*Grantmaking is limited to the Massachusetts cities of Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, and Somerville.
Mission
The Anna B. Stearns Charitable Foundation supports women+ and girls+. The Foundation focuses its grantmaking on projects designed to strengthen the education, independence, and/or socioeconomic stability of women+, children, and youth, especially girls+. We also support efforts to protect and preserve the natural environment.
Vision
The Anna B. Stearns Foundation envisions a world of equality and opportunity where all those who identify as girls+ or women+ can participate fully in their communities, make choices about their lives to reach their full potential, and contribute to justice in the world.
Values
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Gender Equity
We believe in gender equity in society, and therefore commit to engaging communities in taking action to eliminate inequities facing women+ and girls+. We believe that women+ and girls+ have specific needs and challenges and we support organizations and projects that are focused on meeting these needs. The Anna B. Stearns Foundation supports girls+ and women+ by providing chances to connect with positive, powerful, and empowering mentors and role models that are alternatives to ignoring, denying, denigrating, or exploiting women+ and girls+.
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Diversity
We respect, celebrate, and learn from our differences and commonalities, including those based on age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, religion, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and marital status. We recognize the intersectionality of identity and understand that confronting racism and systemic oppression requires intentionality. We affirm support for the lived experiences of those who identify as women+ or girls+, including our transgender, nonbinary and gender queer sisters. We acknowledge that we are all impacted by inherent biases and commit to actively working to eradicate biases and foster change.
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Representation and Leadership
We believe that organizational leadership must be diverse, inclusive, and reflective of the populations served. We support an inter-generational leadership approach where each person’s diverse skill set is valued and seen as integral to the success of the organization as a whole, regardless of age or position. We believe that we can all teach and learn from one another and that program participants should have a seat at the table.
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Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
We believe it is critical to educate and engage girls+ and women+ to recognize injustice and to give them the tools and confidence to effect change for themselves and the larger community.
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Empowerment, Excellence, and Impact
We believe that each person has the experiences, ability, knowledge, and skills to contribute actively, vocalize differences, and in coalition with others, to advocate on behalf of social change. We believe in providing girls+ and women+ with the opportunities, support, and resources necessary to be change agents and to have the freedom to make informed choices. We want to give girls+ and women+ agency to use their voices, to speak up, to demand more, and to believe that they deserve more.
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Courage
We seek the courage to stand up for our beliefs and to try new, creative ways of working. We want to reward our grantees for their own innovations.
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Collaboration and Communication
We endorse the power of strategic collaboration as a means to build on our strengths and the strengths of others to deepen and expand our work with and on behalf of women+ and girls+. We believe in the importance of open communication and honest discussion of differences.
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Integrity and Accountability
We believe in upholding high ethical standards in our decision-making processes and in our work with each other, our grantees, other funders, and the broader community. We will continue to challenge ourselves and one another and will listen to those impacted by our decision making. We will adapt to meet the changing needs of grantee organizations, populations served, and broader society. We are committed to implementing our values and practicing what we preach.
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The Anna B. Stearns Foundation trustees want to gratefully acknowledge that the mission, vision, and values statement developed by Teen Voices some time before 2010 served as the inspiration and foundation for our own mission, vision, and values statement.