North Shore Health Project is one of 150 local nonprofits that will share in $30 million through Cummings Foundation’s major annual grants program. The Gloucester-based organization was selected from a total of 630 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $225,000 over three years.
North Shore Health Project provides case management, syringe access and safe supply access, community education, overdose prevention and testing LGBTQ+ services for those at-risk for and living with HIV, Hepatitis C and STI.
“We are grateful to Cummings Foundation for funding that will help us to further expand our reach and provide crucial services to those in need throughout Essex County,” said North Shore Health Project Executive Director Susan Coviello, an Essex resident. “There are so many in the area who could benefit from the services that we offer, and this gives us the ability to provide healthier, safer solutions to even more individuals north of Boston, and enhance and expand services in Gloucester and other North Shore communities.”
North Shore Health Project plans to use the funds to expand to the Haverhill area, creating a centrally located second site for NSHP’s ONESTOP program, providing services such as overdose prevention, syringe exchange, community education and HIV/Hepatitis C/STI testing for a community in dire need of support of this kind.
The Cummings $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.
“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.
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).
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. 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.