Reflecting on 2025

Dear Friends,

Hope, we believe, is best expressed not in words but in action – in the steady, determined work of those who give of themselves to lift others up. In 2025, the Yawkey Foundation honored and perpetuated Jean and Tom Yawkey’s enduring legacy of quiet compassion and purposeful philanthropy. With more than $620 million in philanthropic funding granted over the past three decades, the Foundation in 2025 strengthened communities throughout Massachusetts and South Carolina – places the Yawkeys called home and held close to their hearts. Through these investments, the Trustees reaffirmed the Founders’ steadfast belief in supporting organizations that provide opportunity, dignity, and hope to those most in need.

Throughout the year, we were privileged to support exceptional nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving their communities with excellence. Our philanthropic support spanned the Foundation’s core areas of giving – Health Care, Human Services, Education, Arts & Culture, Youth & Amateur Athletics, and Conservation & Wildlife – helping community organizations advance their missions and deepen their impact. We invite you to learn more about these inspiring organizations, each of which was highlighted through grant announcements across our giving areas.

Among the many meaningful moments of 2025 were several particularly transformative collaborations. These included advancing child and adolescent mental health initiatives with McLean Hospital; supporting Camp Harbor View’s plans for its future hub for year-round youth enrichment in Dorchester; joining Franklin Cummings Tech in welcoming students to the college’s new Nubian Square campus building in Roxbury; expanding opportunities for independence and community connection for individuals with intellectual disabilities with House of Possibilities in North Easton; increasing access to healthy, locally grown food for South Coast communities with Round the Bend Farm; and supporting environmental preservation and stewardship efforts protecting shorelines, wildlife habitats, and educational outreach from Woods Hole to South Carolina, the home of the 24,000 acre Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. Each of these efforts reflects the values and vision at the heart of the Yawkey legacy.

We were especially proud this year to unite two long-standing Foundation partners – the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum and The BASE in Roxbury, Massachusetts – in a collaboration that celebrates the Yawkeys’ deep love for baseball and the profound good the game can inspire. Tom Yawkey began supporting the Hall of Fame in 1939, and today its permanent exhibit in the Yawkey Gallery, The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball, continues to amplify the complex and powerful stories of Black baseball through the voices of those with lived experience. Since opening in 2024, the exhibit has reached thousands of visitors. In partnership with The BASE, the Foundation was honored to bring 40 student-athletes to the Hall of Fame for a guided tour of the exhibit, a visit to the Plaque Gallery, and the unforgettable opportunity to play on historic Doubleday Field. This experience forged a meaningful connection between two of our valued partners and served as a powerful reminder of the sport’s ability to bring people together and inspire future leaders.

In 2025, the Foundation also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Boston Red Sox’s legendary 1975 season – a “golden season” remembered with joy by players, sportswriters, and fans alike. This milestone reflected so much of what baseball, the Red Sox, and the city of Boston meant to Jean and Tom Yawkey. Guided by documented history and thoughtful research, the Foundation remains committed to preserving and sharing the full, factual history of the Red Sox, balancing the complex history of integration with the numerous sincere and credible offers to recruit talented and established Black players to Boston’s major league roster as reflected on the historic timeline. This work serves not only as a tribute to the game but also as an important educational resource for generations to come.

Jean and Tom Yawkey lived by a simple belief: “Do what is right. Do it quietly. And don’t expect praise for being kind.” In 2025, the Yawkey Foundation honored that philosophy through thoughtful, strategic investments. With more than $620 million in grants awarded since its inception, the Foundation remains steadfast in perpetuating the quiet compassion and transformative impact that defined the Yawkeys’ lives.

As we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, we do so with deep gratitude for the individuals and organizations who share the Foundation’s commitment to strengthening the communities the Yawkeys loved, to supporting the causes they championed, and to living the values the couple embodied every day.

With sincere appreciation and best wishes for the year ahead.