May Institute Awarded $100,000 Cummings Foundation Grant

11/15/13

Woburn, Mass. –– May Institute has been selected as one of the 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s new $100K for 100 program. The organization was chosen from more than 370 applicants during a competitive review process by the Foundation.
 
“We are extremely pleased to have received a Cummings Foundation $100,000 grant award in 2013 for our May Center School in Woburn,” notes Dr. Lauren Solotar, President and CEO of May Institute. “This generous gift will greatly strengthen our vocational education and job training capacity to help adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities successfully transition into adulthood. We are very grateful for the Foundation’s commitment to this significant initiative.”
 
People with disabilities are at an extreme disadvantage in the workplace and much less likely to be employed than their peers. With the Cummings Foundation support and involvement of community partners, the May School in Woburn, Mass., will expand its job training program and community inclusion program to effectively address the vocational and experiential learning requirements of youth with ASD.
 
All of the selected charities serve local communities, with 50 percent of the grants being awarded in Middlesex County, 30 percent in Suffolk County, and 20 percent in Essex County. Joel Swets, the Cummings Foundation executive director, noted that the narrow geographic priority area reflects a desire to give back to the communities where the grant funds were awarded.
 
“As the primary beneficiary of commercial real estate firm Cummings Properties, the Foundation is very committed to the 10 communities in which the firm manages buildings, as well as the hometowns of its 350 staff members,” explains Swets. “We are delighted to support May Institute in its admirable efforts to improve the lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities.”
 
The diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including underserved populations, education, healthcare, homelessness, and social justice. Many of the grants will be paid over two-to-five years.
 
About May Institute
May Institute is an award-winning nonprofit organization with nearly 60 years of experience in serving children and adults with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, brain injury, mental illness, and behavioral health needs. The organization provides educational, rehabilitative, and behavioral healthcare services to individuals, as well as training and consultation services to professionals, organizations, and public school systems. For more information, visit www.mayinstitute.org.
 
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc., was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, Mass. With assets exceeding $1 billion, it is one of the very largest grant-making foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including two New Horizons senior communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Its largest single grant to date was $50 million to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, Mass. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.