C4RJ awarded 10 year $500,000 Cummings grant

Concord, June 22, 2021 – Communities for Restorative Justice (C4RJ) is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The Concord-based nonprofit was chosen from a total of 590 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $500,000 over ten years.

C4RJ is the only statewide provider of restorative justice in Massachusetts. C4RJ provides an option within the criminal justice system that employs an intensive dialogue process to address harm outside of court. The process gives affected parties a voice, holds responsible parties accountable, and is proven to reduce recidivism.

“As we seek to expand our services, particularly to underserved communities in the Commonwealth, the significant and reliable funding from Cummings Foundation will be critical,” said C4RJ Executive Director Erin V. Freeborn. “As we move into areas like Suffolk County and deepen our services to address more serious harms, we are committed to making strategic investments to ensure success for those we serve.”

C4RJ will use the Cummings grant to hire two Fellows with lived experience of the criminal justice system to lead volunteer and community engagement work in Suffolk County and beyond. The Fellows program will build on the successful work of Armand Coleman, returning citizen and C4RJ’s volunteer development and community outreach coordinator.

The Cummings $25 Million Grant Program supports Massachusetts 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. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 10 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.

“We aim to help meet the needs of people in all segments of our local community,” said Cummings Foundation executive director Joel Swets. “It is the incredible organizations we fund, however, that do the actual daily work to empower our neighbors, educate our children, fight for equity, and so much more.”

With the help of about 80 volunteers, the foundation first identified 140 organizations to receive grants of at least $100,00 each. Among the winners were first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings Foundation grants. Forty of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 each.

“We have adopted a democratic approach to philanthropy, which empowers an impressive roster of dedicated volunteers to decide more than half of all our grant winners each year,” said Swets. “We benefit from their diverse backgrounds and perspectives; they benefit from a meaningful and fulfilling experience; and the nonprofits often benefit from increased exposure and new advocates.”

This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including social justice, homelessness prevention, affordable housing, education, violence prevention, and food insecurity. The nonprofits are spread across 43 different cities and towns.

The complete list of 140 grant winners, plus more than 800 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $300 million to greater Boston nonprofits.

About C4RJ

C4RJ is a growing nonprofit that partners with 32 cities and towns, their police departments, the Northwestern District Attorney, and the District Attorneys of Middlesex and Suffolk counties to provide an option within the justice system, with the goal of effectively addressing harms outside of the courts. C4RJ’s volunteer-led "circle" dialogue is called restorative justice. Restorative justice addresses both accountability and safety. It offers victims of crime a facilitated opportunity to speak to responsible parties, who are thus more likely to process the full impact of their actions, take responsibility, and make amends. Additional information is available at www.c4rj.org.

About Cummings Foundation

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings and has grown to be one of the three largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn, and Veterinary School at Tufts, LLC in North Grafton. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.