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The House of the Seven Gables Awarded $500,000 Cummings Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 14, 2024

 

The House of the Seven Gables Awarded $500,000 Cummings Grant

Salem nonprofit receives 10 years of funding from Cummings Foundation

 

Salem, MA (June 14, 2024) – The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association is one of 150 local nonprofits that will share in $30 million through Cummings Foundation’s major annual grants program. The Salem-based organization was selected from a total of 715 applicants during a competitive review process. The Gables will receive $500,000 over 10 years to support its Settlement Program, which provides education and naturalization assistance for recent immigrants to the North Shore of Massachusetts.

 

The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association began in 1910 when activist Caroline Emmerton founded a museum and Settlement House in the famed 1668 mansion that inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel. She used the historic home as an education center and gathering place for both children and adults from local immigrant communities. The Gables carries on Emmerton’s mission today, with a modern approach grounded in listening and collaboration. 

 

The grant will aid The Gables in expanding its Settlement program. The organization is currently seeking Recognized Organization status from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Once acquired, The Gables will be able to assist students with naturalization paperwork and represent them before the federal government. Support from the Cummings Foundation will help provide dedicated space and staffing for this work, as well as supporting a wide range of English and Citizenship Preparation classes.

 

The immigrant population of Essex County has risen significantly since 2000 (from 11% of the overall population in 2000 to 18% in 2020). The Cummings Foundation generously funded the position of Settlement Program Manager at The House of the Seven Gables for the past two years; an investment that resulted in the growth of the program from one location to three, and new offerings such as computer literacy classes. All classes are now fully enrolled with waitlists. The program needs additional staff to develop and manage the USCIS program, meet with clients, help enroll and administer classes and community events, and promote The Gables’ Settlement services. Having the basic administration covered by a multiyear grant allows The House of the Seven Gables to adapt and respond to the needs of the community and plan program delivery to the largest constituency available.

 

The Cummings $30 Million Grant Program primarily supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties, plus six communities in Norfolk County: Brookline, Dedham, Milton, Needham, Quincy, and Wellesley.

 

Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the areas where it owns commercial property. Its buildings are all managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate, Cummings Properties. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.

 

“Greater Boston is fortunate to have a robust, dedicated, and highly capable nonprofit sector that supports and enhances the community in myriad ways,” said Cummings Foundation executive director and trustee Joyce Vyriotes. “The entire Cummings organization is thankful for their daily work to help all our neighbors thrive.”

 

The majority of the grant decisions were made by nearly 100 community volunteers. They worked across a variety of committees to review and discuss the proposals and then, together, determine which requests would be funded. Among these community volunteers were business and nonprofit leaders, mayors, college presidents, and experts in areas such as finance and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).

 

“We believe strongly that grant decisions will be more equitable when made by a diverse group of community members,” said Vyriotes. “We’re incredibly grateful to the dozens of individuals who participated in our democratized philanthropic process.”

 

The Foundation and volunteers first identified 150 organizations to receive three-year grants of up to $300,000 each. The winners included first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings grants. Twenty-five of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected by a panel of community volunteers to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $300,000 to $1 million each.

 

This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including housing and food insecurity, workforce development, immigrant services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 49 different cities and towns.

 

Cummings Foundation has now awarded $500 million to greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s 150 grant winners, plus nearly 2,000 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

 

About The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association

The mission of The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association is to be a welcoming, thriving, historic site and community resource that engages people of all backgrounds in our inclusive American story. For more information visit www.7gables.org

 

About Cummings Foundation

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, MA and has grown to be one of the largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities, in Marlborough and Woburn, and Cummings Health Sciences, LLC. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

Date: June 14, 2024

Author: Julia Wacker


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