Cummings Foundation is a Woburn-based private foundation supporting local nonprofits in greater Boston through major multi-year grants and community-led grantmaking.
Cummings Foundation supports nonprofits that improve lives, meet essential community needs, and expand opportunity, especially in the Massachusetts communities where its people and properties are rooted.
Joyce and Bill Cummings established Cummings Foundation, Inc. in 1986 after the success of Cummings Properties, the commercial real estate firm Bill founded in 1970. The Foundation was created to give back to the Greater Boston communities where the business operated and where its staff and clients lived. It was originally founded as Cummings Properties Foundation, Inc. and became Cummings Foundation, Inc. in 2002. Over time, Joyce and Bill donated most of Cummings Properties’ commercial real estate to the Foundation, creating a model where rental profits support nonprofit causes.
Cummings Foundation combines local grantmaking with operating programs and affiliated charitable entities. Its main open grant program supports nonprofits in Northeastern Massachusetts, especially Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties and selected Norfolk County communities. Most grant decisions are made by community volunteers rather than staff, reflecting the Foundation’s “democratized philanthropy” approach. It also operates not-for-profit senior living communities and supports selected education and global health partnerships.
Cummings Foundation has awarded more than $600 million to greater Boston nonprofits and is described as one of New England’s largest private foundations. Its grantmaking model uses more than 175 volunteers across committees to review proposals, select recipients, and conduct site visits. The Foundation’s real estate-supported model directs rental profits from Foundation-owned commercial properties to charitable purposes.
Notable partnerships include Cummings Properties, New Horizons communities, Partners In Health, University of Global Health Equity, Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, Endicott College, Roger Williams University, Salem State University, and Franklin Cummings Tech. The Foundation also works with community-based grantmakers to extend local impact.
Cummings Foundation’s structure is closely tied to Cummings Properties, which manages Foundation-owned commercial buildings at no cost to the Foundation. The Foundation’s public materials emphasize “All Profits to Nonprofits,” community-rooted giving, volunteer-led decision-making, and support for organizations addressing basic needs, education, healthcare, fairness, justice, and environmental issues. Its 2024 consolidated balance sheet reported $4.296 billion in total assets, including securities, property investments, and operating property and equipment.