Bill Cummings (philanthropist)

For the racing driver, see Bill Cummings (racing driver).
Bill Cummings
EducationTufts University
Occupations
  • Real estate developer
  • Philanthropist
SpouseJoyce Cummings
Children4[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

Bill Cummings is an American philanthropist and real estate developer. As of 2018, his charitable foundation has nearly $2 billion in assets.[2][3][4] The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine[5] and Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University as well as the Cummings School of Architecture and Real Estate at Roger Williams University are named after his philanthropic work.[6]

Career

Real estate

Cummings founded his real estate company, Cummings Properties, in 1970.[3][7] The company, Cummings Properties, started with one small building in Woburn, Massachusetts, and has expanded to include 11 million square feet across 12 Boston communities.[8][9] In 1996, Cummings bought the former factory of the United Shoe Machinery Corporation in Beverly, Massachusetts; it is now known as Cummings Center.[10] In January 2026, it purchased Bedford Woods, a 330,000-square-foot property in Bedford, MA.[11]

Although primarily a commercial real estate developer, Cummings Properties has developed residential real estate as well. It built the 150-unit Place Lane Condominium in Woburn, Massachusetts in 1986 and the luxury Elliott Landing condominium in Beverly, Massachusetts in 2016.[12] In 2026, it added the luxury 60-home Beverly Landing condominium to its Cummings Center campus in Beverly, MA.[13]

Philanthropy

Cummings and his wife Joyce established Cummings Foundation in 1986, pledging to give 10 percent of their income to it annually but eventually committed to most of the family's commercial real estate holdings to the foundation.[3]

In 2004, Cummings made his largest gift to date, a $50 million donation to Tufts University's veterinary school; it was the largest endowment in the institution's history.[14]

In 2011, they signed The Giving Pledge,[1] reflecting their desire to donate substantially all of their wealth to charity.[15]

In 2012, the foundation started its "$100K for 100" program, which gives out 100 grants of $100,000 every year to nonprofits supporting human services, education, healthcare, and social justice in Boston.[16][17]

His foundation gave $15 million, which Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation then matched, to establish University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda. The school graduated its first class of master's students in 2017.[18]

In 2017, his foundation gave $35 million to charity.[2][17]

As of 2018, Cummings Foundation is one of the largest foundations in New England, and has donated over $225 million.[8] The foundation also has several subsidiaries, including the nonprofit New Horizons retirement communities.[3][19]

In November 2019, Cummings was recognized by the New England Real Estate Journal with the Lifetime Achievement Award.[20]

In February 2022, the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology announced it received a $12.5 million gift from the Cummings Foundation to advance its work in creating technical career pathways for students typically underrepresented in post-secondary education. In recognition of the transformational nature of the commitment—nearly equivalent to the school's annual operating budget—the college was renamed Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology.

In April 2022, the Cummings Foundation and Roger Williams University announced a $20 million partnership and the renaming of the RWU School of Architecture, Art, and Historic Preservation to the Cummings School of Architecture and Real Estate.[6]

Cummings Properties and its affiliated foundation are annually named among Massachusetts' largest corporate charitable contributors by the Boston Business Journal. They were name the top largest corporate charitable contributor in Massachusetts for 2024. [21]

In 2023, Cummings Foundation committed $2.5 million to Winchester Hospital to support upgrades to the Dr. Peter Rotolo Labor and Delivery Unit. The upgrades were completed in 2025.[22]

Personal life

Cummings grew up in Medford, Massachusetts[2] and graduated from Tufts University in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.[23]

Cummings published his autobiography, Starting Small and Making it Big, in 2018.[24][25] Also in 2018, Forbes Magazine ranked him on its annual Top Givers List, based on contributed gifts made in 2017.[26]

In 2025, Medford Chamber of Commerce named Bill Cummings the Citizen of the Year at its 97th Annual Installation and Awards Banquet.[27]

Cummings Properties

Founded in Woburn, Massachusetts in 1970 by Bill Cummings, Cummings Properties is a Boston-area commercial real estate firm that operates a portfolio of 11 million square feet of commercial real estate across 12 suburban cities and towns in the greater Boston area: Andover, Bedford, Beverly, Burlington, Marlborough, Medford, Somerville, Stoneham, Sudbury, Wakefield, Wilmington, and Woburn.[9]

