Dorchester MA, May 26, 2020 – MAHA is one of dozens of local non-profits to receive grants of $100,000 each through the Cummings Foundation $20 Million Grant Program. The Dorchester-based organization was chosen from a total of 738 applicants during a competitive review process.
MAHA works to break down barriers for first-time and first-generation homebuyers with a goal of reducing the racial wealth gap in Massachusetts. MAHA has graduated more than 35,000 homebuyers and homeowners from its comprehensive classes, more than any nonprofit in the state, and its campaigns have resulted in over $10 billion in investment in affordable housing from private and public sources.
“We are thankful to the Cummings Foundation for recognizing our work in closing the racial wealth gap in our state,” said Symone Crawford, MAHA’s Director of Homeownership Education. “We will use these fund to continue to expand our first-in-the-nation program for first-generation homebuyers, those without the ‘Bank of Mom and Dad’ to help them purchase a home.”
The Cummings Foundation $20 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 area where it owns commercial buildings, all of which are managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate, Cummings Properties. Founded in 1970 by Bill Cummings, the Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 10 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“We have been impressed, but not surprised, by the myriad ways in which these 130 grant winners are serving their communities, despite the challenges presented by COVID-19,” said Joel Swets, Cummings Foundation executive director. “Their ability to adapt and work with their constituents in new and meaningful ways has had an enormous impact in the communities where our colleagues and leasing clients live and work.”
Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $280 million to greater Boston nonprofits. This year’s diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including homelessness prevention, affordable housing, education, violence prevention, and food insecurity. The nonprofits are spread across 40 different cities and towns, and most will receive their grants over two to five years. A complete list of 130 grant winners is available at www.cummingsfoundation.org.
