A Better Chance Awarded $100,000

Winchester, MA June 22, 2018

Representing A Better Chance, Eric Woods and John Emanuel joined approximately 300 other guests at a reception at Trade Center 128 in Woburn to celebrate the $10 million infusion into Great Boston’s nonprofit sector. With the conclusion of this grant cycle, Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $220 million to Great Boston nonprofits alone.

“We are thrilled and honored to be among the many grateful recipients of this year’s awards,” says Eric Woods, president of the Winchester chapter of A Better Chance. “This grant will allow us to make a huge difference in the lives of the scholars we serve.”

Winchester A Better Chance is one of 100 nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s “100K for 100” program. The Winchester-based organization was chosen from a total of 597 applications during a competitive review process. They plan to use the grant over the next several years to make much-needed improvements to the house where 8 scholars reside.

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 affiliates 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 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 is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

Cummings Foundation announced an additional $10 million in early May through its Sustaining Grants, which extend “$100K for 100” funding for previous winners for 10 more years. Beginning in 2019, the Foundation will increase its total giving through these two programs from $20 million to $25 million.

About ABC

ABC Winchester is a community-based program within the national A Better Chance organization. ABC is committed to producing future leaders who can create positive change on the local, national, and global level. Winchester ABC is proud that its program has sent students to colleges from Tufts to MIT to Bowdoin to The Ohio State University,

Supported solely by community and foundation grants, ABC Winchester scholars are proud to be recipients of this generous donation from the Cummings Foundation.

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. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.organd Cummings.com/book.

Caption:

Seniors Ricardo Gayle (l), MIT ’22, and Omar Grant (r), RIT ’22,

celebrate the Cummings Foundation grant award at the recent

Winchester Town Day.