new units between April 2020 and July 2025, over 71,000 of them in Greater Boston.
While these units were mostly built before the clock started ticking on the Healey Administration's goal of building 222,000 new housing units over the next 10 years, it is a pace that would put Massachusetts within striking distance of meeting the goal by 2035.
However, that encouraging data is tempered by the latest permit numbers, which signal a coming slowdown. The number of building permits issued in Massachusetts has fallen sharply in the past 4 years, from a peak of nearly 20,000 permits in 2021 to just over 14,000 in 2024. And in Greater Boston, which saw 15,019 permits pulled in 2021, just under 9,000 units were permitted in 2024, and 2025's figures to date are even lower.
Just one in seven renter households can afford 'starter homes'
Despite the new units, too, Greater Boston's housing affordability crisis has only worsened since the pandemic, according to the report. The report compared the monthly mortgage payment on an "entry-level" home in 2021 to 2025, and found that while a household income of just under $98,000 would be considered enough to afford the $2520 monthly payment in 2021, a household would need an income of over $162,000 in 2025 to afford a mortgage payment of over $4200.
"The sobering reality of this combination of price increases and higher mortgage rates is that just one in seven renters in Greater Boston has the income to access a 'starter home' in our region," said Schuster. "The data show just how much work we have to do if we are to expand opportunities and unfreeze the market."
Renters are not immune: nearly half are 'cost-burdened' by housing
Similar challenges face the rental market, where rent increases have slowed in some communities in 2025, but overall, the percentage of renters defined as "cost-burdened" (spending over 30% of income on housing) or "severely cost-burdened" (spending over 50% of income on housing) remains essentially unchanged in 2025. While the percentages of cost-burdened households remain stubbornly high across races, a majority of Black and Latino renter households are considered cost-burdened, and nearly one-third of Black renter households pay more than half their monthly income on housing.
Special Topic: Lessons from MBTA Communities Zoning
For the special topic in this year's report, Katherine Levine Einstein and Maxwell Palmer, both Associate Professors at Boston University's Initiative on Cities, explored some of the dimensions of how the requirements of the MBTA Communities Act are being met in 177 cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
Einstein and Palmer analyzed documents from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) and investigated the adoption of new zoning policies in three Massachusetts suburbs with similar demographics that took substantially different paths to MBTA-C compliance: Lexington, Needham, and Wellesley. The cases bring to light both the local nature of the MBTA Communities adoption process and the resulting mix of plans that emerged.
In their key findings, the researchers share several insights for local and state policymakers and advocates, both for implementing existing housing laws and designing new ones. Among them:
* How community engagement processes are structured may shape whose voices are heard.
* Housing opponents and municipal leaders might weaponize state policies to block new housing. In some communities, fears about the fiscal costs of new housing--especially in the schools--thwarted ambitious rezoning efforts.
* Local governments should be encouraged to zone ambitiously for housing production. While some communities zoned for growth, others complied with the law while allowing as little new housing as possible. Very few communities opted to increase the allowable housing density in single-family neighborhoods.
* State housing reform must take into account the potentially obstructionary role that local ballot referendums can play.
* Housing advocates should strive to build broad-based coalitions (ideally from both political parties), including business leaders, schools, and young people, and bring them together at key meetings.
The full report, which includes interactive charts, data tables, and updates on the status of MBTA Communities plans across the 177 affected cities and towns, can be downloaded at https://www.tbf.org/gbhrc2025.
* * *
REPORT: https://www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/reports-and-covers/2025/2025-gr-boston-housing-report-card-final-2025.pdf
* * *
Original text here: https://www.tbf.org/news-and-insights/press-releases/2025/november/2025-housing-report-card-press-release
