Foundation News

Latest Cummings Foundation Media Coverage

Long Island
Winchester News - 2/12/2024

Winchester Hospital has received a $2.5 million gift from Cummings Foundation, a Woburn-based charitable entity founded by Bill and Joyce Cummings of Cummings Properties. MORE

Long Island
Tufts Now - 1/29/2024

Tufts faculty and staff donated a record-breaking amount to the Tufts Community Grants program, which, when combined with the matching gift from Cummings Foundation, will allow the TCG board to award $105,000 this cycle. MORE

Long Island
Breaking Bread with Joe Piantedosi – 12/31/2023

During this podcast episode, Bill Cummings chats with host Joe Piantedosi about his path to success as an entrepreneur and his passion for philanthropy. MORE

Long Island
MassNonprofit News – 11/18/2023

Bill and Joyce Cummings received the 2023 Change Maker Award in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the community and their support of hundreds of nonprofits. MORE

Long Island
MassNonprofit News – 11/8/2023

Cummings Foundation has appointed Jim Yong Kim, M.D., Ph.D. to its board of trustees. Formerly president of the World Bank Group, Kim is also a co-founder and director of Partners In Health. MORE

Long Island
Boston Common - 10/25/23

Boston notables Gretta Monahan, the Bina family, Dr. Makeeba McCreary, and Bill Cummings share their charitable giving recommendations for the holiday season. MORE

Long Island
Good Dirt – 10/4/23

This podcast episode features a wide-ranging conversation between show co-hosts Mike and Tom Greeley, of Newmark, and Bill Cummings. Listen via Spotify, Apple, or desktop.

Long Island
Boston Business Journal – 9/14/2023

We can make steady progress in solving the nursing shortage through partnerships of private nonprofit higher education institutions, health care providers, philanthropy, and government. MORE

Long Island
The Salem News – 9/6/2023

Endicott College unveiled its new $20 million Cummings School of Nursing & Health Sciences, a building that includes everything from robot patients to water treadmills. MORE

Long Island
Boston Real Estate Times – 8/28/2023

Bill Cummings, founder of Cummings Properties and Cummings Foundation, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023. MORE

Long Island
Boston 25 News – 8/10/2023

Mayor Michelle Wu has granted Boston a vital permit to restore the city’s bridge to Long Island and to reopen a recovery center on the harbor island Thursday. MORE

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The Boston Globe – 7/24/2023

How a hard-working fruit punch salesman built a suburban real estate empire—and why he’s now focused on turning it into game-changing donations. MORE

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MassNonprofit News – 7/17/2023

Cummings Foundation is now accepting letters of inquiry for its annual $30 Million Grant Program. This place-based initiative will deliver substantial multi-year funding to 150 eastern Massachusetts nonprofits. MORE

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The Boston Globe – 6/14/2023

Pine Street Inn will expand its outreach operation and mission to find permanent housing solutions for unhoused people in Boston after it was selected to receive a $1 million grant over 10 years from Cummings Foundation. MORE

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The Lowell Sun – 5/31/2023

THRIVE’s mission uses community-centered, restorative practices to support formerly incarcerated people, and their almost decadelong work in the field just got a big boost. MORE

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MassNonprofit News - 6/8/2023

Summer heralds major growth for 150 greater Boston nonprofits. These community organizations are abuzz after receiving the fabled “You got it” email and poster, assuring them funding through the annual Cummings $30 Million Grant Program. MORE

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The Lexington Observer - 5/18/2023

Mike Kennealy, of Lexington, has been appointed to Woburn-based Cummings Foundation’s board of trustees. Kennealy is well known for serving as Massachusetts’ secretary of housing and economic development under the Baker Administration. MORE

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UMASS University News - 5/9/2023

The leader of the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band, an alumna and social justice advocate, husband and wife entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and an alumna who blazed a trail for women in sports received honorary degrees at the 2023 UMASS Amherst Commencement ceremony. MORE

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TuftsNow - 4/28/2023

A two-to-one Cummings Foundation matching gift enabled the awarding of the largest grants by dollar amount ever provided by the Tufts Community Grants program. MORE

Cummings School of Architecture sign
Bristol Patch - 4/17/2023

The first annual RWU Cummings Institute for Real Estate Symposium brought together leaders from architecture, construction management, legal, development, government, and banking to discuss the rapidly changing real estate environment. MORE

Endicott College Under Construction
Boston Business Journal - 3/9/2023

Franklin Cummings Tech and Endicott College are among several local colleges and universities undertaking some of the most notable building projects in the Commonwealth. MORE

Tufts Community Grants
Boston Business Journal - 1/30/2023

The Boston technical college whose roots trace back to Benjamin Franklin has launched a new name and rebrand. It’s now Franklin Cummings Tech — a name that incorporates the Cummings family, which made a major donation to the school last year. MORE

Tufts Community Grants
Tufts Now - 1/30/2023

Tufts University is accepting applications from nonprofits in its four host communities of Boston, Grafton, Medford, and Somerville for awards from the Tufts Community Grants program. Grant amounts are increased this year, thanks to a Cummings Foundation challenge gift. MORE

Joyce Cummings and Paul Farmer
The Boston Globe - 1/11/2023

A $50 million donation from Cummings Foundation will create the Paul Farmer Collaborative, an international partnership between Harvard Medical School and the University of Global Health Equity. MORE

McKeown School Dedication
The Salem News - 11/17/2022

At a time when schools are in dire need of teachers, Salem State University celebrated a $10 million gift intended to boost the teacher pipeline — the largest cash gift ever to a Massachusetts state university. MORE

Joyce and Bill Cummings
Boston Business Journal - 11/16/2022

The BBJ’s Power 50: Movement Makers list is once again highlighting businesspeople and community leaders who are making the biggest impact on the region. MORE

NExT Grant Recipient
MassNonprofit News - 11/9/2022

Seven local nonprofits just learned they are one step closer to achieving maximum impact, thanks to sizable cash infusions from Cummings Foundation. MORE

Project LEARN
The Lowell Sun - 11/6/2022

Lowell-based Project LEARN was awarded funding for non-school STEAM initiatives through a special Cummings Foundation initiative. MORE

Bill and Joyce Cummings
Boston Common - 11/3/2022

These local power altruists do more than just champion a cause—but revolutionize the world along the way. MORE

Bill and Joyce Cummings
Northshore magazine - 10/24/2022

For years, Bill and Joyce Cummings were undercover billionaires. They lived well, but not large, maintaining their relatively modest Winchester home (along with a smallish condo in Florida), driving decade-old cars, and flying economy class. MORE

Shoebert Seal Crossing sign
The Boston Globe - 10/13/2022

A “seal crossing” street sign was put up Cummings Center on Tuesday, right where Shoebert — the seal who spent more than a week in a local pond — crossed the road while waddling to the police station at the end of his stay. MORE

