Audax Charitable Foundation Announces Latest Grant Recipients

BOSTON and SAN FRANCISCO – February 4, 2025 – The Audax Charitable Foundation (“ACF”), a 501(c)(3) organization operated by Audax Private Equity to support local grassroot charities, announced today its latest round of gifts. The new grants, as part of ACF’s Fall 2024 funding cycle, take form as six multi-year grants, two one-time grants, and an extension grant.

“We’re extremely proud of the momentum generated by the Audax Charitable Foundation in the three years since we formalized our giving strategy and launched ACF in the Fall of 2021,” noted Audax Private Equity Partner and Co-President Young Lee. “Over that time, the Foundation has awarded commitments representing over $2 million in grants, collectively, to support local charities that we believe are having a profound impact in our local Boston and San Francisco communities.”

Notably, in this latest funding cycle, three previous grant recipients are among those to receive new multi-year commitments. They join five new grantees whose missions and charitable work are also aligned to ACF’s focus on Education, Healthcare, Social Support & Services, and Arts & Cultural Programs.

Among the existing ACF grantees receiving a new multi-year commitment are:

• Room to Grow, whose Boston location provides structured coaching, material goods, and community connections to new parents and helps to expand their local support network;

• The Wily Network, based in Newton MA, serving Boston-area students navigating college without a safety net, through clinical coaching, financial support, community building and professional development; and

• Samaritans, based in Boston, which previously received a one-time commitment and whose mission is to provide life-saving suicide prevention services though crisis helplines, peer-to-peer texting services, community education and outreach, and grief support.

Among the new ACF grantees receiving multi-year commitments are:

• The Boston Higher Education Resource Center (“Boston HERC”), which aims to equip local high school students with the resources, connections, and skills to become first-generation college graduates and helps to launch their careers;

• The HEADstrong Foundation, which is seeking to revolutionize accessibility to world-class cancer treatment centers and has opened its first greater Boston location, Nick’s House, which provides out-of-town families access to advanced cancer treatment and care; and

• The PAIR Project, based in Boston, which offers pro bono immigration services to asylum-seeking clients who turn to the Political Asylum / Immigration Representation Project (“PAIR Project”) for legal help.

Similar to previous funding cycles, ACF again awarded modest one-time grants to smaller charities seeking to scale their operations. Charities receiving these grants include:

• ASD Fit Rec, based in Brockton, MA, whose mission is to create spaces for individuals with Autism, Down Syndrome, CP, TBI and other genetic disorders to explore, expand, and experience a life full of adaptive recreation; and

• QT Library, Inc., based in Somerville, MA, whose gift will go toward the creation of a brick-and-mortar lending library that aims to provide a substance-free, affirming community space and curated programs for the LGBTQIA+ community in Boston.

New this year, ACF also introduced a new category of award, an Extension Grant, for previous multi-year grant recipients whose impact and engagement reflect the core relationships we endeavor to build with the local charities we support. Our first Extension Grant recipient is:

• More Than Words, based in Boston, which seeks to empower at-risk youth who are court-involved, in foster care, homeless, or out of school by providing them with the opportunity to help run a bookstore.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome a new class of ACF grantees, each of which we believe are positioned to deliver positive change that can advance their respective missions,” noted Pamela Martin, a Senior Managing Director at Audax Private Equity. “We’re particularly proud to provide continued support to the returning grantees. This not only validates our original commitments and the impact these organizations have had on our local communities, but also underscores the enduring relationships we hope to foster.”

“We continue to be inspired by the charities we support, who are doing the hard work,” added Keith Palumbo, Partner and Co-President of Audax Private Equity. “We also want to recognize our broader Audax network – who have made generous financial contributions, have participated in ACF events, and in some cases have forged their own relationships with ACF grantees. The mission of the Audax Charitable Foundation is to support our local communities, but wouldn’t be possible without the engagement and enthusiasm of our broader Audax community to whom we are sincerely grateful.”

Since inception in the fall of 2021, ACF has supported more than 40 charities serving the local Boston and San Francisco communities.