Two Wakefield organizations awarded $100,000 each

Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham and EMARC have received major grants for their Wakefield programs. They are two of the 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s new $100K for 100 program. The charities were chosen from more than 370 applicants during a competitive review process by the Foundation.

More than 250 people, including staff and board members from nearly all 100 recipient organizations, gathered at the Foundation’s first annual Grantee Reception on June 19 at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn. The elated attendees accepted their official award letters, posed for photos with Foundation representatives, networked with their peers, and celebrated the $10 million infusion of funding into greater Boston’s nonprofit sector.

Thomas Bilodeau, development associate for Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham, said, “We are very thankful for receiving this grant from Cummings Foundation. This funding will help greatly in establishing a new Boys & Girls Club location in Wakefield and will definitely make a large impact on the youth in Wakefield and the surrounding communities.”

All of the selected charities serve local communities, with 50 percent of the grants being awarded in Middlesex County, 30 percent in Suffolk County (including Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Roxbury), and 20 percent in Essex County. Joel Swets, the Foundation’s executive director, noted that the narrow geographic priority area reflects a desire to give back in the areas where the grant funds were derived.

EMARC will use the grant funds to support its Educational Transition Program, helping students with developmental disabilities navigate the transition out of the school system.

Swets explained, “As the primary beneficiary of commercial real estate firm Cummings Properties, the Foundation is very committed to the 10 communities in which the firm manages buildings, as well as the hometowns of its 350 staff members. We are delighted to support both EMARC and Boys & Girls Club in their admirable efforts to provide educational support and a safe and nurturing environment for local youth.”

The diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including underserved populations, education, healthcare, homelessness, and social justice. Many of the grants will be paid over two to five years.

About Cummings Foundation

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, Mass. With assets exceeding $1 billion, it is one of the very largest grant-making foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including two New Horizons senior communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Its largest single grant to date was $50 million to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, Mass. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.