$300k Cummings Foundation Grant Will Fund Entrepreneurship Programming
Continuing a robust relationship with entrepreneurs Bill and Joyce Cummings and the Cummings Foundation, Endicott College is one of 130 local nonprofits to receive grants through the foundation’s $20 Million Grant Program. The Colin & Erika Angle Center for Entrepreneurship was chosen from a total of 738 applicants during a competitive review process. The Center was awarded an early decision grant of $300,000 over 10 years; the first year's grant of $30,000 is for 2020.
Support from the Cummings grant will enable the Angle Center for Entrepreneurship to drive expansion of entrepreneurial education for nonprofits and for-profit ventures in the North Shore community. The funding also serves to support small business workshops led from Endicott College’s Van Loan School Boston location. With long-term funding in place, Endicott’s highly successful startup boot camp, Spark U, will be able to educate Endicott students and community partners in leading edge entrepreneurial training. It also supports the continuance of Spark Tank, the North Shore’s largest business pitch competition.
The Center serves as the regional hub for entrepreneurship and has developed a national reputation for its quality programming.
“The awarding of this 10-year grant by the Cummings Foundation reflects our collaborative belief in ‘democratic entrepreneurship’,” says Deirdre Sartorelli, Assistant Dean & Director of the Angle Center for Entrepreneurship. “The College’s academic and community programs are strongly aligned with Mr. Cummings’ own entrepreneurial journey. Democratic entrepreneurship is the idea that anyone should have the ability to start a business, regardless of means, as long as they are willing to work hard. It’s the embrace of owner-led businesses of all types, because we know the positive impact these businesses have on their local communities.”
The Cummings $20 Million Grant Program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties. The complete list of 130 grant winners is available at cummingsfoundation.org.
A symbiotic relationship of support and entrepreneurship
Local businessman and entrepreneur Bill Cummings and former Endicott President Dr. Richard E. Wylie began a fruitful and impactful relationship many years ago after meeting during a Beverly Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Cummings—well-known as a billion-dollar philanthropist who recently completed his self-written autobiography, Starting Small and Making It Big—was drawn to Endicott’s entrepreneurial spirit.
Over the years, Endicott has received three grants from Cummings Foundation of $100,000 each from the $100K for 100 program, with this latest grant added as a fourth. Bill and Joyce Cummings delivered a delightful joint address as Commencement speakers in 2016, and were awarded honorary doctorates for their accomplishments. There are eight Endicott graduates currently working full-time at Cummings Properties in a variety of roles.
Read more about how Bill and Joyce Cummings and the Cummings Foundation have supported Endicott over the years in our Soundings magazine article “Thriving Community Partnership.”