GLCAC Awarded Cummings Foundation Grant to Strengthen Immigration Legal Services

LAWRENCE, MA — The Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. (GLCAC) has been selected to receive funding through the Cummings Foundation 2026 grant program, supporting efforts to sustain services and assess opportunities for future expansion of immigration legal services for residents across Greater Lawrence.

This three-year $210,000 investment will help GLCAC sustain basic immigration assistance for low-income and immigrant families. The funding will also support long-term capacity building to ensure continued access to high-quality, culturally responsive basic immigration legal services in the community.Services will continue to be provided in alignment with current capacity and future recommendations from legal and programmatic assessment.

“Access to basic immigration legal services is fundamental to stability, safety, and opportunity for the families we serve,” said Vilma Martinez-Dominguez, GLCAC’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. “This funding allows us to both continue to respond to basic immigration needs today while informing the development of a stronger system for the future.”

GLCAC’s Immigration Legal Services program addresses a growing need in the Merrimack Valley, where many residents face barriers such as language access, financial hardship, and limited availability of affordable immigration legal services. Without reliable immigration legal services, families risk delays, denials, potential separation, and limited access to economic and educational opportunities.

With support from the Cummings Foundation, GLCAC will sustain basic immigration services and advance a structured assessment and planning process to inform a more sustainable immigration legal services program. Over the next three years, the program anticipates continuing to serve community members through direct assistance and outreach, with service levels informed by ongoing program assessment.

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.”

The annual grant program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties.

About GLCAC

Founded in 1966, GLCAC serves more than 42,000 individuals each year through programs in housing, education, workforce development, health, and nutrition, empowering residents to achieve economic stability and well-being. GLCAC's mission is to empower all people served by GLCAC to achieve greater economic stability and well-being through accessible services, education, and community collaborations.

About Cummings Foundation

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, Mass., and has grown to become one of the largest private foundations in New England. In addition to its annual grant program, the Foundation directly operates two not-for-profit retirement communities: New Horizons at Marlborough and New Horizons at Choate, in Woburn. Additional information is available at CummingsFoundation.org.

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