The Boston Foundation said Tuesday that it would award $1 million to the Greater Boston Food Bank and $500,000 to other regional food organizations to address rising food insecurity and shrinking federal funds.
The grant marks the beginning of the foundation’s new Meeting the Moment: Sustaining Families long-term initiative. The effort will distribute money to organizations throughout Eastern Massachusetts, attempting to fill the gaps created by cuts in food benefits and other nutrition programs under President Trump’s administration.
More than $1 billion was cut from the United States Department of Agriculture in March, which previously awarded funds to food organizations to purchase local food and help farmers and small businesses. The One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law in July cuts approximately $186 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program throughout the next decade.
The new law tightens eligibility and require states to fund a significant portion of the program.
In Massachusetts, more than one in six residents receive SNAP benefits. An estimated 104,000 people are at risk of losing SNAP benefits under the new law, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington think tank.
“I’m appalled at this mean-spirited federal administration that would deprive hungry people of food by cutting their access or diminishing their access,” Pelton said in a recent interview with the Globe.
The Greater Boston Food Bank will be putting the $1 million grant toward maintaining their food assistance operation, purchasing food, and distributing food to the 600 agency partners across Eastern Massachusetts, according to a spokesperson of the food bank.
The number of people without enough money to feed themselves or their families consistently has increased in the state since the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to rise. A recent report by the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham stated that one in three families in the state are experiencing some level of food insecurity.
Catherine D’Amato, Greater Boston Food Bank’s chief executive, praised the Boston Foundation’s donation.
“As a longtime partner of the Boston Foundation, I appreciate the power and impact the Boston Foundation can provide with both its grantmaking dollars and its determination to lean into the biggest challenges we face as a region,” she said in a statement.
Pelton said in a statement that philanthropic institutions alone cannot fill the gaps in funding created by the federal cuts, but the Boston Foundation intends to engage with other philanthropic partners to identify and address the roots of hunger in the state through research and community engagement.
“We hope to be an effective partner alleviating this tragic, and frankly cruel, situation for our families,” Pelton said.
The Boston Foundation said it aims to make multi-million grants in the future as it expands relationships with donors and partners in the state’s food system, but did not say when.
Yogev Toby can be reached at yogev.toby@globe.com.
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