Over 50 North Shore nonprofits received an extra holiday boost from Woburn based real estate developer Cummings Properties last November. For the 14th year, the annual Cummings Community Giving (CCG) program allowed Cummings Properties employees to each direct up to $2,000 from the company to a nonprofit of their choice. Of the $520,000 distributed through the latest CCG cycle, $124,000 was directed to North Shore nonprofits.
“This program is meaningful for so many of our team members,” says president Eric Anderson. “It puts philanthropy directly in their hands, allowing them to further support the causes that matter most to them.” Employees are empowered to support the communities where they live and work. This cycle, the CCG supported more than 240 organizations across approximately 80 local cities and towns.
The program is open to all regular full-time employees as well as part-time employees with at least five years of seniority. Participants may select one local nonprofit to receive a $2,000 donation or two local nonprofits to receive $1,000 each. Nonprofits may receive up to $6,000 per year from the CCG program. During the 2025 cycle, fourteen organizations reached the maximum, including three on the North Shore—the Danvers DECA Falcons Foundation, Cape Ann Animal Aid in Gloucester, and the John E. Burke Elementary School PTO in Peabody.
The funds directed to the Danvers DECA Falcons Foundation supported an initiative led by three students—Natalie Bahret, Alejandro Bourdier, and Meghan Ryan, all seniors. Together they raised $30,000 for a library mural installation and renaming in honor of Colleen Ritzer, a beloved Danvers High School teacher who was tragically killed. “Receiving the Cummings Community Giving funds helped finalize our $30,000 goal. This $6,000 donation signals to us that local organizations believe in empowering such a meaningful project to commemorate such a significant member of the community, Colleen Ritzer. The mural and renamed library will be a daily reminder of her positive influence and the values she stood for, inspiring future generations to learn with curiosity and treat each other with respect. The donation from Cummings gives us momentum, encouragement, and confidence to bring this vision to life,” explains Bahret.
The Danvers DECA donation also had a personal connection. “I learned about the project through my niece, Meghan, who is part of the Danvers DECA Falcons Foundation,” says client services Administrator Kate Tabor of Woburn. “I was thrilled to present the check to her and her team—and even more so to bring along my colleagues Jane Flaherty and Beth Callahan, who also directed their $2,000 to this important memorial after hearing the story.” John R. Halsey, vice president of leasing at Cummings Properties, has participated in the CCG during the ten years he has worked at the company. He also had a personal tie to the organization he chose this past cycle.
“I chose Healthy Students—Healthy Saugus because it directly supports local children and families in a very tangible way. I appreciate how this program is community-based, volunteer-driven, and focused on meeting real needs in the community. By organizing, packing, and distributing nutritious food each week, they make sure students facing food insecurity have access to healthy meals over weekends and school breaks, when school meals aren’t readily available. That kind of support plays a real role in students’ health, behavior, and ability to succeed academically, which makes the impact both immediate and meaningful,” Halsey says. “Healthy Students—Healthy Saugus president Julie Cicolini is a close family friend, and through her I’ve come to realize the great work she and her volunteers do—often quietly and behind the scenes. Knowing the real need they address in the community, I felt fortunate to be able to direct much-needed funds to support their efforts.”
The CCG program is part of the company’s All Profits to Nonprofits initiative, through which 100 percent of all rental profits from buildings owned by founders Joyce and Bill Cummings and the Cummings Foundation are donated to local nonprofits. The Cummings Foundation, which distributes most of this funding, has awarded more than $500 million to date in eastern Massachusetts. Its signature initiative is the annual Cummings $30 Million Grant Program, which commits new multiyear funding to 150 Greater Boston nonprofits.
“I feel proud to be part of an organization that reinvests so intentionally in local communities. At Cummings Properties, our day-to-day work in real estate directly supports the good carried out through Cummings Foundation— whether through its annual $30 Million Grant Program or the year-round All Profits to Nonprofits model that aligns business success with lasting community impact,” says Halsey.