Its portfolio includes a wide variety of commercial spaces, including executive offices, healthcare facilities, laboratories, retail storefronts, medical offices, and warehouses.[28]

Cummings Properties offers services related to leasing, property management, design, and construction, supporting businesses across Eastern Massachusetts, particularly in the Boston metropolitan area. The company employs skilled tradespeople-including carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians-who manage both routine maintenance and custom construction projects, including laboratory buildouts and office space renovations.[29]

The firm has incorporated sustainability practices into its operations, including the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at several of its business campuses/ These include locations such as Cummings Center in Beverly, Boston Avenue in Medford, New Horizons in Marlborough; and multiple sites in Woburn, including TradeCenter 128, West Cummings Park, and properties on Cabot Road and Commerce Way.[30]

Cummings Properties was named a 2025 Mass Save Climate Leader by Massachusetts' energy efficiency program for its sustained commitment to sustainability, having implemented energy-saving upgrades across its commercial real-estate portfolio--such as electric heat pumps, LED lighting retrofits, improved insulation, and advanced HVAC controls--which are expected to save of 2 million kWh of electricity and cut greenhouse gas emissions.[31]

References

  1. ^ a b "Joyce and Bill Cummings". Giving Pledge.
  2. ^ a b c Debter, Lauren. "From Fruit Punch To Real Estate: The Quiet Rise of One Of America's Biggest Philanthropists". Forbes.
  3. ^ a b c d "A Foundation for Giving: How This Real Estate Mogul Has Built His Philanthropy".
  4. ^ "IRS Form 990" (PDF).
  5. ^ "Cummings School Story - Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University".
  6. ^ a b "RWU Announces $20 Million Partnership with Cummings Foundation | Roger Williams University". www.rwu.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  7. ^ "Helping prevent future genocides and intercultural violence through genocide and Holocaust education". www.cummingsfoundation.org.
  8. ^ a b "Woburn Man Makes Forbes List Of Top 50 Philanthropists". 26 October 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Cummings Locations - Greater Boston Commercial Real Estate Firm | Cummings Properties". www.cummings.com. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  10. ^ Leighton, Paul. "Book tells story of Cummings' remarkable rise". Salem News.
  11. ^ "An empty suburban corporate HQ just sold for $5.6 million. Now, its new owner has to fill it up. - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  12. ^ "Cummings Properties' Elliot Landing in Beverly now 70% leased". nerej.com. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  13. ^ Writer, Paul Leighton | Staff (2024-03-01). "New Cummings Center condo building approved". Salem News. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  14. ^ "DVM360 Magazine".
  15. ^ "wcvb.com".
  16. ^ "Asian American women's shelter celebrates 25 years". 1 November 2018.
  17. ^ a b Wang, Jennifer. "The Greatest Givers: Meet America's Top Philanthropists". Forbes.
  18. ^ "Training the next generation of global health leaders in Africa". Devex. 31 May 2017.
  19. ^ "Cummings Foundation Donates $10M To Boston Area Nonprofits". 20 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Bill Cummings, one of the most prolific philanthropists in Mass. history to receive NEREJ's Lifetime Achievement Award". nerej.com. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  21. ^ "Largest Corporate Charitable Contributors in Massachusetts". Boston Business Journal. 2025-09-10. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  22. ^ "Winchester Hospital Opens Renovated Labor and Delivery Unit Thanks to Generous Support of Cummings Foundation | Winchester Hospital". winchesterhospital.org. Archived from the original on 2026-01-15. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  23. ^ "BBJ presents Visionary Award to real estate veteran and philanthropist Bill Cummings - Boston Business Journal". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
  24. ^ "Book Review: Starting Small and Making It Big - An Entrepreneur's Journey to Billion-Dollar Philanthropist". 7 May 2018.
  25. ^ "Philanthropist Bill Cummings adds a new title to his portfolio: author - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
  26. ^ Wang, Jennifer. "America's Top 50 Givers". Forbes.
  27. ^ "Medford Chamber names Bill Cummings Citizen of the Year". Gotta Know Medford. 2025-05-05. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  28. ^ "About Us - Greater Boston Commercial Real Estate Firm | Cummings Properties". www.cummings.com. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  29. ^ "Career Opportunities - Now Hiring | Cummings Properties". www.cummings.com. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  30. ^ "Sustainability | Cummings Properties". www.cummings.com. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  31. ^ "2025 Mass Save Climate Leader". Mass Save. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
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