Yawkey Foundation

08/19/2026

Since 1977, the Yawkey Foundation has invested more than $132 million in education across Greater Boston and Georgetown, SC. Today, that commitment continues: we're announcing $295,000 in new Education Program & Small Capital Grants to eight nonprofits strengthening pathways to academic achievement, career readiness, and economic mobility. We're honored to stand with these partners and the students they serve.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Cristo Rey Boston High School uAspire Urban College of Boston Bethel Institute for Community Development Foundation to Advance Catholic Education East Boston Social Centers Young Man with a Plan

https://yawkeyfoundation.org/yawkey-foundation-announces-295000-in-2026-education-program-small-capital-grants/

08/18/2026

Huge congratulations to every athlete, coach, and family at the Special Olympics Massachusetts Softball State Tournament! All summer long, these competitors put in the work and it all came together at the August Tournament of Champions. Thank you, Special Olympics Massachusetts, for building a community of inclusion where everyone gets to experience the love of the game. We can't wait for next year! 🥎

08/03/2026

Two cherished partners. One perfect day. 🌱 Bigs and littles from Mass Mentoring Partnership spent a day of hands-on outdoor learning at Round the Bend Farm in Dartmouth as part of our Mentoring Moments series - launched this year to give mentors and mentees shared experiences that deepen the relationships at the heart of mentoring. Supporting those relationships has always been central to the Yawkey mission. Days like this show why.

07/31/2026

Summer on the Cape means baseball - the best amateur ball in the country, free for families, from Wareham to Orleans. Jean and Tom Yawkey loved this game and believed in what it gives to players and communities alike. Nearly three decades into our partnership with the Cape Cod Baseball League, that belief still holds. Here's to all 10 teams and another great summer of baseball on the Cape! ⚾

The Yawkey Foundation steps up to bat for the Cape League - again. ⚾

We’re proud to announce a $50,000 grant from the Yawkey Foundation in support of the 2026 season, continuing a partnership that has spanned nearly three decades. Jean and Tom Yawkey believed deeply in what baseball brings to players and communities alike, and the Foundation has carried that legacy forward on the Cape year after year, creating access to and enjoyment of the game for all.

This year’s grant directly benefits all 10 teams and the college players who showcase their skills on Cape League fields each summer.

From Wareham to Orleans, Cape League baseball brings vibrancy to our communities all summer long. Thanks to the Yawkey Foundation’s generosity, we can keep delivering the highest caliber amateur baseball and affordable family entertainment to Cape Cod and beyond.

Thank you, ! 🙏

07/30/2026

Some icons reward a closer look. ⚓ Exploring Old Ironsides, now at the USS Constitution Museum, captures the Ship in dramatic light and unexpected detail and we're honored to help present it. See it for yourself at this tremendous museum in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Photographs by Greg M. Cooper.

07/28/2026

We’re proud to support The Jimmy Fund Little League and celebrate these incredible young athletes, coaches, families, and volunteers. Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s Jamboree, and thank you for your dedication to raising funds for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s lifesaving cancer research and care. ⚾

On July 11 and 12, more than 800 Jimmy Fund Little League players from over 60 teams throughout Massachusetts came together for the 16th annual Little League Jamboree to raise critical funds for pediatric and adult cancer research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute!

Jimmy Fund Little League presented by the Yawkey Foundation provides Little League® baseball and softball players throughout New England the chance to continue playing after their regular season ends, while fundraising for Dana-Farber.

Since 1986, coaches, parents, and players have raised more than $7 million for the Jimmy Fund. Join us in giving a round of applause to our dedicated Little League community! 👏⚾

07/24/2026

The Foundation hosted its annual South Carolina Yawkey Scholars Celebration in Georgetown last week! With beautiful weather and a spectacular sunset over Winyah Bay, scholars, alumni, and friends enjoyed a memorable evening aboard Cap'n Rod's Lowcountry Tours.

As we cruised by the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center with our scholars, we could not help but reflect on Jean and Tom Yawkey's enduring commitment to expanding educational opportunities for young people and permanently protecting more than 24,000 acres of wildlife habitat. It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with our scholars, celebrate another successful year, and hear about their internships, leadership experiences, graduations, and exciting plans for the future.

Congratulations to our Yawkey Scholars on another outstanding year. We can't wait to see what's next!

07/21/2026

For Tom and Jean Yawkey, baseball was always about more than the game - it was about helping young people grow in confidence, character, and community. That's why we're delighted about Hitz for Kids, a partnership between The BASE and the Yawkey Boys & Girls Club that brings the joy of baseball to the next generation. When young people are given a chance to play, learn, and belong, they build skills that last far beyond the ballfield. Here's to a summer of big dreams, great teammates, and unforgettable memories. ⚾

07/14/2026

We were so pleased to support Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health and Mass Mentoring Partnership in bringing mentors and mentees together at the Jean Yawkey Center at Emmanuel College for a day of yoga, mindfulness, and connection.

Resilience, emotional awareness, and healthy coping skills are especially valuable as young people navigate stress and growth. Whole-self development strengthens more than individual wellbeing - it strengthens communities. Read Kripalu's reflection on the day: https://kripalu.org/living-kripalu/nurturing-connections-through-yoga-and-mindfulness-mass-mentoring-event-emmanuel

07/09/2026

Fifty years ago today - July 9, 1976 - Tom Yawkey passed away, closing a remarkable 44-season tenure as owner of the Boston Red Sox that shaped much of what Fenway Park has become. That same day, Jean Yawkey began quietly carrying her husband's stewardship forward.

This week, The Boston Globe marked the anniversary with a reflective piece by Kevin Paul Dupont, revisiting a man who was loath to draw attention to himself - and whose name, Dupont observes, increasingly fades with time. "Fitting maybe," he writes, "but hardly fair." We agree.

Jean shared that same instinct for quiet purpose. In the years that followed, until her passing in 1992, her behind-the-scenes influence on baseball and the respect she earned among those in the game and throughout the City of Boston cannot be overstated. Yet titles never defined her. At heart, she was a devoted fan, keeping score from her Fenway Park box at nearly every home game. She became the first woman elected to the Board of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (1983), was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame (1995), and gave decades of service to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a trustee beginning in 1976, including as Chair from 1976 to 1979.

Jean never sought recognition. As she often told those closest to her, "If you do something from your heart, you don't have to wear it on your sleeve." And yet her quiet generosity continues to ripple through the communities she and Tom loved - Boston and Georgetown, SC - where the legacy they built together lives on through the Yawkey Foundation.

In that spirit, we mark this golden anniversary not with fanfare, but with gratitude: for Jean's groundbreaking achievements, for a shared and abiding love of the game, and for the humble devotion - hers and Tom's alike - to lifting up those in need.

The Jimmy Fund