Lynn nonprofit receives 10 years of funding from Cummings Foundation

Pathways is one of 150 local nonprofits that will share in $30 million through Cummings Foundation’s major annual grants program. The Lynn-based organization was selected from a total of 715 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $500,000 over 10 years.

Pathways is the largest Adult Education Center on the North Shore. Offering HiSET/GED classes and English classes, Pathways works with students to equip them with skills they need to take the next steps towards living wage employment.

Each year Pathways works hard to raise awareness and funding to support the ongoing programs that we know are critical for Lynn. Receiving a 10 year grant from Cummings Foundation is such a vote of confidence that the work we do is important. Knowing that we have sustained funding over 10 years allows us to focus more of our time on service delivery.

Pathways will use funding to continue broadening the types of training programs we offer, working with more local employers to provide classes to workers and serving more of those in need.

The Cummings $30 Million Grant Program primarily supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties, plus six communities in Norfolk County: Brookline, Dedham, Milton, Needham, Quincy, and Wellesley.

Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the areas where it owns commercial property. Its buildings are all managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate, Cummings Properties. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.

“Greater Boston is fortunate to have a robust, dedicated, and highly capable nonprofit sector that supports and enhances the community in myriad ways,” said Cummings Foundation executive director and trustee Joyce Vyriotes. “The entire Cummings organization is thankful for their daily work to help all our neighbors thrive.”

The majority of the grant decisions were made by nearly 100 community volunteers. They worked across a variety of committees to review and discuss the proposals and then, together, determine which requests would be funded. Among these community volunteers were business and nonprofit leaders, mayors, college presidents, and experts in areas such as finance and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).

“We believe strongly that grant decisions will be more equitable when made by a diverse group of community members,” said Vyriotes. “We’re incredibly grateful to the dozens of individuals who participated in our democratized philanthropic process.”

The Foundation and volunteers first identified 150 organizations to receive three-year grants of up to $300,000 each. The winners included first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings grants. Twenty-five of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected by a panel of community volunteers to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $300,000 to $1 million each.

This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including housing and food insecurity, workforce development, immigrant services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 49 different cities and towns.

Cummings Foundation has now awarded $500 million to greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s 150 grant winners, plus nearly 2,000 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

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About Pathways

Serving the North Shore for over 45 years, Pathways is a top ranked Adult Education program in MA. Over 400 adults come through our doors each year to learn English or finish their HiSET/GED, gain workplace skills and design a pathway to living wage employment.

About Cummings Foundation

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, MA and has grown to be one of the largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities, in Marlborough and Woburn, and Cummings Health Sciences, LLC. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

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The above press release was submitted to us by Pathways.