Salem State University
The Boston Globe - 8/15/2022

Cummings Foundation makes largest cash contribution ever to a Massachusetts state university. MORE

Beverly Bootstraps
The Salem News - 7/27/2022

Inflation has affected everyone, and nonprofits are not immune. Cummings Foundation expanded its grant program to $30 million in an effort to help organizations through this challenging time. MORE

Discovery Museum
Inside Charity - 7/16/2022

Scores of Massachusetts nonprofits celebrated after being notified that they had received a Cummings Foundation grant as part of its $25 Million Grant Program. A total of 140 organizations were set to receive between $100,000 and $500,000. MORE

Bill Cummings
Bloomberg - 7/15/2022

On July 14th, hundreds of representatives from area nonprofits gathered at TradeCenter 128 for the Cummings Foundation $25 million grant celebration. Bill Cummings chatted with Janet Wu of Bloomberg on the celebration and the Foundation’s philanthropy in general. MORE

Bill Cummings
Boston Business Journal - 7/1/2022

Bill Cummings, founder of Cummings Properties, has given away more than $375 million to greater Boston nonprofits through Cummings Foundation. The Foundation announced this week that its annual grant program is expanding to $30 million and adding 10 more recipients this cycle period. MORE

Grant Recipients - Freedom House
High Profile - 6/27/2022

Cummings Foundation has announced the 140 nonprofits that were awarded funds through the annual Cummings $25 Million Grant Program. The charities will receive $100,000–$500,000 each. MORE

Buttonwoods Museum
The Boston Globe - 6/23/2022

Buttonwoods Museum is embarking on a project aimed at re-energizing the Haverhill institution and making it more representative of the diverse population that inhabits the area. MORE

New Trustees
501c3.buzz - 6/18/2022

Cummings Foundation has appointed the top executives of two higher education institutions to its board of trustees: Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, vice chancellor of University of Global Health Equity, and Dr. Aisha Francis, president and CEO of Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology. MORE

Gas Stipend
NBC10 Boston - 6/15/2022

The Cummings organization announced a fuel stipend for all 650+ colleagues of $1 for every hour worked, at least through the end of 2022. About half are employed by Cummings Properties and the others by Cummings Foundation’s two New Horizons senior living communities. MORE

Bill Cummings
NewsBreak - 6/14/2022

In 1970, Bill Cummings started a real estate company, Cummings Properties. The business has made Cummings a very wealthy man—and he is determined to give it all away. MORE

RWU dedication
High Profile - 6/8/2022

Roger Williams University (RWU) recently held a celebration to formally honor the $20 million partnership between the Bristol, R.I. school and Cummings Foundation. The university-wide event included a dedication and naming ceremony for Cummings School of Architecture. MORE

Beverly Bootstraps
The Salem News - 5/28/2022

Beverly Bootstraps has been awarded a $500,000 grant over 10 years from Cummings Foundation. The Foundation announced the grant this month as part of its annual $25 Million Grant Program. The social services agency was chosen from a total of 580 applicants during a competitive review process. MORE

Cummings and Monacos
Boston Real Estate Times - 5/4/2022

An April 26 dinner marked the culmination of a project 35 years in the making: Joyce Cummings Center. Named for the co-founder of Cummings Foundation, the brand-new Tufts University structure houses 148,000 square feet of interdisciplinary learning space. MORE

Tufts Community Grant Awards
TuftsNow - 4/22/2022

A Cummings Foundation matching gift doubled the amount of the grant awards Tufts University made this year to community-based charitable organizations in Boston, Grafton, Medford, and Somerville. MORE

Ben Franklin Cummings Institute
GBH News “greater Boston” - 4/21/2022

Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology broke ground on a new campus in Nubian Square, which will offer a hybrid learning model and prepare students for the workforce. At timestamp 18:45, President Aisha Francis, Ph.D. speaks about the school and its partnership with Cummings Foundation. MORE

Roger Williams
The Boston Globe - 4/6/2022

Roger Williams University, in Bristol, R.I., announced a pledge of at least $20 million from the Cummings Foundation, in part to help add a real estate education program at the university’s school of architecture. MORE

Jack Connors and Bob Keefe
Inside Charity - 3/25/2022

Boston philanthropist and advertising mogul Jack Connors, Jr. and WilmerHale senior counsel Robert D. Keefe, JD have been appointed to Woburn-based Cummings Foundation’s board as community trustees. MORE

Jen Faigel Illustration
The Boston Globe - 2/28/2022

Cummings is now pledging $1 million to CommonWealth Kitchen over 10 years for operations, essentially doubling its previous annual donation. At the same time, Cummings announced a matching grant of an additional $1 million for the property. MORE

Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology Commitment
The Boston Globe - 2/22/2022

Less than two years ago, the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology was on the brink of extinction. Today, it stands on the verge of transformation. Now the school is getting the largest gift in its history: $12.5 million from the Cummings Foundation. MORE

Bill and Joyce Cummings among national philanthropists
The Boston Globe - 12/25/2021

Among the first to sign the Giving Pledge were Bill and Joyce Cummings, a Winchester couple who fly coach and pride themselves on being frugal. But they’ve quietly bankrolled hundreds of nonprofits through a foundation worth over $3 billion. MORE

Grant to help Afghan evacuees
Boston 25 News - 12/22/2021

Cummings Foundation surprised the president of International Institute of New England with a $200,000 donation toward the organization’s recent efforts with local Afghan evacuees. MORE

Cummings Grant to GLFHC
WHAV Wavelengths - 12/10/2021

Greater Lawrence Family Health Center is receiving $20,000 from Cummings Foundation to support its mobile health units and Healthcare for the Homeless program. MORE

Cummings matches Tufts donations
Tufts Now - 11/22/2021

The Tufts Community Appeal (TCA) last year set a record for giving. This year, thanks to its enthusiastic board and a matching gift from Cummings Foundation, hopes are high for even greater growth. MORE

Cummings Supports Seniors
Fifty Plus Advocate - 11/22/2021

Bill and Joyce Cummings of Winchester began making donations, many to organizations dedicated to elders, a long time ago. But they wanted to create a different kind of foundation. MORE

Tufts University Joyce Cummings Center
Tufts Now - 11/18/2021

Tufts is putting the finishing touches on the new Joyce Cummings Center. Construction started in May 2019 thanks to a generous gift from Cummings Foundation. MORE

Cummings School of Nursing groundbreaking ceremony
Boston Business Journal - 10/21/2021

Endicott College will be expanding its nursing program thanks to the largest financial gift in its history: $20 million from the Cummings Foundation. The school will be renamed the Cummings School of Nursing and Health Sciences. MORE

Joyce Vyriotes and Bill Cummings
Inside Charity - 10/8/2021

Cummings Foundation has appointed Joyce Vyriotes as its new executive director, effective October 1. One of the several largest private foundations in New England, its holdings total approximately $3 billion. MORE

