Communities United, Inc. Awarded $225,000 Cummings Grant

Communities United, Inc. has been selected as one of 150 nonprofits to receive funding through Cummings Foundations’ annual grant program, which awarded $35 million this year. Chosen through a competitive review process that drew a record of 959 applicants, CUI will receive $75,000 for the next 3 years, totaling $225,000.

Communities United, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering families, ensuring child development, and providing accessible care through Head Start and Early Head Start programming. CUI operates three Creative Start Childcare Centers in Lexington, Waltham, and Woburn, serving over 220 families in 11 communities. While CUI serves children from the full socio-economic spectrum, the most at-risk families are identified to ensure that their needs are met through comprehensive services.

Securing the Cummings Foundation grant is especially important for CUI due to current uncertainty with federal funding. Many families served by Communities United, Inc. struggle with basic needs in their communities, such as receiving adequate food, clothing, and housing. This grant will allow families to continue to receive support for well-being, which will in turn produce stronger partnerships within the education system.

This year, the Woburn-based Cummings Foundation increased its annual grant program from $30 million to $35 million and shifted to fully unrestricted funding, allowing recipients to direct grant dollars where they are needed most. Foundation executive director and trustee, Joyce Vyriotes, noted that the changes reflect growing concerns among Greater Boston nonprofits about rising costs, increased demand for services, and sustained uncertainty around public funding.

“Nonprofit professionals are closest to the challenges facing their communities, making them best positioned to determine where and how new funds will drive the greatest impact”, said Vyriotes. “By providing increased, flexible funding, we hope to strengthen organizations’ long-term stability and help them respond to evolving community needs.”

This year’s grant recipients represent a wide range of causes, including housing and food insecurity, education, workforce development, healthcare, mental health services, social justice, immigrant support, and youth programming.

The annual grant program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties, as well as Brookline, Dedham, Milton, Needham, Quincy, and Wellesley.

Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation reinvests in the areas where it owns commercial real estate. Its buildings are all managed at no cost to the Foundation by its affiliate, Cummings Properties, a Woburn-based commercial developer that leases and manages 11 million square feet of debt-free space. All rental profits support the Foundation.

Since its founding, Cummings Foundation has awarded more than $650 million to Greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s grant recipients, along with additional information about the Foundation and its grant programs, is available at cummingsfoundation.org.