Boston, MA (June 7, 2019) – Nurtury is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program. Nurtury gives Greater Boston's youngest children in need, from birth to age five, the opportunity to reach their full potential by investing in school readiness, promoting healthy development and strengthening families.
Representing Nurtury, Chief Advancement Officer, Jaye Smith and Vice President of Programs, Carol Campbell joined 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 $260 million to Greater Boston nonprofits alone.
“Sustaining our workforce is a critical component to early education and care. This grant will help us to fully launch our workforce strategy which includes hiring a Professional Development Specialist,” said Mary Kay Leonard, Nurtury’s Interim CEO.
With funding from the Cummings Foundation, Nurtury will address the existing early education workforce crisis by preparing teachers with the skills they need to provide a high-quality learning experience; supporting educators in the workforce with a positive and empowering place of employment; and helping to build the economic security of the early education workforce through professional development and increased compensation.
The $100K for 100 program supports 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. Founded in 1970 by Bill Cummings, the Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 10 million square feet of space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“By having such a local focus, we aim to make a meaningful positive difference in the communities where our colleagues and leasing clients live and work,” said Joel Swets, Cummings Foundation’s executive director. “We are most grateful for the nonprofit organizations that assist and empower our neighbors, and we are proud to support their efforts.”
This year’s diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including homelessness prevention, affordable housing, education, violence prevention, and food insecurity. Most of the grant will be paid over two to five years. The complete list of grant winners is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Cummings Foundation announced an additional $15 million in early May through its Sustaining Grants program. Through these awards, 50 local nonprofits will receive ongoing funding of $20,000 - $50,000 for 10 years.
The history behind Cummings Properties and Cummings Foundation is detailed in Bill Cummings’ selfwritten memoir, “Starting Small and Making It Big: An Entrepreneur’s Journey to Billion-Dollar Philanthropist.” It is available on Amazon or cummings.com/book.
ABOUT NURTURY
Nurtury gives Greater Boston's youngest children in need, from birth to age five, the opportunity to reach their full potential by investing in school readiness, promoting healthy development and strengthening families. For over a century, Nurtury has been one of Boston's largest providers of early education and care, currently impacting over 1,200 children in the Greater Boston area. Learn more by visiting: www.nurturyboston.org.
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. Its largest single commitment to date has been to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.