- Workforce Development
- Woman and Girl Empowerment
- Youth Leadership Development
- Educational Access
- Quality Health for All
- Combatting Anti-Semitism and Other Forms of Hate
- Judaism Tradition
The Kraft Family Foundation has established more than three dozen permanent endowments at educational, health care and social service organizations.
- In 2015, KFF pledged $20 million to Harvard Business School (HBS) to establish the Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator, an initiative to pursue programs to realize the potential of precision medicine in care of cancer and other serious diseases. The Precision Medicine Accelerator Program has met its objectives, and in 2021, the endowment was redeployed to assist students in need at Harvard Business School.
- KFF established the Kraft Family Non-Profit Emergency Fund at The Boston Foundation in 2015. The Fund provides rapid response assistance grants to small- and mid-size non-profits identified that experience unforeseen expenses as a result of factors outside of the organization’s control or that could not be anticipated by the organization, including, among other things, expenses related to critical facility, administration or program needs.
Over the past seven years, the Kraft Family Foundation has provided more than $13 million in catalyst opportunities, supporting close to 100 nonprofit organizations focused on anti-violence efforts, educational opportunity, quality healthcare access, workplace development and more. Recent catalyst gifts partners include Crossroads, Benjamin Franklin Institute, Breakthrough Greater Boston, Casa Myrna, FamilyAid Boston, Foster Forward, Friends of the Children Boston, HopeWell, Hyde Square Task Force, Sociedad Latina, and Veterans Legal Services, among others.
- Robert Kraft attended Columbia University on an academic scholarship, graduating in 1963. He served as a Trustee of Columbia University from 1992 to 2004 and has contributed more than $18 Million to the school for capital and endowed projects, highlighted by:
- $9 Million to build, sustain and operate the Kraft Center and establish the Robert K. Kraft Family Center for Jewish Student Life. The Kraft Center houses all aspects of Jewish life. It is home to a wide range of social, cultural, religious and educational activities.
- $6 Million to support the Columbia University athletics program, including $5 Million for the Robert K. Kraft Football Field at Wien Stadium. An additional $1 Million was donated to help build the Baker Field Seasonal Air-Supported Structure (SASS) Athletics Complex. A SASS is a dome membrane comprised of a double-skin layer of vinyl fabric that covers an open, outdoor space in order to create a temporary, climate-controlled and weather-protected facility.
- $500,000 for The Kraft Family Fund for Interfaith and Intercultural Awareness. The fund was established to support innovative discussions initiated by both students and the University. These discussions cover a wide range of contemporary and often controversial topics, including issues surrounding race, religion, politics and culture.
In June 2020, the Kraft family announced the creation of a new fund, which has distributed $1 million to 10 local organizations fighting for equity, working to end systemic racism and creating meaningful change in the community. The recipients were chosen by the Kraft family in collaboration with Patriots players. Recipients included: Greater Boston Legal Services, Tech Goes Home, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, Rain Immigrant Center and Becoming a Main, among others.
Learn more about the Kraft Family/Patriots Player Collaborative Fund >>
Kraft teamed up with Charlie Baker to secure 1.8 million respirator masks for frontline workers in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island during the early stages of COVID-19.
The Kraft Family Foundation bestowed a $1 million leadership gift to support the innovative work of Our Generation Speaks. An incubator and ‘people accelerator” whose mission is to create an entrepreneurial community of leaders to shape a more peaceful Israeli-Palestinian future built on trust.
- Impacting Attitudes of Young People
- Leveraging Social Media for Educational Campaigns
- Proactivity and Rapid Response to Hate
[tbh] is a movement that encourages young people of all backgrounds to join the fight against all forms of hatred. We believe the only effective, systematic way to overcome hatred, prejudice, and bias is to build bridges between peoples and communities through direct engagement and compassionate, impactful education.
- Healthcare
- Education
- Housing
- Transportation
- A local family with three children ages 12, 9 and 8 were independent until the mother and father faced recent health issues. Dad suffered an aneurism and had open heart surgery, putting him out of work for months. Mom was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was out of work to recover and care for her husband and children. The family was in need of financial assistance to cover their rent during an exceptionally tough time.
- The father of a Massachusetts family with a long history of community involvement passed away unexpectedly at age 49 and the family struggled to cover the funeral expenses.
- A young family from the South Shore saw both parents diagnosed with cancer in a span of seven months. The couple has three young children and were out of work due to cancer treatments. The family identified that help with their mortgage payment would be of great assistance during a tremendously difficult time.
- A single mom from Boston passed away due to cancer. Her daughter was a senior in high school and needed assistance with covering funeral expenses.
- A single mother of three was displaced by a fire and was living in a hotel. She had been working tirelessly to secure a new home and finally found one. Unfortunately, mom was unable to cover all the move-in expenses.
- A single mother of a disabled teen lost her job in 2020 due to the pandemic. She also struggled with the added expense of full-time childcare since the closing of school and childcare center. She has worked very hard over the years to remain independent and provide a home for her family and was at risk of losing all of that. She needed help with mortgage payments to keep her and her daughter in their home and out of a shelter.
