WriteBoston is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program. The Dudley Square-based organization was chosen from a total of 479 applicants, during a competitive review process.
WriteBoston provides high-quality professional development around writing instruction and literacy to school districts across Eastern Massachusetts. By offering professional development focused specifically on writing – a skill often subsumed by a more general focus on literacy – WriteBoston is able to give teachers the support they need to prepare their students to thrive in college and work.
Representing WriteBoston, Sarah Poulter, Deputy Director, and Jessie Gerson, Director of Programming and Training, joined approximately 300 other guests at a June 9 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 $140 million to local nonprofits alone.
“The Cummings Foundation grant is going to have a major impact on our work.” said Jessie Gerson, who leads WriteBoston’s school partnerships and trainings.
“This grant will enable us, over the next two years, to help teachers elevate the writing and reading experiences of their students. These gateway cities have been on the frontlines of ensuring that their students receive an excellent educational experience and we are proud to be partnering with them.”
WriteBoston will partner with the 5 District Partnership to align writing instruction and assessment across the five Gateway City school districts of Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Revere, and Winthrop. The project will bring together middle school English teachers and literacy coaches in the five neighboring districts to impact nearly 10,000 students.
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 41 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.
“We admire and very much appreciate the important work that nonprofit organizations like WriteBoston are doing in the local communities where our colleagues and clients live and work,” said Joel Swets, Cummings Foundation’s executive director. “We are delighted to support their efforts.”
This year’s diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including education, homelessness prevention, elder services, healthcare, 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 Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester. With assets exceeding $1 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.
