Social Innovation Forum
SIF and five past Social Innovators were recipients of Cummings Foundation grants
The Social Innovation Forum (SIF) is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program. SIF was chosen from a total of 574 applicants during a competitive review process.
Representing Social Innovation Forum, Susan Musinsky, Executive Director and Allison Picott, Director of Development joined approximately 300 other guests at a reception at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn to celebrate the $10 million infusion into Greater Boston’s nonprofit sector. With the conclusion of this grant cycle, Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $260 million to Greater Boston nonprofits alone.
The Social Innovation Forum creates positive social change in greater Boston by engaging leaders, strengthening organizations, and building networks.
“We are glad to be one of 100 nonprofit organizations chosen for the Cummings Foundation $100K grant. This level of support will help us take our Alumni Program work to a whole new level in the community,” said Susan Musinsky.
We are excited to build upon the foundation we have formed with the Cummings Foundation, as a new partner.
The Cummings Foundation $100K grant will help develop and launch a structured Alumni Program, addressing the specialized needs of SIF’s 90 Social Innovator alumni, of which 32 are grantees of the Cummings Foundation. We see this as an opportunity to deepen our technical assistance to these alumni organizations, as Innovators grow each year.
The $100K for 100 program supports 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 space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“By having such a local focus, we aim to make a meaningful positive difference in the communities where our colleagues and leasing clients live and work,” said Joel Swets, Cummings Foundation’s executive director. “We are most grateful for the nonprofit organizations that assist and empower our neighbors, and we are proud to support their efforts.”
This year’s diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including homelessness prevention, affordable housing, education, violence prevention, and food insecurity. Most of the grants will be paid over two to five years.
The complete list of 100 grant winners is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Cummings Foundation announced an additional $15 million in early May through its Sustaining Grants program. Through these awards, 50 local nonprofits will receive ongoing funding of $20,000 - $50,000 for 10 years.
The history behind Cummings Properties and Cummings Foundation is detailed in Bill Cummings’ self-written memoir, “Starting Small and Making It Big: An Entrepreneur’s Journey to Billion-Dollar Philanthropist.” It is available on Amazon or cummings.com/book.
ABOUT THE SOCIAL INNOVATION FORUM
The Social Innovation Forum (SIF) provides a unique combination of capacity building and network building to create positive social change in greater Boston. We actively connect supporters (funders, investors, and volunteers) and practitioners (nonprofit and social business leaders) to build productive relationships focused on growing social impact. Founded in 2003 as a program of Root Cause, SIF incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization in 2015.
ABOUT THE 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.