ROXBURY, MA (May 7, 2018) – WriteBoston is one of 33 local nonprofits awarded a total of $10 million from Cummings Foundation through its new Sustaining Grants program, which provides funding for up to 10 years.

Sarah Poulter, Executive Director, and Jessie Gerson, Deputy Director & Chief Academic Officer, represented the nonprofit at a May 3 awards night at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn.

WriteBoston promotes deep learning through writing. They offer high-quality professional development in writing instruction for teachers, along with writing opportunities for students, built on the premise that powerful thinking and writing are inseparable.

Executive Director Sarah Poulter had this to say about the grant: “We are absolutely thrilled to be one of the recipients for this grant. In addition to providing WriteBoston with significant resources in the future, we are excited to see the rippling effects of this grant reflected in the students we serve—articles, essays, writing trainings, and more will all be bolstered by this generous gift.”

With an investment from the Cummings Foundation, WriteBoston aims to expand their programming to impact at least 20,000 additional students in the next decade. Through this additional funding, WriteBoston will collaborate with neighboring cities in the Greater Boston area, building on their success of partnering with Gateway Cities such as Revere, Everett, and Chelsea.

The Sustaining Grants program builds on Cummings Foundation’s $100K for 100 program. First offered in 2012, $100K for 100 annually awards $10 million through multi-year grants of $100,000 each to 100 nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk counties. Grant recipients that received their final grant disbursements in 2017 were automatically considered for the Sustaining Grants initiative in 2018.

“Long-term financial support is rare for nonprofits, making fundraising a constant and time-consuming task for organizations like WriteBoston,” said Joyce Vyriotes, deputy director of Cummings Foundation. “The Sustaining Grants are intended to provide some relief, allowing them to focus more of their time and energy on delivering and enhancing their important services.”

Sustaining Grants winners were selected primarily by a 40-member volunteer committee, which included former state legislators, CEOs of companies and organizations in Greater Boston, and a retired justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, among many others. Committee members conducted two site visits with each nonprofit to learn how the $100K for 100 funds helped to advance its mission, and how it might put a 10-year grant to use.

The complete list of 33 grant winners is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

Cummings Foundation has already awarded more than $200 million to date in Greater Boston alone, and it will award an additional $200 million over the next 10 years through the $100K for 100 and the Sustaining Grants programs.

About WriteBoston

WriteBoston provides in-depth training for educators and student writing programming. Through flexible professional development and coaching, in-school writing centers, and a student journalism program, WriteBoston helps create writers—thinkers, communicators, and problem solvers. Additional information is available at www.writeboston.org.

About Cummings Foundation

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Its largest single commitment to date has been to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.