Boston, Massachusetts: June 1, 2023 – Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD) is one of 150 local nonprofits to receive grants of $30,000 to $1,000,000 through Cummings Foundation‘s $30 Million Grant Program. Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $480 million to Greater Boston nonprofits.
Our Boston-based organization, which received an unrestricted grant of $225,000 over 3 years, was chosen from a total of 738 applicants during a competitive review process.
The grant funds will help PYD scale its impact through a twofold strategy, which includes expanding the organization’s youth engagement and community collaborations. PYD’s youth engagement strategy involves conducting targeted outreach in under-resourced communities, diversifying PYD’s volunteer base, and increasing family engagement. The expanded work with community partners will increase training and education opportunities for professionals and youth-serving organizations.
“PYD is incredibly grateful to the Cummings Foundation for their continued and steadfast support of the youth disability community. Cummings has been a staunch supporter of PYD, and past support addressed barriers to employment through career training and mentoring. This new grant will allow us to expand the reach of our services, including career readiness, mentoring, leadership skills and advocacy to many more communities, with a focus on youth with disabilities from traditionally underserved communities,” said PYD’s Executive Director Tere Ramos.
The Cummings $30 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. Founded in 1970 by Bill Cummings, the 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.
The Cummings $30 Million Grant Program funds a wide variety of local causes, especially those related to human services, education, healthcare, and social justice.
The Foundation and its volunteers first identified 150 organizations to receive grants. Of the 150 grant winners, those that have received previous Cummings Foundation awards have been considered to have their new grants elevated from three-year awards to larger 10-year awards, providing sustained funding over a full decade without the need for submitting further applications.