Cummings Tops BBJ List
High Profile Monthly - 9/14/2021

For the fifth time in recent years, the Cummings organization has been recognized as the Commonwealth’s “Top Charitable Contributor” by Boston Business Journal. MORE

Cummings Number 1 Corporate Giver
Boston Business Journal - 9/9/2021

Boston Business Journal has ranked and recognized the 98 companies that paid out at least $100,000 in cash contributions to Mass. charities in 2020. MORE

Cummings $25 million grant logo
Daily Times Chronicle - 9/8/2021

The window for local-area nonprofits to apply for the Cummings $25 Million Grant Program will close Friday, September 10 at 5:00 PM. The place-based initiative annually supports 140 Massachusetts nonprofits, each of which will be awarded a grant ranging from $100,000 to $500,000.MORE

Northeast Metro Tech awarded $300k
Wakefield Daily Item - 8/17/2021

The Northeast Metro Tech has been awarded a $300,000 grant from Cummings Foundation to support the school’s Saturday Program. The grant will be distributed over 10 years, during which time Northeast Metro Tech will receive $30,000 in funding annually for the program. MORE

Heidi Heinlein
Today in Woburn - 8/16/2021

Samantha chats with Mayor Scott Galvin for a city update and Heidi Heinlein from Cummings Foundation. (starting at timestamp 17:40) MORE

UMass Amherst awarded $100K
MassLive - 8/4/2021

The University of Massachusetts Amherst received a grant for traditionally underrepresented first-year and transfer students from Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk counties. UMass Amherst is one of 140 organizations to receive grants through the $25 Million Grant Program. MORE

JFY Podcast
JFYNetWorks Podcast - 7/29/2021

This month’s podcast features a conversation with Heidi Heinlein, grants manager at the Cummings Foundation, one of the leading foundations in the Boston area and the state, along with JFY Executive Director Gary Kaplan and Deputy Director Paula Paris. MORE

Cummings invites grant applications
Philanthropy News Digest - 7/26/2021

Cummings Foundation is accepting applications for its $25 Million Grant Program, a place-based initiative that primarily supports nonprofits in the Massachusetts counties of Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk. MORE

Lahey Hospital logo
Burlington Union - 7/23/2021

Lahey Hospital & Medical Center (LHMC), Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals, and Winchester Hospital have together received a $1.13 million gift from the Cummings Foundation, a Woburn-based charitable entity founded by Bill and Joyce Cummings. MORE

2021 Grant Celebration
BCAT News - 7/7/2021

Cummings Foundation has begun the process for its 2022 grant program and recently held a virtual celebration of its 2021 grant recipients.MORE

SCI grant winner
Woburn Advocate - 6/25/2021

Four Woburn nonprofits—Amirah, Inc., Council of Social Concern, Social Capital Inc., and Woburn Community Educational Foundation (WCEF)—will share in $1 million total funding through the 2021 Cummings $25 Million Grant Program. MORE

Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence Cummings Grant Winners
Philanthropy News Digest - 6/1/2021

Cummings Foundation in Woburn, Massachusetts, has announced 140 grants totaling $25 million in support of Boston-area nonprofits. A hundred organizations were awarded grants of $100,000 to be disbursed over two to five years, while the remaining 40 will receive grants ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 over 10 years. MORE

Cummings Grant to The Boston Home
Dorchester Reporter - 5/26/2021

The Boston Home on Dorchester Avenue has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation to support two of its core programs, the B.Fit! day program and the Wheelchair Enhancement Center. MORE

Pappas appointment
Woburn Advocate - 3/15/2021

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation has named Thomas Pappas one of its community trustees. Pappas served as senior vice president and partner at Wellington Management Company, a global investment management firm, until retiring in 2010. MORE

Courtyard Suites
Woburn Advocate - 3/1/2021

New Horizons at Choate independent and assisted living community in Woburn is ready to welcome new neighbors. Construction is now complete on a brand-new residence wing housing 17 newly built oversized apartments. MORE

Tidd Home donation
Woburn Advocate - 2/19/2021

Former nonprofit senior housing facility Tidd Home Inc. has donated $900,888 to Woburn’s only remaining not-for-profit retirement community, New Horizons at Choate. Tidd Home had been located in a historical mansion at 74 Elm St., Woburn, until its 2017 closure. MORE

UMass Medical School
Worcester Business Journal - 2/17/2021

Mass Medical School has been given a major boost in its efforts to start a COVID-19 vaccination corps to help quickly inoculate the public. Cummings Foundation kicked off the new financial backing with a $200,000 and a challenge to match the funds. MORE

Bill and Joyce Cummings on a Zoom call
Banker & Tradesman - 12/20/2020

Cummings Foundation selected 30 greater Boston nonprofits to share in $10 million in donations, ranging from $250,000 to $500,000, as part of its $20 Million Grant Program. MORE

Cummings places first in BBJ charitable contributors
Woburn Advocate - 11/9/2020

The Cummings organization, made up of commercial real estate firm Cummings Properties and its affiliate Cummings Foundation, was named the commonwealth’s “Top Charitable Contributor” at Boston Business Journal’s Corporate Citizenship Awards. This is the fourth time the Woburn-based organization has achieved the No. 1 ranking. MORE

Cummings awards $10 million to local nonprofits
Banker & Tradesman - 10/16/2020

Cummings Foundation selected 30 greater Boston nonprofits to share in $10 million in donations, ranging from $250,000 to $500,000, as part of its Cummings $20 Million Grant Program. In the first phase of this philanthropic initiative, 130 nonprofits were awarded $100,000 each in June. MORE

Cummings tops BBJ Corporate Charitable Contributor list
Boston Business Journal - 9/10/2020

Boston Business Journal compiled a list of 107 companies that paid out at least $100,000 to Massachusetts-based charitable organizations in fiscal 2019. MORE

Elaine Chen
Tufts - 8/25/2020

After a comprehensive international search, the Tufts School of Engineering and the Tufts Gordon Institute are pleased to announce the appointment of Elaine Chen as the Director of the Tufts Entrepreneurship Center (TEC) and the Cummings Family Professor of the Practice in Entrepreneurship. MORE

Barbra Graham recognized as Hometown Hero
Boston 25 News - 7/31/2020

Barbra Graham of Woburn was recently recognized as a Hometown Hero when the Boston 25 Morning News crew visited local retirement community New Horizons at Choate, where Graham serves as community relations director. MORE

Cummings 25 Million Grant Logo
Philanthrophy News Digest - 7/21/2020

Cummings Foundation in Woburn, Massachusetts, has launched its new Cummings $25 Million Grant Program and is accepting Letters of Inquiry. Through the initiative, one hundred nonprofits based in and primarily serving Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties in Massachusetts will be awarded grants of $100,000 each, (mostly) payable over two to five years. MORE

