Blog

The School for Field Studies Awarded $200,000

Beverly nonprofit receives Cummings Foundation grant

 

Katlyn Armstrong, SFS Vice President of New Programs and Strategic Initiatives at SFS, and Marta Brill, Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations at SFS, represented The School for Field Studies at a May 2 awards night at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn. Pictured here with Cummings Foundation Founder Bill Cummings, and Cummings Properities Chairman and CEO Dennis Clarke.

 
Beverly, MA– The School for Field Studies (SFS) announced today that it will receive a $200,000 Sustaining Grant from Cummings Foundation. SFS, a leading environmental study abroad provider with headquarters in Beverly, is one of 50 local nonprofits selected this year to share in the Foundation’s $15 million Sustaining grant program.

SFS hosts students from Massachusetts and around the U.S. at field stations in 10 countries across the globe. The $200,000 grant, which will be disbursed over ten years, funds SFS’ efforts to educate and train a larger and more diverse cohort of students in scientific inquiry and critical research skills.

“There has never been a better time to invest in transforming our nation’s young talent into the next generation of leaders and advocates for sound environment policies and practices,” said SFS President Jim Cramer. “We are incredibly grateful for Cummings Foundation’s support.”

The Sustaining Grants initiative builds on Cummings Foundation’s $100K for 100 program. First offered in 2012, $100K of 100 annually awards $10 million through multi-year grants. Grant recipients that received their final grant disbursements in 2018 were automatically considered for Sustaining Grants.

“We introduced Sustaining Grants to help alleviate the constant burden of fundraising so nonprofit professionals can spend more of their limited time and resources on actually providing services,” said Christina Berthelsen, grants manager at Cummings Foundation.

Cummings Foundation has awarded nearly $250 million to date in Greater Boston alone. Funds are generated through commercial properties that are owned by, and operated for the sole benefit of, Cummings Foundation. All of its buildings are managed pro bono by Woburn commercial real estate firm Cummings Properties.

Marta Brill, Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations, and Katlyn Armstrong, Vice President of New Programs and Strategic Initiatives, represented the nonprofit at a May 2 awards night at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn.

 
About SFS: The School for Field Studies (SFS), one of the nation’s oldest and largest environmental study abroad providers for college undergraduates, combines hands-on, multi-disciplinary environmental studies with scientific research to propose sustainable solutions to critical environmental problems. SFS students work with local communities to discover practical ways to manage their natural resources, and in the process undergo a transformational experience that helps them to advance their careers as skilled professionals and to become globally aware citizens. SFS offers programs in Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Kenya, Panama, Peru, Tanzania, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The School’s headquarters is located in Beverly, Massachusetts. Visit www.fieldstudies.org

Contact: Marta Brill, The School for Field Studies, 800-989-4418, mbrill@sfstransfer.local

 
About Cummings Foundation: Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings and has grown to be one of the three largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Its largest single commitment to date has been to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Visit www.cummingsfoundation.org

Contact: Joyce Vyriotes, Cummings Foundation, 781-932-7072, jkv@cummings.com

 

SFS students and staff express their gratitude around the world! Clockwise from top left: Costa Rica, SFS Headquarters, Peru, Cambodia, Bhutan, Australia