The Philanthropy Connection

What The Philanthropy Connection does

The Philanthropy Connection (TPC) is a 501(c)(3) women's collective giving organization founded in 2012-2013 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Marla Felcher, Dharma Cortés, and Suzanne Carter. It operates a membership-based model in which 250+ women contribute annual investments at five tiers (Friend $300, Partner $600, Catalyst $1,200, Sustainer $2,500, Luminary $5,000), pool those funds, and collectively award unrestricted general operating grants to ten Greater Boston nonprofits each year through a member-led review and voting process. All members have equal voting rights regardless of contribution level. Since inception, TPC has awarded over $2.7M in total grants, including $250,000 distributed to ten grantees in the 2026 cycle; grantees receive unrestricted funding plus introductions to the member network and ongoing engagement through the Grantee Liaison program.

TPC supplements its core grantmaking with structured programs for younger members, including a two-year Young Philanthropist Fellowship (ages 21-35, expanded to two years in 2024) and a newly launched one-year YP Accelerator Program (2026), alongside the Philanthropy Dialogue educational series and a Volunteer with Grantees program. The organization is volunteer-run with a part-time administrator and a board of senior professionals; it has no proprietary technology, relying on a Wild Apricot membership portal and peer-led engagement channels. Revenue is composed of membership dues at five tiers, corporate sponsorships at four levels (up to $8,000+, with named sponsors including Cummings, TJX, Cambridge Trust, and Hemenway & Barnes), and tax-deductible individual donations. TPC is a member of the Philanos national network of 80+ women's collective giving groups representing 17,500 women who have collectively given $150M to nonprofits across the US.

Name

The Philanthropy Connection

Legal name

The Philanthropy Connection, Inc.

Website

https://thephilanthropyconnection.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Philanthropy Connection is a 501(c)(3) women's collective giving organization of 250+ members in Cambridge, MA, that pools annual contributions at five tiers ($300-$5,000) to award unrestricted general operating grants to ten Greater Boston nonprofits annually, and operates Young Philanthropist Fellowship and Accelerator programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's collective giving and grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

Keywords

• Women's collective giving
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Unrestricted operating grants
• Membership philanthropy program
• Community grant funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Members contribute annual investments at five levels: Friend ($300), Partner ($600), Catalyst ($1,200), Sustainer ($2,500), and Luminary ($5,000). Each member's contribution is pooled to fund grants to nonprofits. All members have equal voting rights regardless of contribution level.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide financial support at four levels: Catalyzer ($8,000+), Ally ($5,000-$7,999), Collaborator ($2,000-$4,999), and Supporter (up to $1,999). Sponsors receive benefits including TPC memberships for employees, recognition on website and social media, and invitations to events.
3. Individual Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals, foundations, businesses, and corporations to supplement the grant pool, underwrite member education programs, and offset administrative expenses. Donations are 100% tax deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Philanthropy Connection is a women's collective giving organization whose core offering is a membership-based pooled-giving program: women members contribute annual investments ($300–$5,000 across five tiers) that are aggregated into unrestricted general operating grants awarded each year to 10 Greater Boston nonprofits addressing systemic inequities. Members participate in grant review teams, site visits, and final voting on grantees, with each member having one equal vote regardless of contribution level. The organization also runs education and leadership programs (Philanthropy Dialogues, Young Philanthropist Fellowship, YP Accelerator) that deepen member engagement and pipeline.

Product overview

The Philanthropy Connection is a women's collective giving organization offering a unified membership-based philanthropy platform. The core offering is the Collective Philanthropy Membership Program, where members pool annual contributions to award grants to Greater Boston nonprofits. Supporting programs include the Young Philanthropist Fellowship Program (two-year structured engagement for women 21-35), the YP Accelerator Program (one-year structured pathway), and the Philanthropy Dialogue Series for education. Additional offerings include volunteer programs and annual grant review processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collective Philanthropy Membership Program
• Annual Greater Boston Nonprofit Grant Program
• Young Philanthropist Fellowship Program
• YP Accelerator Program
• Philanthropy Dialogue Series
• Volunteer Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2.7M total granted to nonprofits since founding in 2013
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PhilanoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTPC is a member of Philanos, a national network of over 80 women's collective giving groups. Together, the Philanos network includes over 17,500 women who have given $150 million to nonprofits throughout the US. Philanos connects TPC to the broader women's collective giving movement and provides opportunities for learning and collaboration with similar organizations nationwide.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Philanos: National network of 80+ women's collective giving organizations representing 17,500 women and $150M in cumulative giving. TPC is an active member; Philanos operates as both an umbrella and a peer-collective to which TPC's model is highly comparable.
• Asian Women's Giving Circle: Identity-focused collective giving circle pooling individual donations to fund Asian American women-led and -serving initiatives. Directly comparable operating model — pooled membership funds, voting grantee selection — with a different demographic focus.
• Boston Women's Fund: Boston-based foundation that mobilizes resources for social, racial, and gender justice through pooled giving from individual donors. Highly comparable model — community-centered, gender-focused, locally-scoped pooled philanthropy.
• Amplifier (formerly Women's Collective Giving Grantmakers Alliance): National alliance that supports women's collective giving groups. Highly comparable peer in movement-building, peer learning, and shared infrastructure for the same giving-circle model TPC operates.
• Women's Funding Network: International network of women's funds and foundations focused on gender justice philanthropy. Comparable in mission focus and movement-building role, though it operates as a network/funders' collaborative rather than a single giving circle.
• Impact100: National network of local women's collective giving affiliates that pool individual contributions and award large annual grants. TPC was directly modeled on Impact100 Sonoma after co-founder Marla Felcher attended one of its meetings, making this the most direct comparably-modeled peer.
• Impact100 Boston: Local Boston chapter of the Impact100 collective giving model — directly competing women's collective giving organization operating in the same Greater Boston geography with the same pooled-membership grantmaking approach.
• Women's Foundation of Boston: Local Boston-area foundation focused on the economic and personal empowerment of women and girls through grantmaking, research, and advocacy. Overlaps with TPC's gender-focused giving mission and Greater Boston geography.

Broad incumbents

• United Way of Massachusetts Bay: Established Greater Boston federated giving organization that pools workplace donations and re-grants to local nonprofits. Larger, broader, and more institutionally embedded than TPC, but uses a similar pooled-contribution grantmaking model.
• The Boston Foundation: One of the oldest and largest community foundations in the US, managing hundreds of donor-advised funds and granting broadly across Greater Boston. Overlapping geographic scope and grantmaking role, but vastly larger scale and endowment-backed.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tpcgives
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThePhilanthropyConnection
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-philanthropy-connection
• Instagraminstagram.com/thephilanthropyconnection

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Philanthropy Connection