The Hestia Fund is a dynamic organization of 50 +/- women who live in and around Boston. Its mission is to support educational programs that create opportunities for children from underserved families to thrive in school and set them on a path towards leadership roles and economic security. Through regular programming, Hestia members learn about issues affecting low-income families and thoughtfully and thoroughly analyze grant requests from relevant not-for-profit organizations and schools.
Members are involved in a variety of ways, depending on individual interests, skills, and availability. They are free to be involved at whatever level and to whatever extent is convenient and workable for them. Some opportunities are as follows:
- Participating in Hestia’s two in-person business meetings per year, in September/October and May.
- Joining one of Hestia’s standing committees, an excellent way to get to know fellow Hestians, increase one’s involvement, and share one’s skills.
- During February and March, attending site visits at organizations and schools being considered for grants is a wonderful way to engage in the core work of Hestia.
- Attend, either remotely or in person, Hestia’s monthly speaker events featuring prominent individuals in the field of education and representatives from Hestia’s grantee organizations. This is a wonderful way for members to learn about current issues in education and how Hestia’s grantees are addressing them.
- Many Hestians enjoy the social opportunities that come with membership. Additional opportunities for engagement include informal socials in the homes of members and a December holiday party.
All of these educational and social events, taken together, strengthen the Hestia community. While members are encouraged and welcome to participate, there are no requirements. Hestia is a giving circle, and members make an annual donation to fund our grants. New members are typically asked to make an initial three-year commitment, with annual renewals thereafter.
If you are interested in learning more about Hestia membership, please contact hestiafundboston@gmail.com.
While our educational and social events contribute to our learning and to building Hestia’s community, they are encouraged rather than required. Members can participate to the extent they are able.
Hestia is set up as a giving circle in which each member contributes roughly $7,750 per year, allowing our typical grant to an organization to be $25,000-$50,000, with about 50% of grants being multi-year. New members are typically asked to commit for 3 years initially and then renew annually.