Home to Harvard’s campus in the Longwood Medical Area, Allston, and the Arnold Arboretum, Boston is a dynamic crossroads where storied Harvard institutions and new endeavors thrive. United by values for the common good, Harvard and the City of Boston have a strong history of collaboration and commitment to partnership.
Supporting Boston’s Economy
As an anchor institution in the city, Harvard plays a vibrant role in Boston’s economy – employing thousands of residents and attracting billions in federal research funding that generates local spending at Boston-based businesses and further stimulates the economy.
3,400+
Boston residents employed by Harvard
$386M
In salary, wages, and benefits paid to Boston residents in FY19
$1B
Spent on construction, supplies, and services supporting companies in Boston in FY18
Harvard’s PILOT and Tax Payments to the City of Boston over 10 Years
$3.7M
In Payments-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) to the City of Boston in FY20
$28M
In PILOT payments to the City of Boston in the past decade
Harvard participates annually in the City’s PILOT Program.
$70M
In taxes paid to the City of Boston in the past decade
Harvard pays municipal taxes on the University’s non-exempt property.
Community Programs for Boston Residents
Hundreds of community-serving initiatives operate across Boston through the commitment of Harvard faculty, students, and staff and reflect years of collaboration between the University, its neighbors, and city partners. These programs originate from all corners of campus and reach Boston residents, schools, local businesses, nonprofits, as well as various City departments.
Programs by Neighborhood
30,000+
Boston resident participants in one or more Harvard community programs last year
$21M+
In community benefits reported in 2019 to the City of Boston as part of its voluntary PILOT program
Community Programs by Boston Neighborhood
| Neighborhood | Program Name |
|---|---|
| Allston* | Contributions to Local Nonprofits |
| Back Bay | Community Service Fellowship Program |
| Brighton* | Brighton High School Internship Program |
| Charlestown | HLS Legal Clinics |
| Chinatown | Consulting for Impact Club |
| Dorchester | Bridge to AP Biology |
| East Boston | Family Van |
| Fenway | Leaders in Health Community Training Program |
| Hyde Park | Summer Youth Employment Program |
| Jamaica Plain | Arnold Arboretum |
| Mattapan | Crimson Summer Academy |
| Mission Hill | Mission Hill Senior Prom |
| North End & West End | Crimson Care Collaborative |
| Roslindale | Reflection in Action: Building Healthy Communities |
| Roxbury | HMS MEDscience |
| South Boston | Harvard Dental Teaching Practice |
| South End | Consulting for Impact Club |
| West Roxbury | Health Professions Recruitment & Exposure Program |
| *The majority of community benefits delivered in Allston-Brighton are through Harvard University’s cooperation agreements with the City of Boston | |
Community Benefits for Harvard’s Neighbors
Harvard delivers community benefits in North Allston and North Brighton connected to the University’s institutional development. These initiatives were thoughtfully identified with the community and include the Harvard Ed Portal, which hosts hundreds of public programs each year and the Harvard Allston Partnership Fund, which has provided more than $1.2 million in grants to small, local nonprofits.
Recognizing the critical role nonprofits play in the City of Boston, Harvard launched a grant program to provide emergency funding to nonprofit organizations serving residents in Allston-Brighton. The Harvard University Allston-Brighton Emergency Response Grant has allowed organizations to quickly mobilize and respond to the needs of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
$70M
In community benefits delivered primarily toward Allston-Brighton
Harvard and Boston Public Schools
Harvard works closely with the Boston Public Schools (BPS) to provide programs that enhance student learning in a wide range of fields, including science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM); civic engagement; college and career readiness; and skills development. The University also provides professional development opportunities for BPS educators and administrators to learn from Harvard research and faculty.
$35M
In scholarships provided to Boston students enrolled in Harvard College over the past decade
11,000+
BPS student participants reached through educational, mentoring, and internship programs in 2019
120+
BPS teachers participated in professional development opportunities in 2019
Partnering with the City of Boston
Harvard is committed to addressing regional priorities and partners with the City of Boston around initiatives that are designed to meet the broader needs of Boston residents.
5,500+
Units of affordable housing created or preserved through the Harvard Local Housing Collaborative in the City of Boston in the past 20 years
15
Harvard students supported City of Boston departments through fellowship placements in 2019
Sustainability
Arnold Arboretum
As a unique partnership between Harvard and the City of Boston, the Arnold Arboretum is one of Boston’s largest parks. In addition to serving as both a research institution and publicly accessible green space, the Arboretum is committed to helping the city and University build climate change resiliency and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. This includes new solar panels that will power the Arboretum’s scientific research facilities; modernized upgrades at various buildings; and the use of earth-friendly practices in the care and management of the Arboretum’s plant collections and landscape.
Supporting the City of Boston’s Climate Action Plan
Harvard co-chairs the Higher Education Working Group of the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, a group of business, institutional, and civic leaders in Boston working to develop shared strategies for fighting climate change in coordination with the City’s Climate Action Plan.
Spotlights
The Family Van of Harvard Medical School
A mobile clinic working to improve the health of vulnerable Boston residents in Roxbury, East Boston, and Dorchester. Every year, the Van provides thousands of free health screenings and over the past 5 years has saved an estimated $2.8 million in avoided emergency room costs.
Harvard Ed Portal
An open door to the community, the Harvard Ed Portal brings together Allston-Brighton residents, students, families, and professionals from every walk of life to participate in innovative programming and learn from one another.
