Human Services

Tom and Jean Yawkey never forgot those in need. There are many stories of Tom and Jean Yawkey quietly paying medical bills, housing costs, and other expenses for the families of their employees at both the Red Sox and their winter home in South Carolina. Throughout their lifetimes, the Yawkeys quietly and generously supported programs and organizations serving youth, people with intellectual and physical disabilities, and struggling families.

In the 1980s, Jean Yawkey met Kip Tiernan, the well-known Bostonian who dedicated her life to the service of the poor through the founding of both the Greater Boston Food Bank and Rosie’s Place. Jean privately began supporting both organizations, which went on to thrive in decades to come. The Trustees of the Yawkey Foundation have continued and expanded Tom and Jean Yawkey’s legacy of generosity towards those who need it most.

To this day, The Yawkey Foundation continues to support organizations serving the most vulnerable members of the community providing critical resources for food, shelter, and support programs for at-risk youth and disadvantaged adults experiencing barriers to self-sufficiency.

Featured Projects

Dimock Center

The Yawkey Foundation has a history of supporting the Dimock Center that dates back to the 1990s. It is through this longstanding relationship that the Foundations came to know and understand the many critical resources that Dimock provides to those in need. After working with Dimock to identify some of the organization’s greatest needs, the Yawkey Foundation funded a Strategic Initiative involving engineering assessments of the Lucy Sewall Building. Subsequently, the Yawkey Foundation provided $2.5 million to support the renovation and expansion of the building. The renovations increased Dimock’s inpatient detoxification treatment beds from 30 to 40. For each bed added to the unit, Dimock sees approximately 100 more patients each year, increasing the number of people served annually to more than 4,000.

Pine Street Inn

After more than 34 years of support, including personal support from Jean Yawkey, the Pine Street Inn, New England’s largest homeless services organization received a $15 million transformational capital grant from the Yawkey Foundation to advance Pine Street Inn’s goal of ending homelessness by making permanent housing a reality for the most vulnerable individuals. This grant will help accelerate expansion of the organization’s housing program by creating 400-500 new units of permanent supportive housing during the next five years, effectively increasing Pine Street Inn’s total units by approximately 50%. Pine Street Inn’s housing programs provide highly-skilled, trained support staff who work with tenants in accessing medical and behavioral healthcare, job training and jobs, volunteer opportunities and more to help them remain safe, stable and housed.

Father Bill’s & MainSpring

After many years of partnership, and as the region and nation sought to address the homelessness crisis, the Yawkey Foundation provided Father Bill’s & MainSpring with a $2 million Transformational Capital grant to support the development of its innovative Housing Resource Center in Quincy. The Yawkey HRC formally opened in November 2023, offering a day center with supportive services and programs, an emergency shelter, and 30 units of permanent supportive housing. This gift recognizes Father Bill’s & MainSpring’s innovative service-delivery model which aims to achieve lasting outcomes for individuals who are housing insecure via prevention, diversion, and rapid rehousing.

Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Bridge) received a multi-year, $900,000 strategic investment grant from the Yawkey Foundation to help strengthen Bridge’s foundation and help scale its “Pathway to Self-Sufficiency” programs that focus on youth development. This grant will allow Bridge to maintain its high-quality programming while increasing program capacity, deepening the scope of individualized services for homeless and at-risk youth and also allow Bridge to update and renovate program spaces.

UTEC

UTEC, a nonprofit dedicated to igniting and nurturing the ambition of our most disconnected young people to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success, received a transformational capital grant of $500,000 from the Yawkey Foundation to expand its Woodworking Social Enterprise serving Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill, MA justice-involved young adults. UTEC’s Workforce program offers young adults with paid on-the-job experience in social enterprises, including Woodworking. Young adults enrolled in Woodworking learn skills to make products for retail and wholesale customers, while also receiving wraparound support, and assistance in finding external employment.

COVID Response

In March 2020, The Yawkey Foundation provided $4 million in grant funding to more than 60 Massachusetts nonprofit organizations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants were focused on providing equitable access to critical human services and health care to the most vulnerable individuals and families impacted by the pandemic.

St. Francis House

St. Francis House received a $400,000 Strategic Investment grant to support pre-construction expenses for renovations of the 39 Boylston Street location. St. Francis House provides much-needed support to hundreds of adults experiencing homelessness each day, when overnight shelters are closed. These renovations and upgrades will help St. Francis House continue to provide comprehensive, compassionate, trauma informed services to adults experiencing homelessness.