Financially literacy nonprofit, FitMoney, is proud to announce they are amongst 150 other local nonprofits awarded a grant through the Cummings Foundation’s major annual grants program. The Newton-based organization was selected from a total of 630 applicants during a competitive review process and will receive $90,000 over three years.
FitMoney is a nonprofit that has been providing students and families with free, unbiased financial literacy programs since 2016. In addition to their curriculum and FinanciallyFit Certificate, FitMoney launched $uperSquad, a game-based curriculum designed to teach youth in kindergarten to sixth grade. FitMoney’sFinanciallyFit Certificate was also approved for New Hampshire Education Department’s (NHED) Learn Everywhere initiative that allows students to earn credits outside of the classroom. Most recently, FitMoney partnered with the Girls Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts during their cookie selling season to provide resources for scouts to receive financial literacy badges.
“We are thrilled to be selected by the Cummings Foundation to receive a first-time recipient grant,” said FitMoney Executive Director, Jessica Pelletier. “Financial literacy is a critical skill for children and young adults, yet students have limited access to the resources that they need to succeed. This grant brings us one step closer to our mission of providing every child with the opportunity to realize a bright future through financial literacy competence.”
The grant funds that FitMoney receives will be used to continue providing programming in schools and organizations, specifically in Suffolk, Essex, and Middlesex counties. The goal is that these free financial literacy resources will reach thousands of new students at institutions that FitMoney works with, such as Cuniff Elementary in Watertown, Madison Park Technical High School in Roxbury, and Andover Public Schools in Andover.
TheCummings $30 Million Grant Program primarily supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and 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.
“The way the local nonprofit sector perseveres, steps up, and pivots to meet the shifting needs of the community is most impressive,” said Cummings Foundation executive director Joyce Vyriotes.“We are incredibly grateful for these tireless efforts to support people in the community and to increase equity and access to opportunities.”
The majority of the grant decisions were made by about 90 volunteers. They worked across a variety of committees to review and discuss the proposals and then, together, determine which requests would be funded. Among these community volunteers were business and nonprofit leaders, mayors, college presidents, and experts in areas such as finance and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).
“It would not be possible for the Foundation to hire the diversity and depth of expertise and insights that our volunteers bring to the process,” said Vyriotes. “We so appreciate the substantial time and thought they dedicated toward ensuring that our democratized version of philanthropy results in equitable outcomes that will really move the needle on important issues in local communities.”
The Foundation and volunteers first identified 150 organizations to receive three-year grants of up to $225,000 each. The winners included first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings grants. Twenty-five of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected by a volunteer panel to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $300,000 to $1 million each.
This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including housing and food insecurity, workforce development, immigrant services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 46 different cities and towns.
Cummings Foundation has now awarded $480 million to greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s 150 grant winners, plus nearly 1,500 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
About FitMoney
FitMoney is a New England-based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving financial literacy in Massachusetts and across the country. FitMoney provides free, unbiased financial literacy programs to help K-12 students develop life skills for a financially fit future. To see all modules, lessons, and videos, please visit www.FitMoney.org.
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, MA 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.
