Among 33 local nonprofits receiving a combined $10 million in awards from Cummings Foundation’s new Sustaining Grants program, which offers funding spanning up to 10 years, is The Community Family. The organization was represented at the May 3 awards ceremony held at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn by Anne Marchetta, executive director, and Marion Dunn, director of the Everett Center.
The Community Family delivers adult day health care services to seniors, individuals with disabilities, and those living with Alzheimer’s disease across three locations: Everett, Medford, and Lowell. Annually, TCF serves 325 adults, with 120 attending daily across the three centers. Services encompass medical care, therapeutic activities, nutrition, and social services that benefit both participants and their family caregivers. The Everett center, situated on Wyllis Avenue in a residential neighborhood, represents TCF’s most recently opened and most heavily utilized facility, serving approximately 60 individuals daily on average.
According to Anne Marchetta, executive director of The Community Family, “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Cummings Foundation. They have been a great partner to us over the past five years and we look forward to deepening our relationship over the next 10 years. This grant will help move our programs and services and ultimately, our care, to its greatest heights ever.”
Through the Cummings Foundation grant, TCF will be able to maintain and expand its Activities Programs, which form a vital part of the daily experience for participants. These programs encompass music therapy, exercise classes, art therapy, entertainment performances, special events, and interactive computer technology, among other offerings. By providing these activities, participants gain a sense of meaning, self-expression, and purpose—particularly important for this often-vulnerable population.
Building upon Cummings Foundation’s $100,000 for 100 initiative, the Sustaining Grants program represents an evolution of their giving strategy. Since its 2012 launch, the $100,000 for 100 program has distributed $10 million annually through multi-year grants of $100,000 to 100 nonprofits based in and primarily serving Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk counties. The Community Family received a $100,000 for 100 grant in 2013, with their final disbursement arriving in 2017, making them automatically eligible for consideration in the 2018 Sustaining Grants initiative.
Joyce Vyriotes, deputy director of Cummings Foundation, stated that “Long-term financial support is rare for nonprofits, making fundraising a constant and time-consuming task for organizations like The Community Family,” “The Sustaining Grants are intended to provide some relief, allowing them to focus more of their time and energy on delivering and enhancing their important services.”
A 40-member volunteer committee, primarily responsible for selecting Sustaining Grants recipients, included former state legislators, company and organizational CEOs throughout Greater Boston, a retired Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court justice, and a prominent Boston Globe reporter, among numerous other members. Each nonprofit received two site visits from committee members, who assessed how the $100,000 for 100 funds had furthered organizational missions and evaluated potential uses for a 10-year grant.
The full roster of 33 grant recipients can be found at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
To date, Cummings Foundation has distributed more than $200 million throughout Greater Boston, with plans to award an additional $200 million over the coming decade via the $100K for 100 and Sustaining Grants programs.
For four decades, The Community Family, based in Everett, has enabled thousands of adults to remain in their homes and communities as long as feasible, reducing premature nursing home admissions and isolated home-based care. By delivering quality care and essential respite support to caregivers, TCF enhances quality of life for both participants and their families. The organization offers the most economical long-term care option available and addresses the growing need for community-based services in an aging society. More details are available at www.communityfamily.org.
Cummings Foundation, Inc., headquartered in Woburn, was founded in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings. The Foundation operates its own charitable subsidiaries directly, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Among its most significant commitments is support for Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Further information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.