Top Charities in Massachusetts (2026)

The Greater Boston Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, distributing 60.7 million pounds of food annually across 190 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts. The numbers behind that figure got significantly harder to sustain in late 2025: USDA cuts reduced food supplied to GBFB by nearly 36% from October onward, at the same time that demand was spiking to record levels. A Weymouth pantry that distributed 685,000 pounds of food at the height of the pandemic distributed 1.1 million pounds in 2025 — its biggest year in 40 years of operation.

The hunger problem in Massachusetts is worse than most residents realize. A family of four in Suffolk County now needs an income of $184,000 per year to meet basic needs according to MIT's Living Wage Calculator. That's not wealth — that's survival math. Hispanic households face 63% food insecurity; Black households 51%; LGBTQ+ households 58%. Catherine D'Amato, GBFB's longtime president and CEO, is retiring after 30 years of leadership — the organization published its 2025 Annual Report as part of that transition.

Volunteer shifts run at GBFB's Boston facility, 2–4 hours each, no recurring commitment. $1 donated provides approximately three meals.

The MSPCA-Angell was founded in 1868 by Boston lawyer George Thorndike Angell — the same year he began a public campaign against the cruelty of horse racing after reading about two horses raced to death between Worcester and Brighton. It's the second-oldest humane society in the United States. Today the organization runs animal shelters in Boston (Jamaica Plain), Salem, Methuen (Nevins Farm — the only open-door horse and farm animal rescue in New England), and Cape Cod, alongside Angell Animal Medical Center, a full specialty veterinary hospital.

In 2025, MSPCA-Angell took in more than 4,800 animals via out-of-state transports and 5,300+ through local intakes — more than any other animal welfare organization in New England. They also coordinated intake of nearly 100 animals displaced by natural disasters: cats from Louisiana snowfall, dogs from California wildfires, and animals from Texas flooding. Since merging with the Northeast Animal Shelter in 2021, the organization has relocated over 20,000 animals from out-of-state shelters to Massachusetts. In 2025, they delivered 3,571,901 pet meals to pet owners facing financial hardship and granted nearly $7 million in charitable veterinary care.

They receive no government or national SPCA funding — operations run entirely on donations and veterinary revenue. Volunteer roles include shelter animal care, adoption support, and community outreach events.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Boston builds and rehabilitates affordable homes in the Boston metro area — focusing on communities where housing costs have pushed working-class families to the margins. Greater Boston is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country. The median home price in Suffolk County has passed $700,000; in the suburbs it's not much better. Habitat serves families earning 30–80% of area median income through sweat equity and interest-free mortgages, giving them a path to ownership that the conventional market has entirely closed off.

Build days run on Saturdays and some weekdays, open to first-timers with no construction background. Groups of 8 or more can book corporate volunteer days. Their ReStore locations accept furniture, appliances, and building materials — proceeds fund construction programs. Massachusetts has additional Habitat affiliates serving Worcester, the South Shore, and Cape Cod; the Greater Boston affiliate is the largest.

United Way of Massachusetts Bay distributes grants to nonprofits across the Greater Boston area with a focus on economic mobility, early childhood education, and housing stability. It's the primary workplace giving vehicle for hundreds of Boston-area employers — financial firms, tech companies, hospitals, and law firms all run United Way campaigns that collectively fund tens of millions in local grants annually. They also manage 2-1-1 Massachusetts, the statewide helpline connecting residents to social services around the clock.

For individuals: giving through United Way's online portal lets you designate gifts to specific nonprofits in their network, or give to the general fund and let their grant staff allocate strategically. Their HomeStart program specifically addresses family homelessness in the Boston area. The annual "Day of Caring" volunteer event brings thousands to one-day projects at partner nonprofits across the metro each fall.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston runs one of the state's largest social service networks — immigration legal services, refugee resettlement, food pantries, housing assistance, mental health counseling, and senior services across Greater Boston and beyond. They serve people of all faiths. The Yawkey Center food pantry in Dorchester is their busiest location — in 2025, it expanded to serve an additional 100 families per week compared to the prior year, and existing families were coming monthly instead of occasionally. People who had used SNAP were showing up because their benefits had been cut.

