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Nicholas And Dorothy Cummings Foundation

Annual Giving
$0.3M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $282,000 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (no public application process)
  • Decision Time: Not applicable
  • Grant Range: Not publicly available
  • Geographic Focus: Behavioral health education nationally, particularly Nevada-based institutions

Contact Details

Address: 4781 Caughlin Parkway, Reno, NV 89519 Phone: +1 775-826-3311 Email: info@cummingsNDCF.org Website: https://cummingsndcf.org/

Overview

The Nicholas & Dorothy Cummings Foundation was established in 1994 (incorporated 1995) by the husband-and-wife team of Dr. Nicholas A. Cummings and Dorothy Cummings as a private 501(c)(3) foundation. With total assets of approximately $22.3 million as of 2024, the foundation supports professional individuals, innovative programs, and educational efforts that enhance behavioral health practices. Its mission is to foster the inclusion of doctoral-level psychotherapy as an integral part of healthcare delivery. The foundation primarily funds training programs, research, publications, and awards designed to promote behavioral care as an integral part of primary care. The foundation operates as a family foundation with grants primarily directed to related organizations advancing the Cummings' legacy in integrated behavioral healthcare.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate traditional grant programs open to public application. Instead, it provides strategic funding to advance behavioral health education and integration through carefully selected partnerships and related organizations.

Priority Areas

  • Professional psychotherapy education: Supporting doctoral-level training programs that integrate behavioral health into primary care
  • Behavioral health research: Funding research that demonstrates the value of psychological interventions in healthcare
  • Educational institutions: Supporting institutions like Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies
  • Integrated care initiatives: Promoting the integration of behavioral health services into medical settings
  • Scholarships: The Dr. Nicholas Cummings Scholarship provides $2,400 awards to Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH) students at Cummings Graduate Institute

Primary Beneficiaries

The foundation's main beneficiaries include:

  • Cummings Foundation for Behavioral Health (primary funding recipient)
  • Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies (received $3 million legacy gift to launch the DBH degree in 2009)
  • University of the Pacific ($500,000 commitment through CFBH for the Dr. Dorothy M. Cummings Endowed Professorship in Social Work)
  • Arizona State University ($3 million legacy gift for state-of-the-art behavioral health program)

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not appear to fund:

  • Organizations outside the behavioral health field
  • General operating support for unrelated nonprofits
  • Projects not aligned with integrated behavioral healthcare
  • Organizations without established relationships to the foundation

Governance and Leadership

The foundation's board is composed entirely of the Cummings family:

  • Janet Cummings, Psy.D. - President and daughter of the founders. Dr. Cummings earned her Master's degree in Linguistics with a Psycholinguistics emphasis before completing her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Wright State University in 1992. She was instrumental in establishing Cummings Graduate Institute as a standalone institution.

  • Nicholas Cummings, Ph.D., Sc.D. (1924-2020) - Board Chair and Co-Founder. Dr. Cummings was one of the most influential figures in professional psychology, founding the California School of Professional Psychology and serving as APA President in 1979. He conducted pioneering medical cost offset research at Kaiser Permanente and founded American Biodyne, the nation's first psychology-driven managed behavioral healthcare organization. He authored over 450 journal articles and book chapters, along with 51 books, and received psychology's highest honor, the APF Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Practice.

  • Dorothy Cummings, MSW, D.H.L. (1927-2023) - Secretary and Co-Founder. Dorothy was a clinical social worker who pioneered the integration of medical and behavioral healthcare in shared settings. Known as the "eternal optimist," she was deeply committed to philanthropy and played a crucial role in establishing the foundation and related organizations. Her husband attributed much of his success to her support and vision-making abilities.

  • Andrew Cummings, Esq. - Vice Chair and Legal Counsel (son of the founders)

Staff:

  • Kristen Demara - Executive Director (compensation: $100,888 in 2024)
  • Kim Duvall - Accounting Manager (compensation: $60,290 in 2024)

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Nicholas & Dorothy Cummings Foundation does not have a public application process. This is a private family foundation that makes grants primarily to organizations within its established network, particularly those advancing the founders' vision of integrated behavioral healthcare. Grants are made at the discretion of the foundation's board of directors, which consists entirely of family members.

The foundation's grantmaking focuses on:

  • Organizations founded or supported by the Cummings family (Cummings Foundation for Behavioral Health, Cummings Graduate Institute)
  • Strategic partnerships with universities and institutions for endowed positions and programs
  • Scholarships administered through Cummings Graduate Institute

For students seeking support: The Dr. Nicholas Cummings Scholarship is available to DBH students at Cummings Graduate Institute. Applications require a 500-word essay and are evaluated on a competitive basis each term. Contact scholarships@cgi.edu for scholarship inquiries.

Application Success Factors

Since the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, there are no traditional "success factors" for external applicants. The foundation's grantmaking reflects the family's strategic vision for advancing integrated behavioral healthcare through:

  1. Legacy alignment: Projects that directly advance Dr. Nicholas Cummings' pioneering work in integrated care and professional psychology education
  2. Innovation focus: As stated in the scholarship criteria, the foundation values those who want to "interrupt and disrupt the course of healthcare" with innovative approaches
  3. Doctoral-level focus: Emphasis on doctoral psychotherapy and advanced behavioral health training
  4. Integration emphasis: Priority on projects that integrate behavioral health into primary care settings
  5. Educational excellence: Support for rigorous academic programs that maintain the highest standards in behavioral health education

Dr. Nicholas Cummings' legacy emphasized the importance of demonstrating value through research—his medical cost offset studies at Kaiser Permanente proved that psychological interventions save medical and surgical costs, fundamentally changing how healthcare systems view behavioral health services.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This foundation operates as a private family foundation without a public application process
  • Grants are made at board discretion, primarily to organizations founded or closely affiliated with the Cummings family
  • The foundation's focus is highly specialized: doctoral-level psychotherapy education and integrated behavioral healthcare
  • External organizations are unlikely to receive funding unless they have established relationships with the foundation or are invited to apply
  • Students interested in behavioral health can pursue the Dr. Nicholas Cummings Scholarship through Cummings Graduate Institute
  • The foundation represents the legacy of two pioneers in integrated care—Dr. Nicholas Cummings' groundbreaking work in professional psychology and Dorothy Cummings' contributions as a clinical social worker and philanthropist
  • With assets over $22 million and relatively modest annual giving ($282,000 in 2024), the foundation appears to be managing its endowment for long-term sustainability while making strategic investments in behavioral health education

References

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