The Woburn Host Lions Charities, Inc. 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 Woburn-based organization was chosen from a total of 738 applicants during a competitive review process.

The Woburn Host Lions Charities, Inc. is the charitable arm of the Woburn Host Lions Club, a well known and long-established civic and charitable organization. The club’s motto is “We Serve”.

According to Lions Club President, Terry Littell, “receipt of this generous grant will enable our club to expand existing programs and kick-start new initiatives. The award is particularly timely as the present COVID-19 situation has limited our fundraising opportunities.”

Littell said funds from the grant will be used to make improvements at Horn Pond’s Lions Park including establishment of a sensory garden for visually and cognitively impaired visitors. Monies will also fund expansion of an existing program of free eye exams and eyewear for economically challenged youths and seniors. A third initiative will involve funding civics and leadership education along with community projects for the Woburn Leos and Woburn Cubs clubs. Those clubs provide volunteer opportunities for middle school and high school age youths.

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 COV ID-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 convenng 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, $100Kfor 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. 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 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.