Eos Foundation is a left-of-center private grantmaking foundation that works in the areas of food insecurity and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). It is also a supporter of the legal advocacy group Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. ^{1 2}

Projects

Women’s Power Gap

In 2018 Eos Foundation spearheaded the Women’s Power Gap project, which aims “to dramatically increase the number of women from diverse backgrounds in leadership positions across all sectors.” Its 2023 study “Breaking Through to the Top: Diversity Among Executive Leadership at Massachusetts’ Largest Public Companies” highlights an increase in female executive representation, but suggests that the “pace remains far too slow.” The report also laments “occupational segregation” among companies, suggesting that female employees are deliberately not placed in positions which would lead to CEO opportunities, but are instead concentrated in areas such as human resources or marketing departments. ³

The report also proposes suggestions to change these trends, including that CEOs of companies should view themselves as the “chief diversity officer.” Other propositions include tying executive compensation to the achievement of diversity goals, pairing female employees with “male allies,” and encouraging women employees to seek board seats on other companies to further their experience. The report was unable to chart minority racial representation, as only 44 percent of the companies provided this data. Likewise, LGBT representation is missing as most companies did not give statistics in this area. ⁴

After the Bell School Breakfast Program

After the Bell was started in 2013 by Eos with the aim of providing breakfast at schools to low-income students in Massachusetts. It provides grants and issues an annual School Breakfast Report Card to track implementation of these programs. ⁵

Grantmaking

Racial Equity

In the area of racial equity, Eos Foundation is the supporter of several Massachusetts-based nonprofits, including the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts and Amplify LatinaX/Latina Circle, which both focus on increasing minority representation in business sectors. It also supports similar groups such as Get Konnected! and Loop Lab, which works to “empower Womxn and People of Color in the media arts to develop careers in audio/video through job training and job placement.” ⁶  

EMF supports the Embrace Boston Fund (formerly the King Boston Fund) which began in 2017 with a $1 million donation to build a memorial to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., and has since expanded to memorialize other civil rights leaders as well as performing policy advocacy and research. ⁷ It also provides support for the Boston branch of the NACCP and anti-violence initiative Mothers for Justice and Equality. ⁸

Food Insecurity

Eos Foundation supports several Massachusetts-based food banks, including the Family Pantry of Cape Cod, Food Bank of Western Mass, and Merrimack Valley Food Bank. ⁹ In May 2020, Eos Foundation also provided a $10,000 grant to supplement meals for children in the Nashoba Regional School District during school closures brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. ¹⁰ Eos also supports policy advocacy groups that work in the area of child welfare, such as Children’s HealthWatch, which conducts health care surveys in the capital cities of Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. ¹¹

Eos Foundation supports the legal advocacy group Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, which provides legal assistance to low-income individuals, as well as expansion of food stamp programs, tenants’ advocacy, and low-income housing expansion. ^{12 13}

Leadership

Andrea Silbert is president of Eos Foundation. She is a former candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, and founder of the business training group Center for Women and Enterprise, and the women’s business assistance organization Springboard Enterprises. Silbert is also the former board Chair for the Association of Women’s Business Centers, and is a member of the Anti-Defamation League’s New England branch. ¹⁴

1. “About.” Eos Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://eosfoundation.org/about/
2. “Combatting Hunger.” Eos Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023.  https://eosfoundation.org/combatting-hunger/
3. Silbert, Andrea et al. “Breaking Through to the Top…” Eos Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://womenspowergap.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/WPG-2023-Corporate-MA-75-FULL-Report-web-with-profiles.pdf
4.  Silbert, Andrea et al. “Breaking Through to the Top…” Eos Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://womenspowergap.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/WPG-2023-Corporate-MA-75-FULL-Report-web-with-profiles.pdf
5. “Initiatives.” Eos Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://eosfoundation.org/initiatives/
6. “Economic Opportunity.” The Loop Lab. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://www.thelooplab.org/
7. “Embrace Boston.” The Boston Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://www.tbf.org/what-we-do/special-funds/embrace-boston
8. “Racial Equity.” Eos Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://eosfoundation.org/racial-justice/
9. “Combatting Hunger.” Eos Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023.  https://eosfoundation.org/combatting-hunger/
10. “Nashoba District Receives $10,000 Grant for Food Distribution.” Telegram & Gazette. Accessed September 25, 2023.  https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/the-item/2020/05/15/nashoba-district-receives-10000-grant-for-food-distribution/1196024007/
11. “What We Do.” Children’s HealthWatch. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://childrenshealthwatch.org/about/what-we-do/
12. “Home.” MLRI. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://www.mlri.org/
13. “Combatting Hunger.” Eos Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023.  https://eosfoundation.org/combatting-hunger/
14. “Andrea Silbert.” Eos Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://eosfoundation.org/andrea-silbert/