BBJ Corporate Citizenship
Boston Business Journal - 7/16/2020

The Boston Business Journal recently announced the region's top corporate charitable contributors. The Business Journal publishes its annual list to showcase companies that promote and prioritize giving back to their communities — a feat that is even more important during times of turmoil and crisis like we have experienced in 2020. MORE

Cummings 20 Million Logo
Community Advocate - 6/10/2020

For over 50 years, Cummings Properties has been a leader in commercial real estate throughout Massachusetts. And although its founder, Bill Cummings, has earned recognition and accolades for his business acumen in the field, it may be another endeavor - Cummings Foundation - that has truly made a more significant impact on the lives of so many. MORE

2020 Grant Recipient
Beverly Citizen - 6/8/2020

In 2020, Cummings Foundation combined its $100K for 100 and Sustaining Grants initiatives into the Cummings $20 Million Grant Program. Through this streamlined approach, the foundation is awarding a total of $20 million annually to 130 local-area nonprofits. MORE

Northeast Arc awarded Cummings grant
Northshore Magazine - 5/27/2020

Northeast Arc, a not-for-profit organization that helps children and adults with disabilities become full participants in the community, has received a grant through the Cummings Foundation's $20 Million Grant Program. MORE

Starting Small
Woburn Advocate - 5/22/2020

In the latest edition of his business book, "Starting Small and Making It Big," Cummings chronicles his business ventures, calculated risks during market downturns and lessons in both entrepreneurship and philanthropy. MORE

New Horizons avoids COVID
Boston Business Journal - 5/5/2020

New Horizons at Choate, in Woburn, and New Horizons at Marlborough both underwent coronavirus testing by the National Guard in late April. Of the hundreds of tests performed of all residents and staff at both facilities, only one resident and one employee initially tested positive at Choate, and none of the residents or staff initially tested positive at Marlborough. MORE

Lauren Baker
Boston Business Journal - 4/15/2020

The Cummings Foundation has donated $500,000 to the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund in an effort to help support at-risk community members. The Woburn-based foundation announced the donation during a Zoom call attended by Lauren Baker, Massachusetts first lady, who is in part spearheading the relief fund, along with foundation trustees and volunteers. MORE

Woburn Client firm contributes to COVID
The Lowell Sun - 4/9/2020

The Woburn-based Cummings Foundation has announced $500,000 in grants to support COVID-19 emergency response funds, including the Greater Lowell Community Foundation's (GLCF) relief fund. Five funds will receive $100,000 each to support communities and individuals, including black and Latinx small business owners affected by the pandemic, according to a news release. MORE

Dennis Clarke
Woburn Advocate - 4/8/2020

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation announced $500,000 in grants to support COVID-19 relief efforts in Boston and the north suburbs. Five emergency response funds will each receive $100,000 to support communities, individuals and black and Latinx small business owners affected by the coronavirus. MORE

Bill Cummings in Philanthropy Magazine
Philanthropy Magazine - 1/15/2020

When Joyce and Bill Cummings signed the Giving Pledge in 2011, greater Boston was surprised. The first donors in Massachusetts to join, the couple were relatively unknown. They didn't live in the city. They didn't appear in social diaries. Indeed, "my friends know me as the woman who goes to Stop & Shop with the coupons," reports Joyce. MORE

Bill Cummings
New England Real Estate Journal - 11/29/2019

Born during America's Great Depression, Bill Cummings grew up poor. But with hard work, an entrepreneurial mindset, and an eye for opportunities, he led a series of highly successful business ventures, eventually becoming one of the most respected commercial real estate operators in greater Boston and, more importantly, one of the most prolific philanthropists in Massachusetts history. MORE

Endicott College awarded $100,000
Endicott College Soundings - 11/19/2019

Bill Cummings' Endicott College connection started with a familiar interaction, one that many people associated with the College experienced at some level. "I met (former) Endicott President, Dr. Richard E. Wylie, at breakfast for a Beverly Chamber of Commerce event when we first began development of the Cummings Center," recalls Cummings. "I happened to be sitting next to him. Over a long period of time, I developed a tremendous respect for Dick and through him, of course, for the College." MORE

Bill Cummings
Philanthropy News Digest - 10/25/2019

Bill Cummings thinks of himself as a serial entrepreneur. At the age of six, he would venture over to a construction site near his parents' house and sell bottles of soda. Decades later, after having worked in sales for a number of national consumer product firms, he bought his first "real" business, a century-old fruit juice syrup manufacturer, for $4,000. Five years later, he sold the company and used the seven-figure proceeds to establish Cummings Properties, which today manages more than ten million square feet of debt-free real estate in suburban Boston. MORE

Museum of Science honors Cummings Foundation
Reading Advocate - 10/9/2019

Founded in 1986, the Cummings Foundation is focused on giving back to the Greater Boston community in the areas of human services, education, health care and social justice. It has inspired generations of Boston area residents through its generous support of capital, program and exhibit development projects at the Museum of Science and throughout Eastern Massachusetts. MORE

Joyce and Bill Cummings speaking
My Social Good News - 9/17/2019

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation received a record 738 Letters of Inquiry for its greatly expanded 2020 grant cycle, compared with 574 last year. Thanks to changes in the eligibility requirements for the newly named Cummings $20 Million Grant Program, more greater Boston nonprofits than ever before submitted proposals for grants ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 each. MORE

Enroot grant recipient
My Social Good News - 8/26/2019

While many private foundations base their funding decisions on the thinking of just a handful of trusted advisors, commercial real estate entrepreneur and billionaire philanthropist Bill Cummings has opted for a much different model. Cummings Foundation engaged 148 volunteers to help decide the majority of the $25 million it awarded to greater Boston charities last year alone. MORE

UGHE visits Cummings Properties
Woburn Advocate - 8/6/2019

Cummings Properties recently hosted staff from Rwanda's brand-new University of Global Health Equity for an afternoon of professional development. Two senior members of the campus operations department visited the Woburn commercial real estate firm to learn its best practices for in-house facilities maintenance. MORE

Grant Recipient
Philanthropy News Digest - 5/8/2019

The Cummings Foundation in Woburn, Massachusetts, has announced grants totaling $15 million to fifty Boston-area nonprofits through its Sustaining Grants program. The program provides long-term follow-on funding—typically between $20,000 and $50,000 a year for up to ten years—to former grantees in the foundation's $100K for 100 program. MORE

Bill Cummings at Salem State Agganis Forum
Salem Gazette - 4/26/2019

Salem State University hosted the Agganis Forum, a presentation organized by the university's Bertolon School of Business, on Monday, April 22. Bill Cummings, founder of Cummings Properties, Inc. and Cummings Foundation, Inc., discussed his road to success, what motivates him and his recent book, Starting Small and Making It Big: An Entrepreneur's Journey to Billion-Dollar Philanthropist. MORE

keyboard
Winchester Star - 3/15/2019

This is just a quick note to recognize and thank you for your excellent Feb. 28 editorial page (A9), with two worthwhile articles. I do not personally know Juanita Zerda of Winchester Multicultural Network, but her “Learning and Reflecting About Blackface,” and the work she went through to assemble that excellent opinion piece, deserve great credit. It was really informative and certainly promoted inclusivity! MORE

