Barbara Hostetter is a Boston, Massachusetts-based philanthropist. She is the wife of billionaire cable television entrepreneur Amos Hostetter.

She is the co-founder of the Barr Foundation, which gives to various projects around the Boston area related to the arts and combating climate change. ¹ Hostetter has sat on the boards or as a trustee of various museums and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. ²

With her husband, she is also a major political donor to the Democratic Party, its candidates, and political action committees. In the 2022 midterm election, she was a donor to numerous swing district Democratic candidates for Congress. ³

Early Life

Hostetter was born Barbara Walsh. She grew up in Lakeville, Connecticut. Her father was a pharmacist. ⁴ She graduated from the Hotchkiss School and George Washington University. ⁵

She became a merchandizer for the women’s clothing manufacturer D.B. Rosenblatt in New York City. ⁶

In 1984, she married Amos Hostetter, who was then the president of Continental Cablevision, which was the largest privately owned cable company in the United States. At the time of her marriage, she intended to keep her maiden name for professional purposes. ⁷

Philanthropy

In 1997, Amos and Barbara Hostetter founded the Barr Foundation in Boston. The foundation was seeded by the sale of Continental Cablevision to US West in 1996 for $11 billion. ⁸

Since then, the Barr Foundation has given away more than $1 billion on projects mostly in and around Boston. The foundation is a major contributor to arts programs and projects that are designed to fight climate change. ⁹ Much of the charitable giving of the Barr Foundation is based on combating climate change. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R) named her as a founding director to Stewardship Council for the Department of Conservation and Recreation. ¹⁰

Barbara Hostetter was originally the president of the Barr Foundation. However, she relinquished the position when the foundation hired its first full-time president in 2014. ¹¹

She has held various positions related to the arts scene in Boston. Among the positions she has held are trustee and chair for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She has also served as a trustee for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. ¹²

The Hostetters are also donors to the Obama Foundation ¹³ and the Center for Reproductive Rights. ¹⁴

As of September 2022, the Hostetters have given away more than 20 percent of their wealth. They are in the top 10 of billionaires who have given away most of their wealth. ¹⁵

Political Giving

Hostetter is a major donor to the Democratic Party on the national level. In the 2022 midterm elections, she was a major contributor to swing district Democratic candidates running for Congress. She is also a major donor to super PACs aligned with the Democratic Party. ¹⁶

She was also a major donor to a super PAC aligned with former Governor Charlie Baker (R) called Massachusetts Majority PAC, which donated to state and local Republican and Democratic candidates aligned with Baker. ¹⁷

1. “Barbara W. Hostetter.” Barr Foundation. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.barrfoundation.org/bios/barbara-hostetter.
2. “Barbara W. Hostetter.” Barr Foundation. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.barrfoundation.org/bios/barbara-hostetter.
3. “Browse Individual Contributions.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Barbara%2BHostetter%2B&contributor_state=MA.
4.  “Barbara Walsh Becomes a Bride.” New York Times. December 16, 1984. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/16/style/barbara-walsh-becomes-a-bride.html.
5. “Barbara Walsh Becomes a Bride.” New York Times. December 16, 1984. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/16/style/barbara-walsh-becomes-a-bride.html.
6. “Barbara Walsh Becomes a Bride.” New York Times. December 16, 1984. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/16/style/barbara-walsh-becomes-a-bride.html.
7. “Barbara Walsh Becomes a Bride.” New York Times. December 16, 1984. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/16/style/barbara-walsh-becomes-a-bride.html.
8. Jurberg, Ash. “This Boston Billionaire Continues to Give Away Milllions.” NewsBreak Original. December 23, 2022. https://original.newsbreak.com/@ash-jurberg-560946/2868171397334-this-boston-billionaire-continues-to-give-away-milllions.
9. Jurberg, Ash. “This Boston Billionaire Continues to Give Away Milllions.” NewsBreak Original. December 23, 2022. https://original.newsbreak.com/@ash-jurberg-560946/2868171397334-this-boston-billionaire-continues-to-give-away-milllions.
10. “Barbara W. Hostetter.” Barr Foundation. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.barrfoundation.org/bios/barbara-hostetter.
11. ^[1] “Barbara W. Hostetter.” Barr Foundation. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.barrfoundation.org/bios/barbara-hostetter.
12. “Barbara W. Hostetter.” Barr Foundation. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.barrfoundation.org/bios/barbara-hostetter.
13. “Contributors.” Obama Foundation. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.obama.org/contributors/.
14. “Through the Power of Law – Center for Reproductive Rights.” Center for Reproductive Rights. Accessed April 18, 2023. https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2018_Annual.pdf.
15. “Nine on Forbes 400 Have given Away at Least 20 Percent of Net Worth …” Philanthropy News Digest. September 29, 2022. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/nine-on-forbes-400-have-given-away-at-least-20-percent-of-net-worth.
16. “Browse Individual Contributions.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Barbara%2BHostetter%2B&contributor_state=MA.
17. Mohl, Bruce. “Super PAC with Ties to Baker Keeps Cruising.” Commonwealth Magazine. January 21, 2020. https://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/super-pac-with-ties-to-baker-keeps-cruising/.