Comparison · 15 material differences
Harvard Club of Boston vs Jonathan Club
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
What the records say
- Gender: Harvard Club of Boston: No published gender; Jonathan Club: Open to men and women since a 1987 vote to admit women as full members.
- Geographic restriction: Harvard Club of Boston: Fees are set by the ZIP codes where an applicant lives and works: Resident 1 within 15 miles, Resident 2 within 16 to 50 miles, Nonresident 51 or more miles within the United States, and International outside the United States; Jonathan Club: No published geographic restriction.
- Monthly dues: Harvard Club of Boston: $60–426 a month; Jonathan Club: Not publicly disclosed. Secondary reporting states that monthly dues are payable in addition to the initiation fee to remain in good standing, but gives no amount..
Side by side
| Harvard Club of Boston | Jonathan Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Private club | Private club |
| Founded | 1908 (The club's timeline records that 22 alumni men started the Harvard Club of Boston in 1908 with annual dues set at $5.) | 1895 (Two dates appear at the downtown clubhouse entrance: 1894, when the club was formed as a political club, and 1895, when it was chartered in California as a non-political social club. The club bases its anniversaries on 8 June 1895.) |
| Headquarters | Boston, United States | Los Angeles, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Back Bay clubhouse at 374 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston; the club's current site lists no other location | Two clubhouses: the Town Club at 545 South Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles, open since 1924, and the Beach Club on the sand in Santa Monica, operating since 1927 |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed by the club. Wikipedia gives approximately 5,000 members across 40 countries; that has not been independently verified and carries no date. | Not publicly disclosed. Wikipedia reports more than 650 female members but gives no total. |
| Chapters | Single clubhouse; no chapters. Members have reciprocal access to more than 170 private clubs worldwide. | 2 |
| Primary audience | The club states its mission is to be "the social, intellectual, and athletic hub for Harvard alumni and our affiliated community in the Greater Boston area", and its published eligibility extends to alumni of Harvard, MIT, Yale and the Fletcher School at Tufts, faculty and students of Harvard and MIT, medical residents and fellows at Harvard-affiliated hospitals, and the direct relatives of member | Not publicly disclosed. The club does not publish eligibility criteria; secondary sources describe membership as by invitation only. |
| Typical member | Alumni, students, faculty, parents and affiliates of Harvard and MIT, plus Yale and Tufts Fletcher School alumni, together with a limited number of Commonwealth members admitted as friends and family of existing members. Fees are banded by age and by distance from the clubhouse. | Not publicly disclosed. Wikipedia reports more than 650 female members; no total membership, occupational or age profile is published. |
| Qualification | ||
| Gender | No published gender | Open to men and women since a 1987 vote to admit women as full membersWomen guests had been limited to certain floors, dining rooms and entrances as recently as 1975; Wikipedia reports more than 650 female membersverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | Fees are set by the ZIP codes where an applicant lives and works: Resident 1 within 15 miles, Resident 2 within 16 to 50 miles, Nonresident 51 or more miles within the United States, and International outside the United StatesFees are also banded by ageverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | Yes |
| Sponsor required | Sometimes | Not documented |
| Application process | Applicants review the eligibility categories and the published dues schedule, then select their affiliation and complete an online application form. The club verifies the applicant's university affiliation directly with the institution and a member of the team follows up to finalise details. The club's Become a Member page asks applicants to allow two to three weeks for review, while its membership FAQ says a membership is activated within 10 to 15 business days; new members then receive membership numbers and an electronic welcome package. Commonwealth applicants complete a separate application and need a member sponsor. | Not publicly disclosed. Secondary sources describe membership as by invitation only; no application form, sponsorship rule or committee process could be verified, and the club's own site could not be retrieved. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed as an acceptance rate. Eligibility is defined by university affiliation; the only published numerical limit is the 50 Commonwealth places reserved each year. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Cost | ||
| Monthly dues | $60–426 a monthPublished monthly cost of membership effective 1 September 2026. Resident 1: $135 (25 and under), $154 (26-30), $250 (31-35), $372 (36-40), $426 (41-74), $295 (75+), $385 (HCB plus HCNYC 41-74). Resident 2: $127 / $143 / $206 / $287 / $327 / $262 / $298. Nonresident: $113 / $127 / $159 / $190 / $218, $182 for HCB plus HCNYC. International: $60 / $79 / $94 / $114 / $133. Undergraduate students $85, graduate students $95, Harvard College faculty $125. The facilities renewal assessment is built into these figuresverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. Secondary reporting states that monthly dues are payable in addition to the initiation fee to remain in good standing, but gives no amount.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | $305–4,327 one-timePublished schedule effective 1 September 2026, banded by residence and age. Resident 1 (within 15 miles): $964 for 25 and under, $1,183 for 26-30, $2,280 for 31-35, $3,684 for 36-40, $4,327 for 41-74, $2,763 for 75+, $3,843 for a combined HCB and Harvard Club of New York membership aged 41-74. Resident 2 (16-50 miles): $862 / $1,053 / $1,754 / $2,661 / $3,143 / $2,369 / $2,801 on the same bands. Nonresident (51+ miles, USA): $761 / $920 / $1,242 / $1,622 / $1,958, with $1,520 for HCB plus HCNYC aged 41 and over. International: $305 / $532 / $773 / $1,012 / $1,239. Students $660; Harvard College faculty $960verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed by the club. Reported at approximately $50,000 as of 2024 in a Thrillist survey of Los Angeles members-only clubs, cited by Wikipedia. The club neither publishes nor confirms the figure, and the underlying source is a lifestyle publication rather than a business title, so the number should be treated as indicative only.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Ongoing; dues may be paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | More than 250 member events a year, virtual and in person, from wine dinners to faculty discussions and holiday events | Not documented |
| Peer forums | Member-led Shared Interest Groups (SIGs), plus a Golf Society giving access to regional country clubs and a squash programme with leagues and clinics | Not documented |
| Confidentiality | The club describes itself as an electronic-device-friendly clubhouse and asks only that members not take phone calls in the restaurant; sound-proof phone booths are provided in the Member Commons. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Clubhouse premises, Event-focused | Clubhouse premises, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | No | No |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | No | No |
| Online community | Partial | No |
| Member directory | Yes | Not documented |
| Events | Yes | Not documented |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Not documented |
| Leadership development | No | No |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | Yes | Not documented |
| Family programming | Yes | Not documented |
| Spouse and partner programming | Yes | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Not documented |
| Investment discussions | No | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | Not documented |
| Networking emphasis | High | Not documented |
| Social emphasis | High | High |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Harvard Club of Boston · Jonathan Club