BOSTON BY FOOT RECEIVES GRANT TO PRESENT FREE WALKING TOURS IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES
BOSTON, August 31, 2026 – Boston By Foot (BBF), Boston’s only volunteer-led tour nonprofit celebrating 50 years in operation, announced it was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Boston 250 Fund at the Boston Foundation to present “Revolutionary Stories for a Global Boston: Walking Tours in Multiple Languages,” expanding access to the city's history through free guided walking tours offered in Spanish, French, Russian, and Mandarin.
The Boston 250 Fund is part of Boston 250, a public-private partnership between the City of Boston and private sector partners commemorating the nation's semiquincentennial and celebrating Boston's pivotal role in the American Revolution.
Boston By Foot will expand its free multilingual tour offerings throughout the 2026 season, including two tours in Spanish (Boston By Little Feet and The Dark Side of Boston), two tours in Russian (Beacon Hill and Jewish Beacon Hill), one tour in French (Road to Revolution), and one tour in Mandarin (Boston's Chinatown). The tours will be led by BBF's volunteer guides and will be presented exclusively in their respective languages, without English translation. BBF's volunteer guides reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, bringing a wide range of cultural perspectives and language skills to their tours. The grant will support the expansion of tours led by multilingual volunteers who share Boston's stories directly in the languages they speak.
“Boston's history belongs to everyone, and language should never be a barrier to experiencing it,” said Samantha Nelson, Executive Director of Boston By Foot. “We're grateful to the Boston 250 Fund for making it possible to welcome more members of our community through free multilingual tours led by our incredible volunteer guides. By connecting people to Boston's neighborhoods and stories in the languages they speak, we're building stronger connections to place, history, and one another.”
For 50 years, BBF has connected residents and visitors to Boston's neighborhoods through trusted, volunteer-led walking tours that bring the city's history to life. Developed, written, and led by passionate volunteers with deep local knowledge, BBF's tours make history accessible, engaging, and relevant while fostering curiosity, civic engagement, and a greater sense of belonging.
The multilingual tour series reflects Boston By Foot's commitment to ensuring that more people can experience the city's rich history and diverse neighborhoods through inclusive, place-based storytelling. By offering these tours free of charge, BBF hopes to welcome new audiences and deepen connections across Boston's communities during the Boston 250 commemorations and the organization’s 50th anniversary.
Additionally, Boston By Foot has been selected as part of the City of Boston’s Family Days, offering free ways for Boston students and their families to explore the neighborhoods, landmarks, and stories that have shaped Boston for generations. Running through early October as part of the City’s Boston 250 commemoration, the new partnership aims to make Boston’s history and culture more accessible this fall for families.
A complete schedule of Boston By Foot tours and registration information is available at bostonbyfoot.org.