Joyce and Bill Cummings in front of plaque
CoStar - 2/8/2019

Boston developer and investor Bill Cummings, founder of Cummings Properties, has developed and invested in millions of square feet of commercial real estate across Massachusetts, but it's an education building some 6,900 miles away that stands out right now. MORE

Joyce and Bill Cummings Americas top philanthropists
Forbes - 10/15/2018

Actions speak louder than words: While it may be easy to make promises, true generosity involves actually giving away the greenbacks. To discover who doled out the most money in 2017, Forbes partnered with Boca Raton, Florida’s SHOOK Research, and tracked the philanthropists who made good on their pledges. We only count money that reaches beneficiaries—and exclude commitments that have yet to be paid out or donations that are still sitting as foundation assets. MORE

Bill Cummings at Emmanuel Convocation
The Pilot - 9/28/2018

Emmanuel College marked the opening of its 99th academic year Sept. 11, with the celebration of its Academic Convocation. Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author Bill Cummings, well known in the greater Boston community and beyond for his success in business and real estate and his commitment to philanthropy, delivered the keynote address. MORE

Cummings BBJ award
New England Real Estate Journal - 9/21/2018

The Cummings organization, made up of commercial real estate firm Cummings Properties and its affiliate Cummings Foundation, was named the Commonwealth’s “Top Charitable Contributor” at Boston Business Journal’s Corporate Citizenship Awards. This is the third year in a row the organization has achieved the No. 1 ranking. MORE

Bill Cummings in his office
Boston Business Journal - 9/6/2018

Put together a list of the most well-known philanthropists in Greater Boston, and Bill Cummings, Sandra Edgerley and Jack Connors are among those at the top. They are giving away millions of dollars of their own money for nonprofit causes, plus raising money and shepherding invaluable grants to nonprofits in the region. The Business Journal recently asked each of them about their philanthropy work and the industry as a whole. MORE

stacking blocks
Inside Philanthropy - 5/15/2018

If there's one thing that nonprofits may want from foundations even more than general operating grants, it's multi-year support. Such commitments help stabilize organizations' finances and allow them to focus more on their mission and less on the incessant fundraising that can preoccupy executive directors. Yet many foundations still don’t offer multi-year support - despite years of pleas by grantees and groups like Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. MORE

Improbable Players receives Sustaining Grant
Beverly Citizen - 4/27/2018

Dozens of local nonprofit organizations received news this week that likely made not just their day, but their decade. Woburn-based Cummings Foundation awarded a total of $10 million to 30 Greater Boston charities through its new Sustaining Grants program, which provides funding for up to 10 years. Each organization will receive annual installments of between $20,000 and $50,000. MORE

Cummings named top charitable contributor
Boston Real Estate Times - 9/11/2017

For the second year in a row, the Cummings organization was named the Commonwealth's number one Top Charitable Contributor at Boston Business Journal's 12th Annual Corporate Citizenship Summit on September 7 in Boston. MORE

Joyce and Bill Cummings
The Boston Globe - 6/5/2017

His father painted houses in Medford, raising a young family in a one-bedroom apartment atop a liquor store, a coin laundry, and a taxi stand on Salem Street. His mother, the daughter of Irish immigrants, was a neighborhood fixture whose idea of socializing was knocking on doors, collecting coins for the March of Dimes or the Cancer Society. MORE

University graduation
Devex - 5/31/2017

Binagwaho emphasizes that this is a global university based in Rwanda — the current cohort includes students from 12 different countries. As the university expands, the plan is to add degree programs in human, veterinary and oral health. Funding for the university began with the philanthropists Joyce and Bill Cummings of the Cummings Foundation, who offered a $15 million grant which was matched by funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other United States donors. MORE

Sustaining Grant recipient
Boston City Biz List - 5/22/2017

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation recently awarded a total of $2.5 million through its brand new Sustaining Grants program to five local nonprofits: CommonWealth Kitchen (Dorchester), Generations Inc. (Boston), Girls Incorporated of Greater Lowell, Lawrence CommunityWorks, and UTEC (formerly United Teen Equality Center, in Lowell). MORE

Laurie Gabriel
The Conway Daily Sun - 10/12/2016

Laurie Gabriel of Jackson has accepted an appointment to the board of trustees of Cummings Foundation. Gabriel, who retired as one of three managing partners at Boston-based Wellington Management Co., will also serve on the foundation's finance committee. MORE

Peter Drobac with Cummings staff
Woburn Advocate - 10/3/2016

Cummings Foundation recently hosted a dinner for Peter Drobac, executive director of University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda. Drobac shared an update about UGHE, a brand new health sciences university that has received substantial funding from Woburn-based Cummings Foundation. MORE

100K event
Woburn Advocate - 9/3/2016

Cummings Foundation is accepting letters of inquiry through Oct. 1 for the 2017 cycle of its $100K for 100 grant program. Through this initiative, the Woburn-based foundation awards grants of $100,000 each to 100 local nonprofits every June.

A record-breaking 479 inquiry letters were submitted for the 2016 cycle, according to foundation Associate Executive Director Joyce Vyriotes. MORE

Joyce and Bill receives Lappin award
Jewish Journal - 8/29/2016

Cummings Foundation co-founders Bill and Joyce Cummings were honored last weekend with the Friend of Israel Award, presented by Lappin Foundation. The Salem-based organization, which offers programs that enhance Jewish identity, created this award in 2013 to recognize people of faiths other than Judaism who support the Jewish People. MORE

Wish Project receives grant
Inside Philanthropy - 6/23/2016

New England's grantmaking stalwart, the Cummings Foundation, has awarded $10 million in grants to local nonprofits focused on improving the community through its annual $100K for 100 program. Additional grants of between $300,000 and $20 million were awarded to 14 other organizations such as Catholic Charities of Boston and YMCA of the North Shore. MORE

New Tufts academic building
The Boston Globe - 6/22/2015

Tufts University is planning to build a major academic building over a new Green Line station in Medford in the next several years. The school said last week that it had developed initial designs for a 100,000-square foot building of classrooms, lecture halls, offices, and shared space, one-third of which will be built over the MBTA's College Avenue station. The cost of the project wasn't yet settled, according to Kim Thurler, a Tufts spokeswoman. MORE

100K event
Salem Patch - 6/16/2016

Cummings Foundation awarded grants of $100,000 each last week to 100 charities - all located in Greater Boston - through its "$100K for 100" program. With the conclusion of this grant cycle, the Woburn-based Foundation has now awarded more than $140 million to local nonprofits.

