DORCHESTER, Boston.- A Dorchester-based youth mentoring nonprofit has been awarded $75,000 in unrestricted funding over three years through a competitive regional grant program administered by a major New England foundation.
EVkids was selected as one of 150 nonprofit organizations to receive funding through the annual grant cycle of Cummings Foundation, which distributed a total of $35 million this year. The selection process drew 959 applicants, according to the foundation.
The funding, announced June 3, 2026, will be distributed over a three-year period and may be used at the organization’s discretion, following the foundation’s shift to fully unrestricted grantmaking. The change is intended to give nonprofits greater flexibility in addressing operational needs and program priorities.
EVkids, based in Dorchester, provides one-on-one academic mentoring and college and career support for underserved Boston youth. The organization focuses on long-term educational support designed to increase high school and college completion rates and expand access to post-secondary opportunities.
“This Cummings Foundation investment in EVkids is a catalyst for continued growth in the number of EVkids students who can be provided with 1:1 academic mentoring and college and career support as they aspire to economic mobility,” shared EVKids Executive Director, Eric Thompson, “It will also encourage and inspire others to join our mission to empower Boston youth to reach their potential.”
Thompson added that the funding is expected to help increase participation in the organization’s 1:1 mentoring model and strengthen pathways toward economic mobility for students in the program.
Cummings Foundation officials said the expanded grant program reflects increasing financial pressure on nonprofits across Greater Boston, including rising costs and continued uncertainty in public funding streams.
“Nonprofit professionals are closest to the challenges facing their communities, making them best positioned to determine where and how new funds will drive the greatest impact,” said Joyce Vyriotes, executive director and trustee of the foundation. She said the move toward flexible funding is intended to strengthen long-term organizational stability and responsiveness to community needs.
This year’s grant recipients represent a broad range of service areas, including housing, food insecurity, education, workforce development, healthcare, mental health, social justice, immigrant support, and youth programming. Eligibility for the program is limited to Massachusetts nonprofits primarily serving Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties, along with several additional municipalities including Boston-area communities.
