Chinatown Main Street

Chinatown Main Street is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to keep Boston’s Chinatown a thriving cultural and commercial district. Its mission covers beautifying the neighborhood, recruiting new businesses, preserving and strengthening existing ones, and drawing people in while promoting safety and cleanliness. Boston’s Chinatown is the third largest in the United States and is home to Chinese, Vietnamese, African-American, White and Hispanic businesses and residents, and the organization works on behalf of that whole community.

Its programs reach beyond storefronts. Each tax season, the organization partners with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and the Boston Tax Help Coalition to offer free tax preparation to eligible low- and moderate-income residents, with multilingual support. A Boston Main Streets beautification grant funded a cleanup partnership with Project Place, which provides skills, education and resources to help homeless and low-income people secure stable jobs and housing. The group also runs food programs and entertainment events with help from volunteers and fundraisers.

What to Know

• Chinatown Main Street was founded in 1995.
• Chinatown was among the first ten districts selected for Boston Main Streets, the first urban, multi-district Main Street program in the country.
• It is one of twenty Main Street organizations operating in Boston.
• The organization maintains a Chinatown business directory.