$100,000 Grant Through Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” Program
A Better Chance of Andover is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program. The Andover-based organization was chosen from a total of 597 applicants, during a competitive review process. Cummings Foundation has announced a total of $20 million in grants to Greater Boston charities in the past two months alone.
Since 1967, A Better Chance of Andover has been closing the education gap for students of color in American society. We bring motivated students to live in Andover, where these scholars attend Andover High School to better prepare for college. Thanks to donor generosity, we provide these scholars with a house on Main Street and a complete network of support and love. ABC’s college-preparatory program provides the requisite academic, study skills and enrichment preparation to enroll in four-year colleges with generous financial aid packages.
Representing A Better Chance of Andover, president Susan Connolly and vice president Nick Wiggins will join 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 $220 million to Greater Boston nonprofits alone.
“We are thrilled to be chosen for the Cummings Foundation grant which will significantly impact the lives of many motivated young women in our college-preparation program. Over our 50 year history, alumni have entered high-level colleges and universities and gone on to be leaders in their professions, communities, and families. Many of our alumni have shared that the ABC experience considerably shaped their life,” said Susan Connolly, A Better Chance of Andover’s president.
The Cummings Foundation award will help A Better Chance of Andover continue to open doors to educational opportunities for young women of color by enhancing enrichment programs, building alumni programming, and partially funding room and board.
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 of Winchester, the Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“We are indebted to the nonprofit organizations like A Better Chance of Andover that have a meaningful positive impact on the local communities where our colleagues and clients live and work,” said Joel Swets, Cummings Foundation’s executive director. “We are delighted to invest in their important programs and services.”
This year’s diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including homelessness prevention and affordable housing, education, violence prevention, and food insecurity. Most of the grants will be paid over two to five years.
The complete list of 100 grant winners will be available beginning June 7th at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Cummings Foundation announced an additional $10 million in early May through its new Sustaining Grants, which extend “$100K for 100” funding for previous winners for 10 more years. Beginning in 2019, the Foundation will increase its total annual giving through these two programs from $20 million to $25 million.
About A Better Chance of Andover
Since 1967, A Better Chance of Andover has been closing the education gap for students of color in American society. We bring motivated students to live in Andover, where they attend Andover High School to better prepare for college. Thanks to donor generosity, we provide these scholars with a house on Main Street and a complete network of support and love.
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. Bill Cummings released his self-written memoir, “Starting Small and Making It Big: An Entrepreneur’s Journey to Billion-Dollar Philanthropist,” in March 2018. The book may be purchased at cummings.com/book.
