On December 9, the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) announced receipt of their largest single gift in the organization’s history, a $17 million donation from MacKenzie Scott.
The gift was awarded the same day that Scott published a new essay titled “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For” on the blog of her granting organization, Yield Giving.
This is the second gift that Scott has awarded NEFA. The first donation, in 2021, was an $8 million gift from Scott and her then-husband Dan Jewett. The couple has since divorced. Other Boston-area organizations that received donations from Scott as part of her 2021 giving include Zumix, The Theater Offensive, and Hyde Square Task Force.
The 2025 unrestricted grant comes in the context of a volatile policy environment that is complicating operations for NEFA and New England arts organizations in general. The volatility adds a layer of operational stress to the sector that still has not returned to pre-pandemic audience levels.
Executive orders issued in 2025 by the Trump administration have significantly rolled back arts funding and changed priorities, specifically restricting funds for programs and projects that engage in DEI-related work. In response to these changes, the ACLU and a consortium of four theater organizations, including Boston’s The Theater Offensive, sued the NEA in March, demanding the removal of the requirement to certify that artists will not “promote gender ideology” in their work. Additionally, the politicization of the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, including firing the organization’s commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, has complicated work for organizations like NEFA and the NEA, which produce much-needed reports on the size and economic impact of the arts sector.
NEFA’s operations have been further complicated by additional funding loss. In 2024, NEFA Executive Director Harold Steward announced the conclusion of a twenty-eight year “funding-arc” from the Mellon Foundation which supported the National Theatre Project and the National Dance Project, causing the programs to sunset.
The gift’s timing arrives in the context of NEFA executive director Harold Steward’s Call to Collective Action and weeks after the announcement of NEFA’s five year 2025–2030 strategic plan.
NEFA, headquartered in Boston and founded in 1976, is one of six regional arts service nonprofits originally established with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The organization supports the six state arts councils of New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. NEFA is funded by the NEA, private donors, and corporate giving.
NEFA’s role as a regranting and operational support institution makes it a keystone of support in the ecosystem of city, municipal, and state arts organizations and institutions.
From the NEFA press release: “We are deeply grateful to MacKenzie Scott for her confidence in our work and her commitment to our organization. NEFA aims to bolster the effect of this historic gift in alignment with our new strategic plan as we prepare to celebrate our 50th anniversary,” said NEFA Executive Director Harold Steward. “We’ve begun conversations about a multimillion-dollar investment in regional needs and opportunities and leveraging this gift to seed the next iteration of our national work, while remaining engaged in emerging international conversations and partnerships. This historic gift affirms NEFA’s position to stay committed to our mission and values during these turbulent times, together with other collaborative partners.”
