NOAH is one of 139 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The East Boston-based organization was chosen from a total of 590 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $100,000 over two years.
Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH), a community development corporation, promotes equity, community cohesion, environmental justice, and economic resiliency. We increase access to affordable housing, create social and economic opportunities, and empower residents to be leaders of change.
This grant, in support of the Homelessness Prevention project, will strengthen NOAH’s ability to provide no-/low-income households bilingual homelessness prevention services.
“We are grateful to the Cummings Foundation and their steadfast commitment to the non-profit community!” -Philip Giffee, Executive Director at NOAH.
The Cummings $25 Million Grant Program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties.
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. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 10 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“We aim to help meet the needs of people in all segments of our local community,” said Cummings Foundation executive director Joel Swets. “It is the incredible organizations we fund, however, that do the actual daily work to empower our neighbors, educate our children, fight for equity, and so much more.”
With the help of about 80 volunteers, the Foundation first identified 140 organizations to receive grants of at least $100,000 each. Among the winners were first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings Foundation grants. Forty of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 each.
“We have adopted a democratic approach to philanthropy, which empowers an impressive roster of dedicated volunteers to decide more than half of all our grant winners each year,” said Swets. “We benefit from their diverse backgrounds and perspectives; they benefit from a meaningful and fulfilling experience; and the nonprofits often benefit from increased exposure and new advocates.”
This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including social justice, homelessness prevention, affordable housing, education, violence prevention, and food insecurity. The nonprofits are spread across 43 different cities and towns.
The complete list of 140 grant winners, plus more than 800 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $300 million to greater Boston nonprofits.
About NOAH
The Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) is entering its thirty-fourth year as an award-winning multi-service non-profit community development corporation (CDC). NOAH was organized as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, and began serving East Boston in 1987 as a two-person organization operating from the basement of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. Our organizational capacity has grown, and NOAH has 22 full-time and fourteen part-time staff members and serves the greater Boston region through a number of bilingual housing and neighborhood programs. While our business lines and initiatives have multiplied, our original goals remain the nucleus of our work: creating and preserving affordable housing opportunities and building safe and healthy neighborhoods for those most in need and others challenged by today’s housing market.
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings and has grown to be one of the three largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn, and Veterinary School at Tufts, LLC in North Grafton. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Source: NOAH 6/3/2021
