Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business is one of 150 local organizations that will share $30 million through the Cummings Foundation's major annual grants program. The college's F1RST Scholars program was selected from a total of 630 applicants during a competitive review process and will receive $90,000 over three years.

The D'Amore-McKim F1RST Scholars program aims to empower first-generation college students – those that are the first in their families to attend college to attain a bachelor's degree – through 1:1 counseling, mentorship, career exploration activities, community building, and professional skill development in partnership with a dedicated network of advisors, faculty, alumni and industry partners committed to helping scholars reach their full potential.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Cummings Foundation for their generous support, which will allow us to expand the depth and scope of our program,” says Heather Hauck, D'Amore-McKim's Director of Student Engagement, Affinity, and Inclusion. “This will alleviate the need for scholars to work as many hours off-campus, freeing them up to be more fully engaging in our rich ecosystem of co-curricular activities that are so critical in developing leadership skills and preparation for the professional workplace.”

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. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation. “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. “We are incredibly grateful for these tireless efforts to support people in the community and to increase equity and access to opportunities.”

For more information about the D'Amore-McKim F1RST Scholars program, please visit https://damore-mckim.northeastern.edu/oseai/f1rst-scholars/.