Cummings Foundation now awards at least $50 million each year, and has awarded a total of more than $500 million to date, to a widely diverse group of nonprofits primarily in eastern Massachusetts.
Our Programs and Special Interests
$30 Million Grant Program
150 annual grants awarded each May to eastern Massachusetts nonprofits, largely selected by volunteers
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New Horizons Communities
Not-for-profit retirement communities developed by Cummings Foundation in Woburn and Marlboro, MA
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Affiliated Colleges
A commitment to educational equity and workforce development through long-term funding
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Cummings in Rwanda
Invitation-only support of this East African country's post-genocide recovery and rebuilding efforts
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A substantial portion of Cummings Foundation’s assets is made up of commercial real estate donated by Joyce and Bill Cummings and managed (on a pro bono basis) by Cummings Properties. Businesses that lease space with Cummings feel good knowing that all the profits from their rent are dedicated to supporting nonprofits. Learn more about how Cummings gives All Profits to Nonprofits.
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Our Approach
They are the heroes: The nonprofit executive directors who also serve as HR managers, development officers, and marketing managers; the program staff who work diligently and passionately, often for low pay and even less recognition; the volunteers who devote precious free time in service to others. They are the heroes—not us.
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Volunteers
Second only to funding, volunteers are an integral part of Cummings Foundation's grant program. By tapping into the deep expertise and rich diversity of greater Boston's professional community, the Foundation is so much better able to understand the issues local communities are facing, identify the most promising and effective nonprofits to fund, and strengthen relationships with beneficiaries.
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About Cummings Foundation
"We reject the phrase give until it hurts. The better advice is to give until it feels good, and then keep on giving."
— Bill and Joyce Cummings, founders of Cummings Properties and Cummings Foundation, and first Massachusetts members of The Giving Pledge
Cummings Foundation was established in 1986 and has since grown to be one of the three largest foundations in New England. The Foundation is active in four major areas, focusing much of its efforts on the communities in which colleagues and clients live and work.
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