The Harbus Foundation was formed in 1997 by the Harbus News Corporation at the Harvard Business School.  The Harbus News Corporation is a student-run, non-profit entity that oversees several on-campus publications, including the weekly student newspaper, the Harbus, which was founded in 1937. 

The Foundation is a mechanism for the Harbus News Corporation to support the community in which Harvard Business School operates.  The focus of grant making is on high-impact projects within the areas of literacy, journalism, and/or education. 

The organization is the only MBA-run foundation in the country. Every year The Harbus Foundation gives out grants from its $1.2M endowment to local non-profit organizations. The foundation also strives to promote HBS student involvement in social enterprise through philanthropic giving.

Since its founding, The Harbus Foundation has given out grants totaling over $1M to over 80 different Boston-area non-profit organizations.