$500 Million to Local Nonprofits

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

$30 Million Grant Program

150 annual grants awarded each May to eastern Massachusetts nonprofits, largely selected by volunteers

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New Horizons

New Horizons Communities

Not-for-profit retirement communities developed by Cummings Foundation in Woburn and Marlboro, MA

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Joyce Cummings at Tufts

Affiliated Colleges

A commitment to educational equity and workforce development through long-term funding

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Skip Fuller in Rwanda

Cummings in Rwanda

Invitation-only support of this East African country's post-genocide recovery and rebuilding efforts

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All Profits to Nonprofits

Joyce and Bill Cummings have donated the large majority of Cummings Properties' commercial property to the Foundation. Today, nearly all the buildings managed by Cummings Properties are actually owned by and operated for the sole benefit of Cummings Foundation. Clients who lease space at these properties feel good about this business decision, knowing that all profits go to nonprofits.

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Cummings Foundation Approach

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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Cummings Foundation Volunteers

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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950 organizations awarded
500 million dollars in grants
Cummings Foundation Volunteers
Bill and Joyce Cummings with Dr. Paul Farmer

Advancing Health Equity

$50 million to facilitate a global health alliance

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James McKeown School Announcement

Investing in Future Educators

$10 million to diversify and sustain the workforce

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Cummings School of Architecture Sign

Building a Better World

A novel approach to business and philanthropy

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About Cummings Foundation

Joyce and Bill Cummings

"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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Bill and Joyce Cummings with Dr. Paul Farmer

Get to know the newsworthy pair via this front-page Boston Globe story.