HILDEBRAND FAMILY SELF-HELP CENTER awarded Cummings Grant; A leading family homelessness provider receives Cummings Foundation grant!

CAMBRIDGE, MAY 22, 2020 – Hildebrand Family Self-Help Center is one of 130 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $20 Million Grant Program. The Cambridge-based organization was chosen from a total of 738 applicants during a competitive review process.

Hildebrand partners with families experiencing homelessness, to help them gain more self-sufficiency on their journey. As one of the largest family shelter providers in Massachusetts, Hildebrand endeavors to break the cycle of homelessness by providing shelter, permanent housing, training and work readiness programs, and life skills development.

“Hildebrand operates 135 units of emergency shelter, and helps families overcome the barriers to securing housing,” said Shiela Y. Moore, Hildebrand’s CEO. “We approach each family’s situation as unique and believe every family has strengths upon which to build a brighter future. In the past 10 years, 763 families have moved from shelter to housing so we know our strengths-based programming truly works. We impact the long-term housing stability of the most vulnerable members of our community.” Hildebrand operates 11 units of permanent housing and places over 70 families a year into affordable housing throughout the Greater Boston area.

The Cummings support will allow families to continue to receive stabilization services for two years after they leave the emergency shelter program to ensure they remain stably housed. The stabilization program is designed to prevent the recurrence of homelessness. When families transition into permanent housing, Hildebrand works with the head of household to ensure they stay on course with their plan to increase economic mobility and avoid the pitfalls that may put the family’s housing at risk. “We are so grateful for this leadership support from Cummings Foundation, who share our vision and commitment to restore hope and build brighter futures,” said Moore.

The Cummings $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’s executive director. “Their ability to adapt and work with their constituents in new and meaningful ways has 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.

Social distancing requirements will prevent Foundation and grant winner representatives from convening for a reception at Trade Center 128 in Woburn, as planned, to celebrate the $20 million infusion into greater Boston’s nonprofit sector. Instead, Cummings Foundation expects hundreds of individuals to gather virtually for a modified celebration in mid-June.

The Cummings $20 Million Grant Program resulted from a merger of the Foundation’s two flagship grant programs, $100K for 100 and Sustaining Grants.

The Foundation and its volunteers first identified 130 organizations to receive grants of at least $100,000 each. Among the winners are first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that have previously received Cummings Foundation grants. A limited number of this latter group of repeat recipients will be invited to make in-person presentations in the fall, when public health related circumstances allow, proposing that their grants be elevated to long-term awards. Thirty such requests will be granted in the form of 10-year awards ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 each.

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.

The complete list of 130 grant winners is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

A great deal more information about Cummings Foundation is detailed in Bill Cummings’ self-written business book, “Starting Small and Making It Big: Hands-On Lessons in Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy.” The brand-new, and significantly updated, 6th edition is available on Amazon or cummings.com/book.

About Hildebrand Family Self-Help Center

Hildebrand Family Self-Help Center partners with families experiencing homelessness. The organization endeavors to break the cycle of homelessness by providing shelter, permanent housing, training and work readiness program, and life skills development. Founded in 1988, the organization is the legacy of the social action ministry of St. Paul AME Church in Cambridge and was named to honor the regional bishop, Rev. Richard Allen Hildebrand, who authorized the rehabilitation of the former parsonage for use as a congregate shelter for homeless families. Since then, Hildebrand has been at the forefront of the movement to end family homelessness, and has grown to become one of Massachusetts’ leading family homelessness providers The organization shelters 135 families through scattered sites and congregate living programs, and operates 11 permanent affordable apartments, in the Greater Boston area. Learn more about Hildebrand at www.hildebrand.wpengine.com.

About Cummings Foundation

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn, and Veterinary School at Tufts, LLC in North Grafton. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.