Here at Inside Philanthropy, we often highlight the giving of under-the-radar funders that offer limited transparency into their giving processes as a way of introducing grantseekers to new, potential funding sources. The Gross Family Foundation, which concentrates its giving on Boston, Massachusetts, is one of those funders.
Here are a few things to know about this low-key foundation and how it awards grants throughout the city.
Background on the founders
The Gross Family Foundation (GFF) is the philanthropic vehicle of Phillip Gross, an investment banker and co-founder of Adage Capital Management, LP. He worked at Harvard Management Company as a healthcare analyst and went on to start a hedge fund based in Boston. Gross is still engaged in his business, and according to his LinkedIn profile, “Adage manages assets primarily for endowment and foundation clients and is composed of a team of industry-specific portfolio managers that use fundamental intra-industry investment approaches to achieve its investment objectives.”
Phillip Gross and his wife, Elizabeth, serve as trustees of the foundation, along with Thomas V. Quirk of Howland Capital. Elizabeth Gross has worked as a research scientist, Tufts University faculty member, director at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and board leader for several nonprofits.
Main interests
Though GFF has been operating for decades, the foundation does not have a website to guide grantseekers. Therefore, the best way to understand how GFF gives is by reviewing its tax filings over the years.
This private foundation often gives to organizations in the fields of education, youth services, cancer research and athletics. Phillip Gross has a passion for skiing and occasionally gives to water sports and snow sports groups. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Gross has worked closely with nonprofits in the fields of education, medical research and social justice. GFF grants have also supported HIV/AIDS-related causes as well as performing arts centers that focus on music and dance.
Typical Boston grantees
GFF offers steady support for athletic programs serving inner-city kids in Boston. Phillip Gross has served as a trustee of the U.S. Skiing and Snowboard Association and has been on the board of Youth Enrichment Services, which gets city youth involved in sports. The couple also helped establish Strategic Grant Partners, a group of family foundations committed to improving the lives of people in Massachusetts. Recent GFF grantees include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts, the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation and 51 Walden.
Almost every grant from the foundation benefits Boston or other communities in Massachusetts.
Unsolicited applications unwelcome
According to the most recent tax records available, GFF does not accept unsolicited grant requests and chooses to only fund pre-selected organizations. To learn more about this foundation and how to get in touch with general questions, see IP’s full profile of the Gross Family Foundation.