Montserrat College of Art is one of 150 local non-profits that will share in $30 million through the Cummings Foundation’s major annual grants program. The Beverly-based college was selected from 715 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $105,000 over three years.
The grant will grow Montserrat’s Summer Bridge program, a specially tailored orientation program for low-income and first-generation students that will serve as a “head start” for these individuals, helping provide them with equal resources and access to opportunities as their peers.
Research has shown that these student populations often arrive their freshman year with less social capital and “college knowledge” as their peers. The bridge program will allow students to orient themselves to college life prior to the beginning of the semester, while living and starting their coursework on campus.
Montserrat President Brian Pellinen said, “We know the transition from high school to college is a major step, and through the impact of the Cummings Foundation grant, we can make sure our students are set up for success right from the start. The summer bridge orientation program will help ensure that students entering Montserrat have the tools, knowledge, and confidence to navigate college life no matter what circumstances they are coming from.”
The Cummings $30 Million Grant Program primarily supports Massachusetts non-profits 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 non-profit 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.”
Nearly 100 community volunteers made the majority of grant decisions. 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 non-profit leaders, mayors, college presidents, and experts in areas such as finance and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).
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 non-profits 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 non-profits are spread across 49 different cities and towns.
Cummings Foundation has now awarded $500 million to greater Boston non-profits. The complete list of this year’s 150 grant winners, plus nearly 2,000 previous recipients, is available on the foundation’s website.
Montserrat College of Art is a private, residential college of visual art educating designers, artists, and entrepreneurs for a rapidly changing world that requires creative solutions to new
challenges. At the intersection of art, design and technology, the college offers international study programs, 12 concentrations, five minors and a required internship program.
