The Trustees of Reservations
Manton-funded “point of sale” system at work in a new mobile farmer’s market, which allows TTOR to bring affordable farm-fresh food to underserved communities in Boston, MA
The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR), founded in the 1890s as People for Parks, is the oldest statewide conservation organization in the country and the largest environmental nonprofit in Massachusetts. With a membership of 140,000 and well-known as a brand across the state, TTOR parallels other Manton Foundation grantees in that it is respected and beloved in communities where properties are held—whether land or buildings. All told, TTOR manages 27,000 acres of land and 400 buildings that together receive 2 million visitors each year. Their public programs number more than 5,000.
“Their openness and curiosity stands out. They are open to new ideas.”
During the Foundation’s first decade, more than $6 million in grants have been made to TTOR, with early support earmarked for projects near Westport, Massachusetts—where the Mortons and Mantons summered for years, and also the home in retirement of Diana and Hugh. Barbara Erickson, TTOR president since 2012, has noted the Manton Foundation trustees’ knack for “unlocking the potential of game-changing projects.” (This phrase—“game-changing”—is invoked by multiple grantees when describing the impact of Manton Foundation funds on their organizations.) For Barbara, three grants stand out: Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens, Boston Public Market, and a technology infrastructure project.
The Public Gardens grant was somewhat risky for the organization, since TTOR held no existing property or donors in New Bedford or the surrounding region. Honoring several personal connections (Gretchen had loved visiting the gardens, and Allen Haskell had designed gardens in Westport for Hugh’s cousins, Jim and Cassandra Morton), the Manton Foundation committed $500,000 to the project, which not only inspired a state grant of the same amount but created local confidence in the organization—and in prospective donors—that the project would succeed. Even better, TTOR formed relationships with donors in a geographic area where previously they had none.
Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens
The Boston Public Market Association (BPMA) is a grassroots organization that, by 2014, had assembled a smart vision and plan for a year-round farmers market; however, as a grassroots organization it lacked the institutional capacity to raise the funds to implement this vision: $16 million. Joining forces allowed TTOR to bring its formidable donor network and recognized brand into the mix, while BPMA brought grassroots legitimacy through its well-developed farmers network. The State of Massachusetts had extended $4 million if project leaders matched it with private funds. Halfway to this goal, the project stalled. A $1.4 million Manton Foundation grant leveraged the match and inspired additional major gifts. The momentum triggered by the Manton Foundation grant led TTOR toward a significant goal in just two years. Now each organization—TTOR and BPMA—brings its distinctive assets to the fully functioning market, with BPMA running operations and maintaining relationships with the farming community, and TTOR offering creative programming.
Finally, the technology initiative “Bringing Our Places to Life” addressed the organization’s ability to track for the first time in its history sites, visitors and diverse revenue sources (e.g., concessions, gift shops, tours, programming). When the project began, there was no centralized point-of-sale system; today, an electronic management system enables TTOR to record transactions and track activity that informs decisions across all its properties, from tour times at historic houses to staffing allocations.
Interestingly, the Public Market opportunity arose while the technology initiative was already in process. Rather than forcing TTOR to choose between the two, The Manton Foundation made major grants to both. In typical no-nonsense fashion, they recognized that the time-limited nature of the state challenge grant didn’t alter the technology need, nor the fact that raising necessary infrastructure dollars would always be challenging, so they funded both efforts.
