The Boston Latin School Association (BLSA) is an independent foundation of alumni, families, faculty and friends of BLS who have been supporting the school for more than 179 years, dedicated to helping students thrive.

Each year, the BLSA gives around 3.7 million dollars to BLS, and they always strive to give more. Endowment funds and annual contributions — from alumni, parents and faculty members — make up the majority of this money. 

Peter Kelly ‘83, president of the BLSA, explains, “Endowment funds [are] entrusted to us forever to benefit the students and BLS. From those funds, we take a small withdrawal every year for activities. Those funds have a lot of restrictions on them. [When] alumni give the funds, they say these funds may only be used for this specific purpose.”

This money funds almost everything in BLS, including the library, arts, clubs, field trips, sports and even teachers. In addition, each year, Class I students are awarded with scholarships on prize night, which make up roughly 1/5th of the BLSA yearly funds. The remaining amount is used for areas like academics, athletics and clubs. 

The specific breakdown depends on restrictions on endowment funds and interest in the area. Mr. Kelly clarifies, “More enrollment and interest in areas can drive funding. Every year we go through a budgeting process. We [get] requests for funding, and then we map that against our resources to decide.” 

The BLSA contributes money to many student organizations as well, with members of these clubs expressing appreciation for the funding. William Liyuan (II), president of multiple clubs at BLS, clarifies, “The [BLSA] enable[s] students to pursue enriching interests that they otherwise might not have had the opportunity to access without support. Personally, I have definitely felt empowered by their support.” 

Last October, the BLSA also moved locations due to a lease expiration. They had previously been located downtown on School Street, where BLS was founded. Now, they are located in the Palace Road Building at Simmons University, which is much closer to BLS. Lana Nguyen (V) shares her opinion, “I think it’s a good thing that alumni from the school are [closer and] able to reconnect and support future and current students.” 

Thanks to this, the organization is able to support the school more effectively and also get to know the students better. Liyuan explains, however, “I think physical proximity is not the most important aspect.” Regardless of where these alumni are, they remain a valued part of the school community, and their contributions are always greatly appreciated.