Their immigration legal services program is one of the largest in New England, handling asylum cases, green card applications, and DACA renewals. The refugee resettlement program works with newly arrived families across multiple nationalities. Volunteers are needed for food pantry shifts, English tutoring for immigrants, and administrative support at various sites.

The Red Cross Massachusetts Region responds to home fires (Boston averages hundreds per year), flooding, and other emergencies statewide, and collects blood at donor centers from Boston to Springfield. The region is a major blood collection area for New England hospitals — major trauma centers in Boston (Mass General, Brigham and Women's, Boston Medical Center, Boston Children's) depend on a consistent local blood supply. The region also teaches CPR, first aid, and lifeguard certification classes across the state.

Blood donation appointments are available within days at most Massachusetts chapters. Disaster response volunteers go through several weeks of training. If you were displaced by a fire or flooding in Massachusetts and need immediate help, call 1-800-RED-CROSS — they provide emergency shelter referrals, food, and supplies at no charge.

Boston Medical Center is the largest safety-net hospital in New England, providing medical care to anyone regardless of ability to pay. It's not a traditional charity in the sense of a food bank or shelter, but it belongs on this list because of what happens beyond the hospital walls. BMC runs the Preventive Food Pantry inside the hospital — one of the first hospital-based food pantries in the country — and provides free produce and groceries to food-insecure patients as part of their treatment. Their StreetSafe Boston program works with trauma patients who are victims of gun violence. The hospital serves a patient population that is 65% low-income and 30% uninsured or underinsured.

BMC's HealthNet Plan subsidiary provides Medicaid managed care to low-income Massachusetts residents. Donations to BMC directly fund uncompensated care, the food pantry, and programs that treat poverty as a medical issue alongside clinical conditions. The hospital has a volunteer program for non-patient-facing roles.

The Salvation Army operates service centers across Massachusetts — Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Brockton, Lowell, Lynn, and smaller communities. Programs include emergency rent and utility assistance, overnight shelter, food pantries, after-school programs, summer camps, and addiction recovery services. Massachusetts has a significant population of housing-unstable residents — including a large shelter system in Boston — and the Salvation Army's network in smaller cities outside Boston fills gaps that larger metro-focused organizations miss.

The Red Kettle campaign (November–December) funds a significant portion of annual programs. Thrift stores accept goods year-round — proceeds fund local services. Emergency assistance is available at local corps (service centers) statewide; call before visiting to find out what's currently available at your nearest location.

The Animal Rescue League of Boston has operated since 1899 and runs a network of animal shelters, low-cost veterinary clinics, and cruelty investigation programs across Massachusetts. They operate adoption centers, respond to animal cruelty complaints statewide through licensed law enforcement officers, and run a pet food assistance program for owners facing financial hardship. ARL is distinct from the MSPCA-Angell — both are major Boston-area animal welfare organizations with separate operations and donor bases, though they sometimes collaborate on large-scale rescues.

ARL's low-cost veterinary clinics in Boston and Brewster (Cape Cod) are open to the public regardless of income — a rare resource in a state where private vet costs have risen sharply. Pet assistance programs provide food and supplies to keep pets in homes rather than surrendering them to shelters. Volunteer roles include animal care, adoption counseling, and foster care.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts matches children facing adversity with adult volunteer mentors across the Boston area and eastern Massachusetts. Despite Massachusetts's reputation as a wealthy state, child poverty in Boston and in gateway cities like Lowell, Lawrence, and Brockton runs high — and mentoring research consistently shows improved school attendance, lower dropout rates, and better long-term outcomes for matched youth. The waitlist for youth to be matched typically exceeds available volunteers.

Community-based mentoring requires meeting 2–4 times per month for at least a year. School-based mentoring (weekly sessions during school hours) offers a more structured schedule for people who prefer predictable commitments. Corporate mentoring partnerships and job shadow days are available for workplace groups. Volunteers must be 18 or older and pass a background check.