Bushrod H. Campbell and Adah F. Hall Charity Fund

Bushrod Campbell and Adah Hall established the Bushrod H. Campbell and Adah F. Hall Charity Fund in 1956 in order to make charitable contributions to organizations they cared about. Mr. Campbell and Miss Hall were life-long friends and colleagues, first working with Mr. Campbell’s father who started the Personal Book Shop on Newbury Street, and then building a chain of more than twenty book stores and lending libraries that reached from Boston to Cape Cod. Eventually their work shifted from retail to wholesale under the company name Campbell and Hall, Inc. Upon their deaths, both Miss Hall and Mr. Campbell left their fortunes to the Fund. Grants from the Fund’s inaugural year in 1956 totaled $500; now the Fund awards more than $1 million in grants annually.

Hemenway & Barnes LLP provides administrative oversight of The Bushrod H. Campbell and Adah F. Hall Charity Fund, which makes grants for programs targeting the needs of elderly, infirm, homeless, as well as for programs addressing issues related to education, social justice and economic opportunity. Grants, except those related to reproductive health, are focused on programs in the Boston area. A foundation administrator from Hemenway & Barnes' philanthropic advisory services provides support to the trustees and manages the grant application and distribution process. The Trustees of the Fund, with responsibility for fiduciary and programmatic oversight are Arthur B. Page and Nancy B. Gardiner from Hemenway & Barnes, as well as serve as their fellow trustee George Beal.

Funding Guidelines

The Fund’s areas of interest include organizations and/or projects supporting:

• aid to the elderly in Greater Boston
• education for underserved youth in Greater Boston
• social services for vulnerable populations with a focus on essential services in Greater Boston
• reproductive health (in Greater Boston and US-based nonprofit organizations working internationally)

The Fund does not typically support direct medical care or public policy advocacy.

The Fund defines Greater Boston as the cities and towns that fall within Route 128 as far north as Lynn and as far south as Quincy. The Fund does support a limited number of US-based nonprofit organizations working internationally on issues related to reproductive health.

Grants generally range between $5,000 and $10,000, subject to Trustee discretion. The Trustees are interested in supporting organizations and projects for which a grant of this size can have a meaningful impact. Long-time grantees of the Fund will be considered for multi-year support.

Deadlines

Deadlines are at 5pm EST on the following dates:
January 15 for the February meeting
April 15 for the May meeting
August 15 for the September meeting
October 15 for the November meeting

Please note if the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the application is due by 5pm EST on the following business day. The application portal will be open 4 to 6 weeks prior to the posted deadline. If a Fund has multiple deadlines, an organization may submit only once per year.

Application Procedures

Carefully read the guidelines on this page to determine eligibility and fit with the Fund’s current priorities.

This fund accepts the Philanthropy Massachusetts Common Grant Application Language. Applications must be submitted via the GoApply online portal linked below. Please review this guide on how to register. Click here for a password assistance guide. You will receive confirmation of your submission. Please direct questions related to the portal to Senior Grants Manager Rita Goldberg at rgoldberg@hembar.com.

An organization may submit only one application at a time. If denied, an organization must wait one year (12 months) to reapply. If a grant is received, an organization should wait at least one year after the date of the last application before submitting another application.

The Trustees or advisors will contact the applicant if they have questions or require further information.

Organizations that receive funding will be notified if a report is required. In most cases, the Trustees accept the Common Report Form from Philanthropy Massachusetts.