The organizations were chosen from a total of 479 applicants, during a competitive review process. MORE

Bill Cummings in Blueprint
Tufts Blueprint - November 2015

Back in 1987, Trustee Bill Cummings, a Massachusetts real estate developer, proposed a radical plan to transform the Medford/Somerville campus. If Tufts could secure rights to the airspace above the public transit tracks at the busy intersection of Boston and College Avenues, the university could construct a new building on College Avenue and then build a footbridge that connected it to the Hill. MORE

NHC 25 anniversary
Woburn Advocate - 8/18/2015

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, New Horizons at Choate retirement community, a nonprofit, held an evening reception for about 250 residents and guests on 21 Warren Ave. Additionally, 10-year-residency and service anniversaries were celebrated with four residents and one staff member. MORE

Scholarship Winner
Woburn Advocate - 5/15/2015

Graduating senior Delaney McDaniel bested 23 of the top scholars in this year’s graduating high school class to become Woburn’s class of 2015 McKeown Scholar.

This is the 19th and final year of the McKeown Scholars competition. It was developed by Woburn-based Cummings Foundation in memory of James “Jamie” L. McKeown, a Woburn native, 1973 Woburn High School graduate, and late president of Cummings Properties, who died suddenly in 1996 at the age of 41. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to more than 830 students.

The Foundation will continue to honor McKeown through a recent commitment of $2 million to the newly renamed James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn. MORE

Scholarship Winner
Winchester Patch - 5/8/2015

Graduating senior Kayla Bell has been selected by Winchester High School as this year’s McKeown Scholar. She will be recognized during Senior Awards Night at the school’s auditorium on Wednesday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m.

This is the 19th and final year of the McKeown Scholars competition. Woburn-based Cummings Foundation developed the program in memory of James “Jamie” L. McKeown, late president of Cummings Properties and former managing trustee of the Foundation, who died suddenly in 1996 at the age of 41. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to more than 830 students. MORE

Shake it Off filming
Boston Globe - 3/12/2015

Sometimes, the folks at New Horizons in Woburn just don’t act their age. Wednesday was one of those days. A year after shooting a video in which they lip-synched along to the Carly Rae Jepsen hit “Call Me Maybe,” residents of the assisted-living community were at it again, this time shooting a video of themselves lip-synching Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” MORE

Bill and Joyce Cummings
Boston Business Journal - 1/7/2015

The Cummings Foundation has made grants totaling $10 million to eight nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts as part of a new grants program the foundation has launched. The foundation already operates a $10 million grants program, which it launched in 2013. Through that, the Cummings Foundation (the family foundation of Bill Cummings, who founded Cummings Properties LLC, and his wife Joyce) each year picks 100 organizations and donates $100,000 to them. MORE

Sandy Thompson
Winchester Patch - 12/22/2014

Winchester Multicultural Network (the Network) was recently awarded a million-dollar grant through Cummings Foundation's Major Grants Program. The grant, payable over 10 years, will provide for staff and a more suitable office space, and will allow the Network to expand its programming.

Founded by Winchester resident Sandy Thompson, the 24-year-old nonprofit's mission is to promote the recognition, understanding, and appreciation of diversity; advocate for each and every person's civil rights; and confront intolerance. MORE

Bill Cummings
Boston Business Journal - 11/6/2014

Top leaders from the real estate and construction sectors are scheduled to attend tonight's Boston Business Journal Power 50 event along with Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and House Speaker Robert DeLeo. Developer Bill Cummings of Cummings Properties fame, construction magnate John Fish, Citizens Bank CEO Jerry Sargent and Boston Private Bank & Trust Co. CEO Mark Thompson are expected. So are a couple dozen top executives from other sectors. The festivities at the Boston Harbor Hotel are set to run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. MORE

Jamie McKeown
Winchester Star - 9/23/2014

The Boys & Girls Club of Woburn has changed its name to honor a former president and Winchester resident. The James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn honors the Woburn native and Winchester resident who died of a heart attack in 1996 at age 41. MORE

McKeown plaza
Woburn Advocate - 7/21/2014

The James L. McKeown ’77 Memorial Plaza, honoring the late “Jamie” McKeown, a magna cum laude graduate of Salem State’s Class of 1977, has been officially dedicated at Salem State University. A long time member of the firm, McKeown was president of Cummings Properties in Woburn from 1990 until his sudden death in 1996 at the age of 41. MORE

100K Table
The Boston Globe - 6/23/2014

The Cummings Foundation of Woburn has awarded separate $100,000 grants to the Medford Boys & Girls Club and to the city for the proposed Krystle Campbell Peace Garden. Each grant was awarded as part of the foundation's $100K for 100 program, which awards $10 million annually to nonprofits in Greater Boston. Altogether the Foundation will make grants totalling more than $38 million in 2014. MORE

100K event
Philanthropy News Digest - 6/16/2014

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. has announced the names of 100 local nonprofits selected to receive grants of $100,000 each through its $100K for 100 program. Chosen through a competitive review process of more than 430 applicants, the diverse group represents a wide variety of causes, including underserved populations, education, healthcare, hunger relief, and homelessness prevention. MORE

Scholarship Winner
Woburn Patch - 5/22/2014

Graduating senior Nicholas Minichiello, who ranks fourth in his class at Woburn Memorial High School, bested 36 classmates to be chosen as this year's McKeown Scholar.

He will be recognized during the Senior Scholarship Assembly at the school's auditorium on Wednesday, May 28 at 7:00 p.m. Minichiello will receive a $10,000 scholarship to be applied to the four-year college or university of his choice. He will also receive a framed certificate, to be presented by Denise McKeown, widow of James L. McKeown, for whom the award is named. McKeown was a Woburn native and 1973 Woburn High School graduate. MORE

Scholarship winner
Winchester Patch - 5/15/2014

Graduating senior Anna Reishus has been selected by Winchester High School as this year's McKeown Scholar. She will be recognized during Senior Awards Night at the school's auditorium on Tuesday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. Reishus will receive a $10,000 scholarship and a framed certificate to be presented by Winchester resident Denise McKeown, widow of James L. McKeown, for whom the award is named. The McKeown Scholars competition, now in its 18th year, is sponsored by Woburn-based Cummings Foundation. MORE

Bill Cummings receives BBJ award
Boston Business Journal - 5/28/2014

Bill Cummings of Cummings Properties was presented the Visionary Award at the Boston Business Journal's 2014 Best in Boston Real Estate Awards today. Before hundreds at the Sheraton hotel in the Back Bay, Cummings told the crowd he was accepting the honor on behalf of Cummings employees. MORE

Read Bill Cummings' speech and the introduction by Executive Editor George Donnelly.

