Established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings, Cummings Foundation has grown to be one of the largest private operating foundations in New England. Based in Woburn, it has been the beneficiary of substantial contributions from the Cummings family, often through commercial real estate firm Cummings Properties.

The Foundation has awarded more than $320 million to date, mostly in its priority funding area of Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties in Massachusetts. Its Cummings $25 Million Grants Program awards multi-year funding to 140 nonprofits annually. Known for "democratizing" its philanthropy, the Foundation invites volunteers to select more than half of its grantees each year.