The Boston Foundation says it will shift its grantmaking from programmatic grants to general operating support for local nonprofits.

The foundation also said it will focus its future grantmaking on program that have a “profound impact” on community life, especially those in the areas of:

• Education, seeking a dramatic improvement in educational outcomes for area youth, particularly low-income youth of color;
• Health, promoting health and wellness for area residents, addressing the rising tide of chronic preventable disease that threatens the physical and economic well-being of the region;
• Neighborhoods, to promote and sustain vibrant and safe communities;
• Arts and culture, to enrich life and build community through shared experience;
• Economic competitiveness, creating a prosperous region in which everyone can participate.

“Larger grants made to provide general operating support will enable the Foundation to better support area nonprofits that are highly aligned with its goals and priorities,” the foundation noted. “This form of flexible, longer-term funding is something in which the nonprofit community has expressed a keen interest, in recent years.”

The foundation also will end application deadlines and accept applications year-round, and plans to increase its funding for competitive grants. The Boston Foundation expects to award $17.2 million in discretionary grants during the next fiscal year.

“We see great opportunity for productive change, from the way we think about education to our region’s expanded capacity for collaboration,” said foundation president and CEO Paul S. Grogan. “This new approach has been crafted to bring our resources to bear where we are convinced we can make a meaningful and lasting difference in the culture of the region and the lives of those who live here.”