Bill and Joyce Cummings in Rwanda
The Chronicle of Philanthropy - 5/5/2014

On their annual road trip from their Boston-area home to Florida in February, Bill and Joyce Cummings took a break here to talk about the Cummings Foundation, their $1.2-billion philanthropy, which supports causes in Massachusetts and Rwanda. MORE

Joyce and Bill Cummings
Boston Business Journal - 11/27/2013

The Irish International Immigrant Center will present its annual Solas Awards during a celebration at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum on Dec. 6. Named from the Gaelic word for "light," the Solas Awards are given to leaders whose work inspires and who are committed to giving back to the community. MORE

Woburn Police
The Boston Globe - 8/25/2013

In Woburn, a grant is equipping police with what they say will be powerful, otherwise unaffordable technology: license plate readers. Cameras mounted on a trunk of a cruiser will photograph only license plates, not drivers or vehicle interiors, according to Woburn Police Chief Robert Ferullo. Information will be cross-checked with federal and state databases in search of stolen cars and other violations. MORE

Butaro Hospital
All Africa - 8/21/2013

“I believed I would die from cancer, since I didn’t think there was any cure,” Delphine Musabeyezu told a group assembled in front of the Butaro Ambulatory Cancer Center in Rwanda Tuesday. “I’m here now to say I am doing well. I’m here as someone that is cured.” MORE

Bill and Joyce
Boston Business Journal - 7/31/2013

NAIOP Massachusetts is proud to announce that Bill and Joyce Cummings are the recipients of the 2013 Edward H. Linde Public Service Award. Recipients of this award are chosen based on their civic and charitable contributions, along with a life-long commitment to the highest values of service to the greater community. The award will be presented to the couple at NAIOP's Annual Awards Gala on Thursday, November 7 at the Westin Waterfront Hotel in Boston. MORE

100K event
Philanthropy News Digest - 7/6/2013

The Cummings Foundation in Woburn, Massachusetts, has announced grants totaling $10 million to one hundred nonprofit organizations in the greater Boston area. Awarded through its OneWorld Boston Grant Program, the foundation awarded grants ranging in duration from two to five years. MORE

St Charles School receives grant
Woburn Advocate - 6/26/2013

Eleven Woburn organizations will receive $100,000 grants each from the Cummings Foundation, the foundation announced last week. They were selected for Cummings' $100K for 100 program along with 89 other greater Boston area nonprofits. MORE

Beverly Hospital receives grant
Salem News - 6/20/2013

Cummings Foundation last night awarded $100,000 grants to 100 nonprofits, including 15 on the North Shore. The grants were announced at a reception at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn. North Shore organizations receiving awards included Beverly Bootstraps, Beverly Children's Learning Center, Beverly Education Foundation, and more. MORE

Boys and Girls club receives grant
MetroWest Daily News - 6/20/2013

The Cummings Foundation on Wednesday night awarded $10 million in grants to eastern Massachusetts charitable organizations, $800,000 of which was awarded to organizations in MetroWest. Eight MetroWest non-profits received $100,000 grants, part of the Cummings Foundation's $100K for 100 program, which selected 100 organizations to receive grants of $100,000 each. MORE

Boston Medical Center receives grant
Boston Business Journal - 6/19/2013

The Cummings Foundation is set to announce tonight the names of 100 nonprofits to which it is donating $100,000 apiece, some $10 million in gifts in total. The Cummings Foundation is the family foundation of Cummings Properties founder Bill Cummings and his wife, Joyce Cummings. MORE

Salem State's new Center for Holocaust Studies
The Boston Globe - 5/23/2013

After the death of Sonia Weitz, cofounder of the Holocaust Center, Boston North Inc., three years ago, observers wondered what would become of the 31-year-old Peabody institution and its mission to prevent atrocities through education. Now the mission will continue. In an agreement announced Wednesday, the center will give its collections to Salem State University... MORE

Scholarship Winner
Winchester Patch - 5/17/2013

Winchester High School has selected graduating senior Irena Brates as this year's McKeown Scholar. Brates topped 24 classmates to earn the honor, which is accompanied by a $10,000 merit scholarship to be applied to the four-year college or university of her choice. Brates will be recognized during Senior Awards Night at the Winchester High School auditorium on Wednesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. MORE

Scholarship Winner
Woburn Advocate - 5/16/2013

Woburn Memorial High School graduating senior Michael Paladino has been named this year's McKeown Scholar, topping 40 classmates to earn the $10,000 merit scholarship. From Paladino's winning essay, "Innovating for the Future": "Computers allow mankind to live as it does today, for just about every innovation – every new car, advancement in medical technology, or even advanced food and drug production – has its basis in computing technology." MORE

Woburn Police awarded $100,000
Woburn Advocate - 5/16/2013

Cummings Foundation has awarded $100,000 to the Woburn Police Department through its $100K for 100 grants program, the company announced last week. The funds, to be paid over two years, will allow the department to purchase three new license plate reading systems for deployment in patrol vehicles. MORE

The One Fund
Boston Banker & Tradesman - 4/18/2013

The Woburn-based Cummings Foundation has pledged of $100,000 to The One Fund Boston in honor of Marc Fucarile of Stoneham, who was seriously injured in one of the blasts during the Boston Marathon. MORE

Canal Restoration
Woburn Advocate - 1/18/2013

The Middlesex Canal Commission plans to begin canal restoration work in Woburn between January and April. Completed in 1803 as a 27-mile waterway connecting Lowell to Charlestown, the canal is now broken into 19 segments, ranging from open water to overgrown rights of way. MORE

Bill Cummings
Boston Business Journal - 11/2/2012

William Cummings is founder and president of Cummings Properties LLC, a full-service real estate development company. In 2011, William and his wife, Joyce, made headlines when they revealed that they had donated half of their wealth to charity, and it was revealed last May that the Cummingses actually had donated an astonishing 90-plus percent of their wealth. They had signed the Giving Pledge, started by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates. Cummings is a graduate of Tufts University. He is also the founder of Cummings Foundation Inc. and president of assisted-living center Hew Horizons at Choate LLC and New Horizons at Marlborough Inc. MORE

Bill and Joyce Cummings in Rwanda
Kigali Today - 6/1/2012

In the first month of this year, Bill and Joyce Cummings, who founded the foundation, visited Rwanda for 12 days to visit various activities including the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in the East. They then donated $ 100,000 to the agency. MORE

Scholarship Winner
Winchester Star - 5/31/2012

Earlier this month, graduating Winchester High School senior Caroline Pierce was selected as this year’s McKeown Scholar. The $10,000 award from the Cummings Foundation is named for James L. McKeown, the late president of Cummings Properties. Pierce was selected based on her application packet, her community service record, her reputation, a personal interview and the quality of her essay. This year's essay asked students to discuss whether a generation... MORE

North Shore grant recipients
Beverly Citizen - 5/24/2012

Beverly Hospital has been working for years on expanding its surgical services department. Last year the conclusion of a million dollar campaign for more operating space helped to outfit three brand new operating rooms. MORE

