Boston, June 13, 2022 – Fathers’ UpLift is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The Boston-based organization was chosen from a total of 580 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $100,000 over a period of four years.
Fathers’ UpLift (FUL) provides mental health counseling, coaching, advocacy, and resource support to assist fathers with overcoming barriers (racism, emotional, traumatic, and addiction-based barriers) that prevent them from remaining engaged in their children’s lives. FUL uplifts fathers and strengthens families nationwide through service, love, and encouragement.
“Fathers’ UpLift is deeply grateful for the gift awarded by the Cummings Foundation,” said FUL Development Director Christopher Haylett. “To be included among such a small pool of final grant recipients is an honor and a privilege. The Cummings Foundation’s tangible acknowledgement of the worth and importance of the work we perform is appreciated by the Fathers’ UpLift team and community.”
The Cummings grant awarded to FUL will enable the organization to increase its Therapeutic Coaching service capacity, providing holistic services that touch on all five domains of the Social Determinants of Health. Because of this grant, an estimated 100 more fathers and families will be provided with critical wrap-around supports in the areas of mental, emotional, and familial health; food security; employment and income; and re-entry.
The Cummings $25 Million Grant Program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties.
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.
“We are so fortunate in greater Boston to have such effective nonprofits, plus a wealth of talented, dedicated professionals and volunteers to run them,” said Cummings Foundation executive director Joyce Vyriotes. “We are indebted to them for the work they do each day to provide for basic needs, break down barriers to education and health resources, and work toward a more equitable society.”
With the help of about 90 volunteers, the Foundation first identified 140 organizations to receive grants of at least $100,000 each. Among the winners were first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings Foundation grants. Forty of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 each.
“Our volunteers bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives, which is so critical to our grant selection process,” said Vyriotes. “Through this democratized approach to philanthropy, they decide more than half the grants every year.”
This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including food insecurity, immigrant and refugee services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 45 different cities and towns.
The complete list of 140 grant winners, plus more than 900 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $375 million to greater Boston nonprofits.
Through mental health counseling, coaching and advocacy, Fathers’ Uplift helps fathers from disadvantaged backgrounds overcome the barriers that prevent them from remaining engaged in their children’s lives. In particular, Fathers’ UpLift addresses a variety of barriers faced by men of color; barriers which contribute to father absence occurring at significantly elevated rates for Black and Latinx/Hispanic families in the US. Since its founding in 2011, Fathers’ Uplift has served more than 11,000 fathers and family members.
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings 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.