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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2024
Media Contact: Casey Baines, [email protected]
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation Awarded $225,000 Grant from Cummings Foundation
3-year grant from Cummings Foundation will fund the
Chamber Foundation’s Massachusetts Apprentice Network
Boston, MA –
The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation (the “Chamber Foundation”) is excited to announce a significant $225,000 3-year grant from Cummings Foundation. This funding from Cummings Foundation will support the growth and impact of the Chamber Foundation’s Massachusetts Apprentice Network, a signature initiative in the Chamber Foundation’s Transformative Talent Pathways pillar.
Founded in 1984, the Chamber Foundation boldly invests in the success of people by providing solutions to the region’s challenges. The Commonwealth urgently needs solutions to attract and retain people and families as employers struggle to hire and retain workers. The Massachusetts Apprentice Network is designed to serve as a workforce solution for employers to train and retain their workers, with the commitment to collectively hire 1,000 apprentices by 2027. Since launching in 2022, the Network’s 353 apprentices have been placed in tech, healthcare, financial services, hospitality, and early childhood education, and employers hired 92% of apprentices into meaningful careers after their apprenticeships.
“We are grateful to Cummings Foundation for this significant investment in the future of the Massachusetts Apprentice Network. Our competitive edge depends on a dynamic and successful workforce, and our Massachusetts Apprentice Network champions transformative careers for apprentices and a successful workforce strategy for employers. Throughout the Commonwealth, individuals are seeking career pathways and economic mobility, and we are proud that our Apprentice Network ensures access, opportunities, and success for individuals, employers, and communities,” said James E. Rooney, President of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
The Chamber Foundation is one of 150 local nonprofits selected for Cummings $30 Million Grant Program, which primarily supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties, plus six communities in Norfolk County: Brookline, Dedham, Milton, Needham, Quincy, and Wellesley.
Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the areas where it owns commercial property. Its buildings are all managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate, Cummings Properties. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“Greater Boston is fortunate to have a robust, dedicated, and highly capable nonprofit sector that supports and enhances the community in myriad ways,” said Cummings Foundation executive director and trustee Joyce Vyriotes. “The entire Cummings organization is thankful for their daily work to help all our neighbors thrive.”
The majority of the grant decisions were made by nearly 100 community volunteers. They worked across a variety of committees to review and discuss the proposals and then, together, determine which requests would be funded. Among these community volunteers were business and nonprofit leaders, mayors, college presidents, and experts in areas such as finance and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“We believe strongly that grant decisions will be more equitable when made by a diverse group of community members,” said Vyriotes. “We’re incredibly grateful to the dozens of individuals who participated in our democratized philanthropic process.”
The Foundation and volunteers first identified 150 organizations to receive three-year grants of up to $300,000 each. The winners included first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings grants. Twenty-five of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected by a panel of community volunteers to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $300,000 to $1 million each.
This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including housing and food insecurity, workforce development, immigrant services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 49 different cities and towns.
Cummings Foundation has now awarded $500 million to greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s 150 grant winners, plus nearly 2,000 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
About the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Founded in 1984, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation (the “Chamber Foundation”) transforms the lives of current and future residents by leveraging the Commonwealth’s untapped talent, championing small businesses, and creating tomorrow’s leaders in support of a 21st century economy. More information about the Chamber Foundation is available here.
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, MA and has grown to be one of the largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities, in Marlborough and Woburn, and Cummings Health Sciences, LLC. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
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