Wilmington Police Receive $100K Grant From Cummings Foundation

WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington Police Department is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive a $100,000 grant through Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program

The Department was chosen from a total of 549 applicants.

Chief Michael Begonis will join approximately 300 other guests at a reception at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn to celebrate the $10 million infusion of grant money into Greater Boston’s nonprofit sector.

“This grant is going to help us fund community based activities that had previously been funded by state grants that no longer exist,” said Begonis.

In addition to R.A.D. Women’s Self-Defense Class and the popular National Night Out event, the department is in the process of developing a Citizen’s Police Academy to give the residents a chance to interact with officers on a more personal level and learn about the job the police do, he said.

Grant funds also will be used towards the purchase of a pedestrian alert system in front of Wilmington High School, as well as for school zone signs on Carter Lane.

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 35 different cities and towns within the Commonwealth.

Through this initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the areas 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.

“Organizations like the Wilmington Police Department are vital to 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 efforts.”

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 is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
The Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester. With assets exceeding $1.4 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 largest single commitment to date was $50 million to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

Courtesy photo of the Wilmington Police Department.