Victory Programs has been selected as one of the 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s new $100K for 100 program. The Boston-based organization was 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.
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“Victory Programs is so grateful to be among the 100 recipients of this remarkable gift,” says Jonathan Scott, president and CEO of Victory Programs. “Cummings Foundation’s commitment to underserved populations is inspirational, and their grant will make an enormous impact on the lives of so many living with HIV/AIDS in greater Boston for years to come.”
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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.
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 Victory Programs in its admirable efforts to break down barriers to housing and health care for people living with HIV/AIDS.”
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 Victory Programs
Since opening its doors in 1975, Victory Programs has expanded to 17 health and housing programs in Boston and Cambridge. Every year, Victory Programs helps more than 2,600 individuals and families break down barriers to a brighter future. Its programs serve people who are facing homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, mental illness, or chronic health issues such as HIV/AIDS, providing them with the tools needed to support healthy, self-sufficient lives. In Back Bay, our Boston Living Center provides services and meals Monday through Friday to 1,300 people living with HIV/AIDS. Learn more at www.vpi.org.
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.
