Boston – The Boston Foundation today announced that Courtney Brunson has been hired as Director of the Greater Boston Partnership to Close the Racial Wealth Gap. The partnership, which was formed in late 2022, brings together dozens of top leaders from the nonprofit, government and business sectors, as well as analysts and researchers, to advance a shared agenda of expanding homeownership for people of color to close the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston.
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation has estimated that closing the racial wealth gap in Massachusetts could raise the state GDP by $25 billion over the next five years. Closing the racial wealth gap means more money in the system for everyone – regardless of race or ethnicity.
The Wealth Gap Partnership is made up of nearly three dozen leaders (full list available upon request), who began meeting in December to identify opportunities for investment and impact. The full group is divided further into working groups that are exploring core aspects of the homeownership gap, with an eye toward identifying and acting upon key levers of change. As Director, Brunson will coordinate and drive the partnership’s work, bringing forward existing and emerging research, policy measures and homeownership programs for the partnership’s consideration and support.
“On behalf of the members, I am pleased to welcome Courtney as the Wealth Gap Partnership’s first director,” said M. Lee Pelton, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation. “We start this work knowing two basic facts: that homeownership is the largest driver of wealth for most individuals and families in this country, and that Black, Latino and Asian families in many communities are far less likely to own their own homes than their White neighbors, even when you take income into account. By bringing together key leaders from across sectors under her guidance, we will activate this coalition and move to narrow a racial wealth gap that has systematically held back people of color for decades.”