Cummings Foundation Grants Inc (Fka Oneworld Boston Inc)
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Cummings Foundation Grants gives priority to eastern Massachusetts, naming Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties and a list of towns, so a small charity working in those areas and in human services, fairness and justice, education, healthcare or the environment is the natural fit.
- Its stated Local Grant Program range is $10,000 to $100,000, but about 8 in 10 of its grants to organisations fall between $10,000 and $75,000 and the median is $30,000, so a request in that middle range is realistic, although the largest grant in the filing was $10,000,000, so the typical band is not a ceiling.
- Applications begin with a letter of inquiry through the online portal, and only invited applicants go on to a full application, so submit early within the window that closes at a fixed deadline, using plain language and hard numbers as the foundation asks.
- Under the Local Grant Program, the foundation does not fund relatively new entities, endowments, religious endeavors, individuals, or organisations that are not classified as 501(c)(3) public charities, so check those terms before applying.
- The filing shows 82% of grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in the two earlier filings, but this is a share of dollars rather than a rule, and the foundation says prior receipt has no bearing on a new award.
Overview
Cummings Foundation Grants Inc (Fka Oneworld Boston Inc) is a US private foundation based in Woburn, MA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
Cummings Foundation supports a wide variety of nonprofits, primarily in eastern Massachusetts. Its local grant programme backs causes related to human services, fairness and justice, education, healthcare and the environment. Its human-services priorities include housing and food security, anti-poverty work, employment training, assistance for foreign-born residents, legal assistance, senior citizens, strong families and youth services. It also names mentoring and tutoring, mental health, and equitable access to outdoor spaces among its causes. The programme focuses on truly local organisations, and gives special consideration to nonprofits based in communities where the Cummings organisation operates commercial properties. The Foundation describes its approach as learning and discovering synergies, investing in organisations and efforts that match its values and priorities and have meaningful, positive and sustainable impact in local communities.
Themes
- Human services
- Fairness and justice
- Education
- Healthcare
- Environment
Geographic Focus
Priority: Eastern Massachusetts; Essex County; Middlesex County; Suffolk County; Brookline; Dedham; Milton; Needham; Quincy; Wellesley.
What They Don't Fund
- Local Grant Program only: Endowments; Medical research; Private foundations; Religious endeavors; Relatively new entities; Political, legislative, or lobbying organizations; Individuals or debt reduction, no matter how worthy; Very large organizations already supported by robust endowments; Organizations that seek to infringe on civil liberties or personal freedoms; Organizations that treat people unfairly based on protected characteristics; Primary and secondary schools that charge tuition, including those that provide financial aid; Organizations that are not classified as public charities under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Code; National or regional organizations, or local branches thereof, that do not have an EIN and board of directors separate from that of the larger entity; Municipalities (with the exception of public schools), except for the 12 communities in which the Cummings organization operates commercial properties
How to apply
Submit a letter of inquiry through the online portal; applicants invited to proceed then submit a full application.
Deadlines: The submission window lasts several weeks and closes at a deadline.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 82% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 1,930 grants to organisations were $30,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The Foundation looks for cost-effectiveness in grant applicants.
- Applications should use commonly understood language rather than jargon.
- Applicants should use hard numbers and specifics rather than rhetoric and hyperbole.
- Submitting a request early is one way to stand out.
- The Foundation prefers diversified funding and does not want its grant to make up an outsized share of an organisation’s budget.
- The Foundation gives special consideration to nonprofits based in communities where the Cummings organisation operates commercial real estate.
- Every application is evaluated on its merits, and prior receipt of a grant has no bearing on a new award.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
4 other states: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 9% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 82% of grant dollars went to organisations Cummings Foundation Grants Inc (Fka Oneworld Boston Inc) had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 2% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 658 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $35,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Partners in Health · Education$3,500,0002024 tax year
- Harvard University SRO Outside · Education$2,100,0002024 tax year
- Roger Williams University · Education$1,100,0002024 tax year
- Benjamin Franklin Institute Of · Education$1,085,0002024 tax year
- Regis College · Education$1,035,0002024 tax year
- Gates Philanthropy Partners · Healthcare$1,000,0002024 tax year
- Winchester Hospital Foundation · Healthcare$500,0002024 tax year
- Fordham Universitycontroller · Education$272,2112024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- William S Cummings — President & Trustee
- Patricia A Cummings — Vice President & Trustee
- Marilyn C Morris — Trustee
- Joyce Vyriotes — Executive Director & Clerk
- Joyce M Cummings — Treasurer & Trustee
- Eric S Anderson — Trustee
- Dennis A Clarke — Trustee
- Andrew Bishop — Deputy Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $45,766,326 | $45,427,820 | $584,620,541 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $26,393,843 | $26,113,917 | $730,074,973 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $39,346,860 | $38,223,794 | $868,977,554 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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Applying to Cummings Foundation Grants Inc (Fka Oneworld Boston Inc)?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required