Woburn grant recipients
Woburn Advocate - 5/24/2012

Cummings Foundation, Inc. has announced a significant expansion of its support for Woburn not-for-profits. Eleven Woburn institutions have received grants of $100,000 each, most of which will be paid over two to five years. MORE

Stoneham grant recipients
Stoneham Patch - 5/24/2012

Cummings Foundation, Inc. recently announced a significant expansion of its support for Woburn nonprofit organizations. Three Stoneham organizations received grants of $100,000 each from OneWorld Boston, Inc., the new grant-making affiliate of Cummings Foundation. MORE

Scholarship Winner
Woburn Advocate - 5/23/2012

Woburn Memorial High School has selected graduating senior Francesca Malvarosa as this year’s McKeown Scholar. Malvarosa topped 39 classmates to earn the honor, which is accompanied by a $10,000 merit scholarship to be applied to the four-year college or university of her choice. The McKeown Scholars competition, now in its 16th year, is sponsored by Woburn-based Cummings Foundation. According to Joel Swets, the foundation's executive director, "Francesca is involved in a remarkable number of academic, extracurricular, and community service activities. She is an excellent... MORE

Students from ASYV visiting Massachusetts
Woburn Advocate - 5/17/2012

Cummings Foundation recently hosted the founder and three students from Rwanda’s Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village on the Massachusetts portion of a U.S. visit. The students met with American peers at Woburn Memorial High School, and then joined supporters for a lunch at Beacon Grille. MORE

Father Patrick Desbois gives talk
Woburn Advocate - 3/20/2012

Father Patrick Desbois, a noted Holocaust researcher and president of Yahad-In-Unum, spoke to more than 400 students and community members on March 13 at Tuft's University's Cohen Auditorium. The French Catholic priest detailed his work revealing undiscovered mass graves from the Holocaust through interviews with residents of small villages in Eastern Europe. MORE

Jamie McKeown
Woburn Patch - 1/19/2012

Cummings Foundation and New Horizons at Choate retirement community have announced the 16th Annual McKeown Scholars Program in honor of James L. McKeown, late trustee of New Horizons and president of Cummings Properties. Born and raised in Woburn, McKeown was actively involved in the local community until his death in 1996 at the age of 41. According to Dennis Clarke, president and CEO of Cummings Properties, “In the past 15 years, the McKeown Scholars Program has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships to outstanding Woburn graduates alone, and nearly $2 million ... MORE

Bill and Joyce Cummings, Bostonian of the Year Runners-up
The Boston Globe - 1/1/2012

In promising to donate most of their considerable fortune to charity, Bill and Joyce Cummings say they are trying to set an example for the country’s wealthiest 1 percent. The Winchester couple, having made hundreds of millions in commercial real estate in Eastern... MORE

Anthony Monaco
Winchester Star - 12/22/2011

Cummings Foundation, Inc. (CFI) announced this week that Tufts University president Anthony P. Monaco has joined its board of trustees. Founded in 1986, CFI is a private operating foundation funded primarily by Joyce and Bill Cummings, of Winchester. The Woburn-based organization has grown to become one of the largest charitable foundations in New England, with more than... MORE

Bill and Joyce Cummings Giving Pledge
The Boston Globe - 5/10/2011

Bill and Joyce Cummings don't live on a sprawling estate, own a jet, or otherwise flaunt their wealth, but the Winchester couple will soon start acting more like billionaires Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates. Earlier this month, the Cummingses became the first people in Massachusetts to sign the Giving Pledge, promising to donate at least half of their fortune to charity. MORE

Bill Cummings
Northwest Life Magazine - Winter 2011

When Bill and Joyce Cummings go out for a drive from their Winchester home, reminders of Bill's career regularly appear: the corporate headquarters of Cummings Properties and Cummings Foundation in Woburn, the Cummings Center in Beverly, and its latest addition, TradeCenter 128 and its landmark Beacon Grille at the intersection of Route 128 and Interstate 93. Bill Cummings, 73, is "semi-retired," having stopped taking a salary in 2007 from... MORE

Winchester Star front page
Winchester Star - 10/28/2010

One of the worst moments of the late Eliezer Ayalon’s life came when the German guard, with one swift swoop, smacked away his one worldly possession – a small, porcelain cup. It happened at his first of five concentration camps, Blyzin, in the spring of 1943. MORE

Bill and Joyce Cummings in front of Beacon Grille
Winchester Star - 10/16/2010

According to his wife Joyce, Winchester resident and successful real estate businessman Bill Cummings likes to try things he’s never done before. In the world of philanthropy, there isn’t much left. Cummings, a proud Tufts University... MORE

Tufts university crowd
The Jewish Advocate - 10/15/2010

A year ago, Bill Cummings and his wife, Joyce, visited Yad Vashem, and listened to a lecturer tell their Tufts University group how he survived five concentration camps in Poland and Austria. "There wasn't a person in that group of 40 who didn't have a handkerchief out, including the... MORE

Bill Cummings on Tufts magazine cover
Tufts Magazine - Summer 2005

For Bill Cummings, philanthropy is investing with vision. The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine is living proof. Bill Cummings smiles as he finishes up his management tour of "The Shoe," clearly satisfied with what he sees. Cummings Center, as it is now called, is the jewel in the crown of Cummings Properties, LLC, Cummings' real estate development and property management corporation. MORE

Tufts Cummings school sign
Tufts University News - Summer 2005

Tufts University celebrated the generosity of Cummings Foundation, Inc., and its chief benefactors William S. and Joyce M. Cummings, yesterday by changing the name of its veterinary school to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. MORE

John Marion Graduates
The Boston Globe - 5/27/2004

He was resplendent in a black robe and mortarboard, an old farmer with a back crooked from years stooped over lettuce plants. John Marion, surrounded by well-wishers at New Horizons at Choate retirement home, became a high school graduate yesterday at age 87. MORE

Cummings Foundation invests in Veterinary School
Magazine of the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine - Winter 2004

Cummings Foundation, Inc., has committed to investing $50 million in Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine over the next 15 years — the largest gift in the history of the university. It also ranks among the largest gifts ever to a Massachusetts college or university. MORE

Cummings Park and West Cummings Park, the large Woburn office and research complex, has a new owner according to Dennis Clarke, president of Cummings Properties, LLC. Clarke said that Bill Cummings and his family this week gifted the entire 59-acre, office and research complex to Cummings Foundation, Inc. as part of a large-scale charitable donation of most of the family's real estate assets. MORE

In September 2003, YMCA of the North Shore began construction of a brand new combination teen-recreation and child-care center, located adjacent to its Sterling Center campus on Essex Street in Beverly, MA. A $1 million grant from the Foundation enabled the "Y" to stop leasing space for those programs at Cummings Center and at another location on Tozier Road in Beverly. The new gym will honor the late Douglas Stephens, former 30 year colleague with Bill Cummings, and Executive Vice President of Cummings Properties. MORE

Cummings Foundation News