 Funds are set up either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes, such as supporting individual nonprofit organizations in perpetuity.Today the Foundation is the largest public charity and the largest grantmaker in New England, making more than $130 million in grants in FY2018.Since 2001, the Boston Foundation has also served as a civic leader by commissioning and publishing research and providing a platform for discussion and progress related to a wide range of challenges facing Boston and the region.