Women’s Lunch Place of Back Bay awarded $100,000

Women’s Lunch Place is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program. The Boston-based organization was chosen from a total of 549 applicants, during a competitive review process.

Women’s Lunch Place is a safe, welcoming daytime shelter for women experiencing poverty, homelessness, and struggling with mental illness and addiction. They provide a supportive, safe and dignified community, offer healthy meals and individualized services that empower women to make positive changes in their lives.

Representing Women’s Lunch Place, Elizabeth Keeley, Executive Director, and Nancy Armstrong, Director of Operations, will join approximately 300 other guests at a reception at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn to celebrate the $10 million infusion into Greater Boston’s nonprofit sector. With the conclusion of this grant cycle, Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $170 million to local nonprofits alone.

Homelessness remains a public health concern in Boston despite concerted efforts to solve. On a day in January 2016, the City of Boston’s homeless census counted 1,825 individuals in emergency shelters, an increase from 1,763 in 2015 and 1,511 in 2014. Volunteers also found 167 individuals on the streets, an increase of 20.1%, from 139 in 2015.

“Cummings Foundation’s generosity will provide resources that keep women in their homes and obtain safe, stable housing for women experiencing homelessness,” Keeley said.

The Cummings Foundation grant will fund Women’s Lunch Place Homelessness Prevention Program that helps women find permanent, safe housing and support each woman to maintain her home. Applying for and finding low income, subsidized or public housing in the Boston area is a long and complicated process that often takes years. A full-time WLP advocate works with women at every stage of the process, and a team of advocates and attorneys help women understand and plan for the financial and legal issues involved in renting an apartment on limited income.

“We strive to have greater capacity in order to serve more women in need. Generous funding from the Cummings Foundation will have a significant impact on this objective.” Keeley said.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 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. 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.

“Nonprofit organizations like Women’s Lunch Place 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.

About Women’s Lunch Place

Women’s Lunch Place has been serving poor and homeless women in Boston for more than 25 years. It is one of the few places where women in need can find safety, comfort, and sustenance during the day. Located in Boston’s Back Bay—and with volunteers from Greater Boston and beyond—Women’s Lunch Place is a caring community that provides nutritious breakfast and lunch, along with education, social programs, and advocacy. For more information, visit www.womenslunchplace.org.

About Cummings Foundation
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. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.