REACH Beyond Domestic Violence awarded $100,000

Waltham, May 30, 2017 – REACH Beyond Domestic Violence is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s “100K for 100” program. The Waltham-based organization was chosen from a total of 549 applicants, during a competitive review process.

REACH has more than 35 years’ experience providing support services to individuals and their children who have experienced domestic or relationship violence. They also conduct prevention programs to raise awareness of the issue and provide community members with the skills to promote healthy relationship and to be engaged bystanders.

Representatives from REACH will join approximately 300 other guests at a reception at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn on June 8th 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.

“We are thrilled to be among this year’s crop of distinguished grantees from Cummings Foundation,” said REACH Executive Director Laura Van Zandt. “This investment in our expansion efforts sends a clear message that major funders in our region recognize the seriousness of domestic violence in our communities, and that they see the potential for ending it through comprehensive intervention and prevention programs.”

Cummings Foundation joins Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, as well as numerous individual donors, who are making it possible for REACH to move into larger office space which will allow them to serve more survivors of abuse and grow their prevention programs into more communities.

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 REACH 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 REACH

REACH (Refuge, Education, Advocacy, CHange) Beyond Domestic Violence is a nonprofit agency providing safety and support to survivors of abuse while partnering with community members to promote healthy relationships and prevent domestic violence. They serve an average of 7000 people each year through a combination of direct service and prevention programs in 27 cities and towns north and west of Boston. Additional information is available at www.reachma.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.