Daily Table Awarded $400,000 Cummings Grant
Boston nonprofit receives 10 years of funding from Cummings Foundation
BOSTON, MA – Daily Table is one of 150 local nonprofits that will share in $30 million through Cummings Foundation’s major annual grants program. The Boston-based organization was selected from a total of 715 applicants during a competitive review process and was one of 25 organizations selected for a 10-year grant, totaling $400,000 over 10 years for Daily Table.
Daily Table is a nonprofit grocery store whose mission is to provide fresh, tasty, convenient, and nutritious food to communities most in need at prices everyone can afford. With five stores in Dorchester, Roxbury, Cambridge (Central Square), Mattapan, and Salem, Daily Table offers fresh, affordable produce and grocery staples at prices 25%-35% lower than for-profit supermarkets, which empowers customers to make the most of their money to buy the healthy foods they want and need.
“This ten-year grant from Cummings Foundation will have a profound impact on Daily Table's future,” said Sasha Purpura, CEO of Daily Table. “We are beyond grateful for what this funding will do to build the health, dignity, and economic sustainability of the communities we serve.”
Support from Cummings Foundation will allow Daily Table to further expand its innovative, nonprofit grocery store model, providing dignified food access and nutrition security to more than 90,000 residents, many of whom are low-income, in five communities located throughout Greater Boston.
The Cummings $30 Million Grant Program primarily supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties, plus six communities in Norfolk County: Brookline, Dedham, Milton, Needham, Quincy, and Wellesley.
“Greater Boston is fortunate to have a robust, dedicated, and highly capable nonprofit sector that supports and enhances the community in myriad ways,” said Cummings Foundation executive director and trustee Joyce Vyriotes. “The entire Cummings organization is thankful for their daily work to help all our neighbors thrive.”
The majority of the grant decisions were made by nearly 100 community 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).
“We believe strongly that grant decisions will be more equitable when made by a diverse group of community members,” said Vyriotes. “We’re incredibly grateful to the dozens of individuals who participated in our democratized philanthropic process.”
The Foundation and volunteers first identified 150 organizations to receive three-year grants of up to $300,000 each. The winners included first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings grants. Twenty-five of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected by a panel of community volunteers to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $300,000 to $1 million each.
“Ten years from now, our programs and store operations will still be benefiting from this sustained support and generosity,” said Celia Grant, Daily Table’s Director of Community Engagement & Programs. “This grant from Cummings Foundation validates our mission, model, and continued positive impact."
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 49 different cities and towns.
Cummings Foundation has now awarded $500 million to greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s 150 grant winners, plus nearly 2,000 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Daily Table was founded in 2015 by Doug Rauch, former President of Trader Joe’s, to offer a dignified solution to food access and nutrition security for low-income individuals and families by placing nonprofit grocery stores directly in communities with highest need. Stores offer a selection of SNAP-eligible produce, meat and dairy, and other grocery staples at prices that are 25-35% lower than other local supermarkets. With two new stores opened in 2023, Daily Table is on pace to provide the equivalent of 4.5 million meals in 2024.
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, MA and has grown to be one of the largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities, in Marlborough and Woburn, and Cummings Health Sciences, LLC. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
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