Mass. Foundation’s Mission Puts Focus on Small Groups

Dozens of Boston-area nonprofits that rarely receive sizable gifts are launching wish-list projects after receiving $100,000 contributions from a local foundation that has put a priority on small organizations, The Boston Globe writes.

The Woburn, Mass.-based Cummings Foundation, led by property magnate William Cummings and his wife, Joyce, began sending out the six-figure checks earlier this summer as part of a $10-million effort to fund 100 mission-driven charities and government programs in the Boston area, with a particular focus on communities north of Boston.

Initiatives backed range from art therapy for Alzheimer’s sufferers at an adult day care center to hiring of jobless young people by a heritage commission. “These organizations might not have the soliciting power that the big, well-established entities have,” Mr. Cummings said. “So we’re working with organizations where what we do can make a noticeable difference.”