YW Boston is proud to accept a $450,000 Cummings Foundation grant
Boston, May 27, 2021 – YW Boston is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The Boston-based organization was chosen from a total of 590 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $450,000 over 10 years.
YW Boston helps individuals and organizations change policies, practices, attitudes, and behaviors with a goal of creating more inclusive environments where women, people of color, and especially women of color, can succeed. A particular focus area of our work is dismantling inequities faced by Black and Latinx women and girls as they experience some of the most extreme racial and gender inequities from wage gaps, to educational outcomes, to underemployment, to health outcomes, and more.
This grant will be used to support YW Boston’s F.Y.R.E. Initiative (Fierce Youth Reigniting Excellence), a leadership development and social justice education program that serves more than 200 middle school girls in Boston annually.
Beth Chandler, President & CEO of YW Boston said, “We are very grateful for this long term commitment from the Cummings Foundation. F.Y.R.E. is offered at no charge to students and is funded almost entirely through philanthropic support. This long term funding provides important stability and the resources needed to continue invest in program evaluation and modifications to curriculum in order to meet the diverse and evolving needs of our youth participants.”
The Cummings $25 Million Grant Program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve 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. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 10 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“We aim to help meet the needs of people in all segments of our local community,” said Cummings Foundation executive director Joel Swets. “It is the incredible organizations we fund, however, that do the actual daily work to empower our neighbors, educate our children, fight for equity, and so much more.”
With the help of about 80 volunteers, the Foundation first identified 140 organizations to receive grants of at least $100,000 each. Among the winners were first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings Foundation grants. Forty of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 each.
“We have adopted a democratic approach to philanthropy, which empowers an impressive roster of dedicated volunteers to decide more than half of all our grant winners each year,” said Swets. “We benefit from their diverse backgrounds and perspectives; they benefit from a meaningful and fulfilling experience; and the nonprofits often benefit from increased exposure and new advocates.”
This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including social justice, homelessness prevention, affordable housing, education, violence prevention, and food insecurity. The nonprofits are spread across 43 different cities and towns.
The complete list of 140 grant winners, plus more than 800 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $300 million to greater Boston nonprofits.
About YW Boston
YWCA Boston (YW Boston) is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. As the first YWCA in the nation, YW Boston has been at the forefront of advancing equity for over 150 years. Through our DE&I Services—InclusionBoston and LeadBoston—as well as our advocacy work and F.Y.R.E. Initiative, we help individuals and organizations change policies, practices, attitudes, and behaviors with a goal of creating more inclusive environments where women, people of color, and especially women of color can succeed.
Contact: Annie Garmey, YW Boston, 781-354-2663 agarmey@ywboston.org
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings and has grown to be one of the three largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn, and Veterinary School at Tufts, LLC in North Grafton. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Contact: Alison Harding, Cummings Foundation, 781-932-7093, aeh@cummings.com