YW Boston awarded $100,000 Cummings Foundation grant
Boston, June 6, 2018 – YW Boston is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program. The Boston-based organization was chosen from a total of 597 applicants, during a competitive review process.
YW Boston’s mission is to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. YW Boston runs innovative programming to help Boston move towards racial equity and eliminate gender-based inequities.
Representing YW Boston, Chief Development Officer Annie Garmey, Chief Financial Officer Jessica Zander and Assistant Vice President Kathryn Henderson will join approximately 300 other guests at a reception at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn to celebrate the $10 million infusion into Greater Boston’s nonprofit sector. With the conclusion of this grant cycle, Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $220 million to Greater Boston nonprofits alone.
Beth Chandler, YW Boston’s Interim President and CEO, said, “All of us at YW Boston are extremely grateful to the Cummings Foundation for this critical support at an important time in our history as we work to meet the most pressing needs in our community in the context of eliminating racism and empowering women.”
YW Boston’s programs, including LeadBoston, Dialogues on Race and Ethnicity, and our Youth Leadership Initiative, education and empower people to take action towards a more equitable society. Program participants gain contextual knowledge about our city, explore their personal biases, learn about social justice issues, and work to change practices and policies in their organizations.
The 100K for 100 program supports nonprofits that are based in and primarily service Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk counties. Through this place-based initiative, Cummings foundation aims to give back in the area where it owns commercial buildings, all of which are managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate Cummings Properties. Founded in 1970 by Bill Cummings of Winchester, the Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“We are indebted t the nonprofit organizations like YW Boston that have a meaningful positive impact on the local communities where our colleagues and clients live and work,” said Joel Swets, Cummings Foundation’s executive director. “We are delighted to invest in their important programs and services.”
This year’s diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including homelessness prevention and affordable housing, education, violence prevention, and food insecurity. Most of the grants will be paid over two to five years.
The complete list of 100 grant winners will be available beginning June 7 at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Cummings Foundation announced an additional $10 million in early May through its new Sustaining Grants, which extend “$100K for 100” funding for previous winners for 10 more years. Beginning in 2019, the Foundation will increase its total giving through these two programs from $20 million to $25 million.
About YW Boston
YW Boston has been a leader in building a better Boston for all since 1866, when it was founded as the first YWCA in the nation. Today, YW Boston serves Bostonians with programs that educate + empower people across racial, gender, class, and organizational lines. Programs include LeadBoston, Dialogues on Race and Ethnicity, and the Youth Leadership Initiative (InIt), as well as events such as the Academy of Women Achievers Luncheon, Stand Against Racism, and the upcoming Elevating Lives Series. YW Boston is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Through our programs and events YW Boston disseminates high quality, actionable information about areas of inequity, so that they may be addressed.
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Bill Cummings released his self-written memoir, “Starting Small and Making It Big: An Entrepreneur’s Journey to Billion-Dollar Philanthropist,” in March 2018. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org and cummings.com/book.
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Photo: YW Boston Staff with Cummings Announcement