Press Release: 10/21/2025

Community Wisdom in Grant-Making Decisions

 

"There’s a lot that people who haven’t walked in my shoes may be unaware of, so I was pleased that TBF took the initiative to say, ‘You’re in this and see what’s happening,’ and was willing to trust the leadership of the community.”

Connie Forbes served as a community reviewer for TBF’s Safety Net Grants special round in spring 2025. We spoke to her about her experience.

A condensed and edited version of this interview appeared in the Fall 2025 Issue of TBF News.

Among other community-based endeavors, Connie Forbes is the finance and operations associate at Future Chefs, a nonprofit that provides early employment, transferable skills training, and ongoing coaching and support to adolescents and young adults in a culinary arts setting. As the Future Chefs website puts it, “Our conviction is that the life skills and knife skills learned in the kitchen can be applied meaningfully in all avenues of a fulfilling life.” Forbes says, “Future Chefs is not just a program that teaches you something and then off you go; it's a holistic coaching, mentoring, and growth approach. I find those approaches are more successful—you don't let go of someone’s hand in the middle of the trip, you go with them.” Forbes served as a community reviewer for TBF’s Safety Net Grants special round in spring 2025. We spoke to her about her experience.

The Boston Foundation (TBF): Have you served as a grant reviewer before?



Connie Forbes (CF): My first time was when TBF first started incorporating community reviewers, and since then I have done it for two other organizations. I was comfortable after the Boston Foundation’s initial introduction to the concept.

TBF: How did the Safety Net Grants process work?



CF: When we first started, we were each given grant applications to review. There’s software we used to make our comments and compile notes. We also worked with a partner: On some I would be the lead reviewer and my partner would be the secondary reviewer; on others they would be the lead, and I would be the secondary reviewer. We would talk through our thoughts on the grant applications. That was really great. Then we all came together in the bigger body of reviewers, and we each talked about what we had selected as the one or two strongest out of all the ones we were reading—and why. We would share that with the main group and then, based on what was said, determine which had the strongest reaction from all the reviewers—which ones were really received well and moved the group the most.  

TBF: It's not easy, because you have to limit the numbers.



CF: Yes, that was a learning curve for me because these are all great programs! But then you see the ones that really shine, sometimes because they hit areas that were not really discussed elsewhere. You get a whole series of grant applications and you see a lot that’s repeated. But sometimes you see a new idea, a new concept or new approach, and you think: This is something that it makes sense to fund. We were fortunate to have that happen each time I've been a reviewer.

TBF: Was there a general consensus or a lot of lively discussion about the different applicants?



CF: Some were really straightforward—everyone could see the value. And then there were some that were not as clear to the entire cohort. We would take a vote—who feels that this is a really strong one? And we continued that process until we came up with the number that was being sought. But in a couple of cases, we also noted, “If there is room for another one, we would like you to consider this.” That was important because some of them were so strong and you just didn’t want it to fall by the wayside.

TBF: Can you share any thoughts about the importance of having people from outside the Foundation guide the decisions about the organizations to support?



CF: I live in this community—in the marginalized communities that are in Boston. I have experienced some of the challenges of people who need these programs and would benefit from them. There’s a lot of things that people who don’t walk in my shoes may not be aware of. In particular, I felt it was an honor and a privilege to make the Boston Foundation’s teams aware of something that’s missing: In my community a lot of things are overlooked, and one of the biggest is the extent of mental health issues. When you live in a situation where you are always “on”—let’s say, you're always looking over your shoulder, like, what's happening?—it can be damaging. You can become numb to things. Not that you don’t value life, but you may see something problematic and you just have to keep moving. Unless you live in this constantly-on state, you may not understand. But very few grants were really focusing on mental health. I was very happy that the Boston Foundation was open to allowing community reviewers—and for me, specifically—to bring that to their attention. We’re a traumatized community. Not only the community where I come from, Roxbury, but a lot of communities where people are insecure about their day-to-day living. 

TBF: Was there anything surprising in the process of doing this? 

 

CF: For me, as a community member, being asked my opinion! We live in a world where everyone tells us what we need. They say, “Oh, we’re doing this for you,” but they don’t ask me if I need it. I was pleasantly surprised that the Boston Foundation took the initiative to say, you’re in this and you understand, you see what’s happening. And that they were willing to trust the leadership of the community, people who were living the experience, to start saying what we saw as the major concerns that potentially were not being addressed at all.

TBF: What was the most fun part of it? 

 

CF: I went to BU, where I learned how to write grants and do that kind of work. But then seeing the other side of the coin and understanding what grant-makers are looking for and what inspires people who are looking at these grant proposals was really kind of fun. I love learning, and that was great. Now when I talk to people about grant applications, I say, “Make your grant unique; make it different; make it shine. Make it something that has not been replicated multiple times. Be creative. Step outside that box.”

"We live in a world where everyone tells us what we need. They say, 'Oh, we’re doing this for you,' but they don’t ask me if I need it. I was pleasantly surprised that the Boston Foundation took the initiative to say, you’re in this and you understand, you see what’s happening. And that they were willing to trust the leadership of the community, people who were living the experience, to start saying what we saw as the major concerns that potentially were not being addressed at all."

TBF: Would you have any advice for future grant programs to expand the pool or make it easier or more efficient for community members to participate?



CF: Not so much that, but I did notice that there were organizations in the pool that had the mission, the vision, and the drive that was worthy but they needed support or some guidance in presenting their case. I thought, if only the Boston Foundation could create a program where these organizations can have some pro bono support to shore up their programming and reporting, it'd make such a difference. The challenge I had with a lot of the grant applications was that I didn’t see the data. I see a percentage, but percentage of what? And other data is really helpful to understand: Are you touching five people? 50 people? a thousand people? If the grant writers don’t have the experience to work with the data, that might be a challenge. But I also love it when grant writers include a story about who they’re helping and how that program is changing lives. They may not understand that that’s something they can or should do. If the Boston Foundation could create a program to share these basics—how to know your numbers, tell a story—that alone would help the nonprofits. Maybe we can’t fund you this time but we'd like to make sure you have a better chance to be funded in the future. With a program to mentor or coach these smaller nonprofits, they could go to the next level.