Cummings Foundation Grants Groundwork “$100K for 100”

Groundwork Somerville is one of 100 local nonprofit organizations to receive a grant of $100,000 through the Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program. The Somerville-based community organization was chosen from a total of 479 applicants during a competitive review process.

Groundwork Somerville is dedicated to creating a greener, cleaner, healthier and more equitable Somerville, focusing on providing food, jobs and green spaces to promote environmental, economic and social well-being.

Chris Mancini, Executive Director, and Clay Larsen, Projects Manager, joined approximately 300 other guests at a June 9th reception at the TradeCenter 128 in Woburn to celebrate the $10 million infusion into Greater Boston’s nonprofit sector. With the conclusion of this grant cycle, the Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $140 million to local nonprofits alone.

“We are nothing short of astounded and honored to be a recipient of this Cummings Foundation grant, and to join the impressive ranks of amazing non-profits like our colleagues and neighbors, Groundwork Lawrence, Friends of the Middlesex Fells, and CASPAR here in Somerville,” said Executive Director, Chris Mancini. “Our youth jobs training is about to go from “great” to “unbelievably outstanding” as a result, as we strengthen our core programming and create clear career paths and networks for the Green Team members and alumni. If you shake hands with a high school student in our program today, that is the hand of a future mayor, CEO, or world leader.”

With these funds, Groundwork will create a world-class jobs network and training program for its established Green Team job corps, to prepare the next generation of environmental and social justice leaders.

“It is inspiring to join forces with Groundwork Somerville Green Team and volunteers to Clean and Green the South Street Farm,” said Andrea Morton, Cleaning & Greening Sponsor and owner of aMorton Design. “We have too few opportunities to directly engage youth in food production and stewardship of the earth in an urban setting. Groundwork efforts bring young people together with neighbors, and open our eyes to the natural world around us and the nourishing bounty and sense of community that can arise from a neglected swath of concrete. I’m proud to support Groundwork’s efforts and eagerly await the amazing things they will do with this new grant from Cummings.”

The “$100K for 100” program supports nonprofits that are not only based in but also primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties. This year, the program is benefiting 41 different cities and towns within the Commonwealth.

Through this place-based initiative, the 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 more than 10 million square feet of space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.

“We admire and very much appreciate the important work that nonprofit organizations like Groundwork Somerville are doing in the local communities where our colleagues and clients live and work,” said Joel Swets, the Cummings Foundation’s Executive Director. “We are delighted to support their efforts.”

This year’s diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including education, homelessness prevention, elder services, healthcare, and food insecurity. Most of the grants will be paid over two to five years. The complete list of 100 grant winners is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

About Groundwork Somerville

Groundwork Somerville creates jobs, food, green space, and leadership opportunities for environmental justice communities and individuals, through programs that address areas of healthy education, green jobs and sustainable communities. We work with children and teachers in school garden classrooms to connect experiential learning to state curriculum standards, and young people to their environment; we provide jobs and leadership training to low-income and underserved youth in our community; and we are stewards of 31 sites throughout the region, which we maintain, cleanup, and grow food in, including the South Street Farm – Somerville’s first urban farm; the Mystic River; and 10 Garden Classrooms in every elementary school in the city.

About the Cummings Foundation

Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester established Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. in 1986. With assets exceeding $1 billion, it is one of the largest foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including two New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Its single largest commitment to date was $50 million to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.