Special to the Journal
Malden Catholic will share in $30 million of Cummings Foundation’s major annual grants program to provide (STEM) Science Engineering Technology and Math education to middle school students in the surrounding communities. MC’s proposal was selected from a pool of 630 Cummings Foundation Grant applications during a competitive review process and the school will receive $225,000 over the next three years.
Malden Catholic will use the funds from the Foundation to offer up to 180 middle school students a customized course entitled, Cummings Community STEM Program, which will be designed to provide project-based engineering curricula that exposes middle school students to real world engineering design problems and scientific research.
“This incredible grant from Cummings Foundation will allow MC to give middle school students from public and private schools early exposure to STEM studies. Numerous academic reports have indicated that students who receive advanced STEM and engineering experiences at a young age, tend to enter into STEM-based occupations, which may be very beneficial for both the student and the needs of the industry,†stated President John Thornburg.
Cummings Foundation’s intention is to give back in areas where it owns commercial real estate and therefore supports Massachusetts nonprofits based in and serving Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties. The nonprofits are spread across 46 different cities and towns, and this year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including education, housing and food insecurity, workforce development, immigrant services, social justice and mental health services. The Foundation and volunteers 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.
“The way the local schools and the nonprofit sector persevere, step up and pivot 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.â€
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, will be available May 31 at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
