Serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, and environs, it is made up of nearly 1,100 separate charitable funds established by donors over more than 100 years.

During Grogan's tenure, the foundation expanded its civic engagement activities to commissioning and publishing research into urban issues, holding public forums, forming task forces and coalitions, and informing legislative solutions to some of the city's problems.

TPI, founded in 1989, offers consulting services to high-net-worth individuals, families, foundations, and corporations globally.

In 2023, the Foundation and its donors made $175,374,000 in grants to nonprofits in Greater Boston and across the U.S.[2] From 2001 to 2021 the Foundation focused its giving on housing and community development, education and workforce development, arts and culture, civic engagement, community safety, health and human services, the nonprofit sector, and the urban environment.

[11] The Foundation often takes on special initiatives to address issues affecting the community, such as civic engagement, pilot schools, and homelessness prevention.

[13] Issues addressed through Understanding Boston include public education, housing, the workforce, health, philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, the arts, and the urban environment.

Boston Indicators aims to provide equitable access to information, promote informed public discourse, track progress on civic goals, and report on change in 10 sectors: Civic Vitality, Cultural Life and the Arts, the Economy, Education, the Environment, Health, Housing, Public Safety, Technology, and Transportation.