Dorchester nonprofit receives 10 years of funding from Cummings Foundation
Dorchester, MA, May 21, 2024 – The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is one of 150 local nonprofits that will share in $30 million through Cummings Foundation’s major annual grants program. The Dorchester-based organization was selected from a total of 715 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $750,000 over ten years.
The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is a center of healing, teaching, and learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief, and loss. It is named after Louis D. Brown, a 15-year-old peace activist who was caught in a fatal crossfire in 1993.
“Survivors of violence have a unique understanding of how violence impacts individuals, families and communities,” said Chaplain Clementina Chéry, President and CEO of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. “This generous grant will help us develop survivors into community leaders and mentors, and expand our impact throughout the region and nation.”
Funding from the Cummings Foundation will support the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute Leadership Academy, which empowers families on both sides of homicide with resources for healing and to navigate survivors’ rights / support services, law enforcement, and the court system.
“This funding comes at a pivotal time, as we embark on a $25 Million Campaign for Peace: to build a new Center of Healing, Teaching and Learning in Dorchester,” said Alexandra Dorrelus and Rachel Rodrigues, Co-Executive Directors of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. “We are grateful to the Cummings Foundation for investing in our pathway to scale our programs, invest in our team, grow our organizational capacity and lead the movement for peace.”
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 Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s mission is to serve as a center of Healing, Teaching and Learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief and loss. As an integral partner to the City of Boston, the Institute has developed Best Practices in serving families and communities for 30 years, and offers resources to families seeking support and training to providers in the field of homicide response. Learn more at www.LDBpeaceinstitute.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.
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Contacts
Luis Antonio Thompson, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, 646-512-3322, luisantonio@LDBpeaceinstitute.org
Alison Harding, Cummings Foundation, 781-932-7093, aeh@cummings.com