Philanthropy Massachusetts

What Philanthropy Massachusetts does

Philanthropy Massachusetts (PMA) is a nonprofit membership association founded in 1969 and headquartered at 133 Federal Street, Suite 802, Boston, Massachusetts. The organization convenes philanthropic funders (private, corporate, community, and family foundations, donor advised funds, giving circles, and individual donors) and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations across the Commonwealth to promote effective and responsible philanthropy. PMA operates as the statewide neutral convener for the Massachusetts philanthropic sector, organizing 17 funder networks and collaboratives spanning behavioral health, early childhood, social justice, and other issue areas, and hosting major events including the 2026 GEO National Conference.

PMA's core product portfolio includes the Summer Fund (a donor collaborative founded in 1971 that has distributed over $40 million cumulatively to summer camps serving underserved youth in Greater Boston), grants research tools (member access to Foundation Directory Pro via partnership with Candid), fiscal sponsorship services, network programming, and recent additions such as the Senior Fellows Program (launched June 2026) and the Site Visit Guide (published 2025). The organization also produces research outputs including Gateway City Snapshots covering philanthropic flows to Massachusetts' Gateway Cities. PMA employs 11-50 staff and has no proprietary technology layer; service delivery is fundamentally human-mediated through events, workshops, research sessions, and member services.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure. Membership dues (ranging from $580 to $16,870 annually based on members' estimated annual giving) cover approximately 60% of operating budget, with the balance from operating grants (e.g., $150,000 from Cummings Foundation in June 2026) and individual/institutional donations solicited through an annual fund campaign. PMA also serves as fiscal sponsor for various collaboratives, generating fee revenue from pass-through activity. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-driven — the organization grows membership and engagement through programming, thought leadership, and sector convening rather than direct sales.

Name

Philanthropy Massachusetts

Legal name

Philanthropy Massachusetts

Website

https://philanthropyma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Philanthropy Massachusetts is a Boston-based nonprofit membership association that convenes philanthropic funders and nonprofits across Massachusetts through 17 funder networks, events, grants research tools, fiscal sponsorship, and the Summer Fund donor collaborative, serving foundations, donor advised funds, and nonprofit organizations statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy Association Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Philanthropy association services
• Funder nonprofit convening
• Grantmaking member networks
• Fiscal sponsorship services
• Nonprofit capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Membership support covers approximately 60% of annual operating budget. Membership is available to various types of organizations including private foundations, corporate foundations, community foundations, individual donors, donor advised funds, giving circles, and more.
2. Donations and Gifts: Individual and institutional gifts to close the gap in covering costs. Unrestricted gifts of various amounts are solicited through annual fund campaign.
3. Grants: Operating grants from foundations such as the $150,000 general operating grant from Cummings Foundation to support deepening relationships between funders and nonprofits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Philanthropy Massachusetts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association founded in 1969 that convenes philanthropic funders and nonprofit organizations across Massachusetts. It offers tiered organizational membership, donor collaboratives such as the Summer Fund, fiscal sponsorship services, peer learning networks, research on regional giving, and tools such as access to the Foundation Directory Pro grants research platform.

Product overview

Philanthropy Massachusetts is a membership-based association serving philanthropic funders and nonprofits in Massachusetts. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including member events and workshops, grantmaking through the Summer Fund donor collaborative, research services with access to Foundation Directory and other tools, fiscal sponsorship, networks and collaboratives, and published resources such as the Site Visit Guide and Gateway Cities research snapshots.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Summer Fund: A donor collaborative operated by Philanthropy Massachusetts that supports summer camps and enrichment programs for underserved youth throughout Greater Boston. Founded in 1971.

Products and services

• Summer Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 12,000 youth served at dozens of sites in Greater Boston through Summer Fund in 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• CandidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMA has an organizational partnership with Candid enabling members to access Foundation Directory Pro with their own virtual research sessions. Members can sign up for tutorials with the research specialist to use these robust grants research tools.
• Grantmakers of Effective Organizations (GEO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMA served as host for the 2026 GEO National Conference focused on Transforming Philanthropic Culture and Practice. PMA CEO presented opening remarks and hosted a session on how philanthropy can support institutions and invest in communities.
• Summer Fund Advisory CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory Committee comprised of Barr Foundation, Cambridge Community Foundation, Liberty Mutual Foundation, and Hemenway & Barnes providing strategic guidance and grantmaking support for the Summer Fund.
• Community Foundation of Western MAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHosting the Western MA Funders Network in-person meeting at their Springfield location.
• Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUndergraduate student in Biological Engineering from MIT worked with Research Specialist to develop Gateway City Snapshots research project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Council on Foundations: National membership association serving philanthropic institutions in the U.S. Directly comparable to PMA as a peer membership association for foundations and grantmakers, though operating at national rather than state scale.
• Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers: Network of regional grantmaker associations across the U.S. PMA is a member-type peer; FRAG itself serves as a coordinating body for the very category of organization that PMA represents in Massachusetts.
• Maryland Philanthropy Network: State-level membership association advancing effective philanthropy in Maryland. Closely mirrors PMA's regional model of convening funders, running networks, providing research, and offering programming for foundations and nonprofits.
• Connecticut Council for Philanthropy: Statewide philanthropic association serving Connecticut foundations and nonprofits. Operates the same playbook as PMA: member networks, research tools, funder convenings, and grantmaking collaboratives within a single state footprint.
• Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO): National community of philanthropic funders focused on effectiveness. PMA hosted GEO's 2026 National Conference and shares significant thematic and membership overlap, making it an adjacent peer rather than pure substitute.
• Philanthropy Northwest: Regional association of grantmakers serving the Pacific Northwest. Analogous to PMA in structure (membership dues, funder networks, fiscal sponsorship), differing primarily in geography.

Broad incumbents

• Independent Sector: National membership organization for nonprofits, foundations, and corporations engaged in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. Broader than PMA but serves overlapping members and pursues similar policy/research/advocacy aims.
• The Boston Foundation: Massachusetts' largest community foundation and a Summer Fund donor/partner. While primarily a grantmaker rather than an association, it is a key institutional player in the same MA philanthropic ecosystem PMA convenes.
• National Council of Nonprofits: Network of state and regional nonprofit associations. Comparable to PMA in its nonprofit-support and capacity-building mission, although the council focuses more on policy advocacy whereas PMA leans toward funder-nonprofit bridge-building.

Emerging players

• Candid: Data provider behind Foundation Directory Pro, GuideStar, and Foundation Maps. Currently a strategic partner of PMA but also operates adjacent learning and community offerings that could partially overlap with PMA's value proposition over time.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/philanthropyma
• Xx.com/Philanthropy_MA
• Facebookfacebook.com/PhilanthropyMA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Philanthropy Massachusetts