Throughout our time operating in Boston, we posted blog content to promote partner organizations, lift up community members, and elevate direct giving in philanthropy. In 2018, we invited staff, interns, and volunteers to share their experience working with Doris and the Foundation. In 2019, we asked our Community Partners to discuss their work on social issues corresponding to our impact areas of housing, health, workforce development, and education. Following our sunset announcement, we devoted our blog in 2020 to elevating reflections from our extended community. All published blog posts are available below.
Access to education for individuals and families is a top priority at Letters Foundation. Through our collaboration with the Red Sox Scholars Program, as well as our community partnerships with One Family, Inc. and Jeremiah Program, we remain committed to supporting educational goals for our constituents. While we recognize that tuition, aid, and student loans … Continued
The Letters Foundation’s Community Partners Program partners with nonprofits to support our mutual constituents with one-time grants related to housing, health, workforce development, and education. This collaboration aims to honor and uphold the strengths of individuals and families, while recognizing that many systems create roadblocks for the people in our community to be able to … Continued
As we look ahead to 2019, we are inspired by the courage, strength and resilience of every person who wrote to us this past year. In 2018, we awarded over $3 million in grants, received 1,509 letters and had the privilege of collaborating with over 250 individuals and families, who received a one-time grant … Continued
Our very recent book release, Letters to Doris, tells the stories of 23 people who were recipients of Doris’ individual grantmaking. Below, Alex Buffett Rozek shares his experience reading Letters to Doris and reflecting on his grandmother’s lifelong commitment to improving the lives of those who wrote to her. As Board Chair, Alex has put … Continued
At Letters Foundation, we are privileged to work alongside a group of dedicated volunteers who support our work in invaluable ways. We want to express our gratitude to our volunteers for lending their time and energy every week to help get more grants to people in need. Our volunteers embody the core values of the … Continued
Our passionate and dedicated staff is an important piece in making Doris’ philanthropic vision possible. Every day, our Program Officers work tirelessly to help our clients get the hand up they need to stabilize their lives. Senior Program Officer, Sherlynn, has been working one-on-one with clients as part of Doris’ giving for a decade. Her … Continued
Collaboration between constituents, communities and funders is instrumental to our approach to grantmaking at Letters Foundation. In order to reach the people Doris Buffett has supported over the years, we launched the Foundation’s first strategic effort to build partnerships with community-based nonprofits in Greater Boston in March of 2017. Starting with a group of select … Continued
We are so grateful for all that our volunteers do—from supporting us administratively, to carefully reviewing each letter, to serving as advocates for clients—to help make our grant-making possible. Each volunteer brings a thoughtful perspective, shaped by his or her unique experience, that enriches our work and enables us to better fulfill Doris’ philanthropic vision. … Continued
When Doris Buffett relocated to Boston, her favorite philanthropic initiative—the Letters Program—moved with her. The Letters Foundation was formally established in fall 2016, with our dedicated team working to expand our reach to individuals across the country. Doris’ lifelong commitment to individuals, in addition to her kind and practical approach to problem-solving, continue to inform … Continued
Aside from our dedicated staff and volunteers, we work with passionate interns who help make our grantmaking and Doris’ philanthropic vision possible. Collectively, our work culminates in offering a hand-up to individuals as they work to stabilize their lives. What we love about the internship program is that it allows for the next generation of … Continued
