College Receives Transformative $12.5M Gift from Cummings Foundation

February 23, 2022

Cummings Foundation today announced a $12.5 million commitment to the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Boston’s only technical college, to advance its leading-edge work in creating technical career pathways for students typically underrepresented in post-secondary education.

The gift will support the school in continuing to develop new programs that excite students and meet the evolving workforce needs of the region’s leading industries.  This support will also further aid students in defraying the costs of post-secondary education.  In recognition of the transformational nature of the commitment—nearly equivalent to the school’s annual operating budget—the college will become the Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology.

This multi-year pledge reflects Bill and Joyce Cummings’ interest in expanding the reach of Cummings Foundation to include organizations that feature innovative and dynamic approaches to workforce development and create greater opportunities for communities that have historically lacked access to higher education and the career pathways it provides.  The college’s focus on new growing fields like clean tech, life sciences, and other technical careers aligned with Cummings Foundation’s interest in this area.

“Further stabilizing and growing the college’s one-of-a-kind model is both critical to the regional economy and to advancing economic inclusion.  The college has a long track record of helping graduates obtain great jobs and earn more.  Its current leadership is laser-focused on adapting to meet changing workforce needs in areas such as technology and construction.  As such, we were urgently compelled to support this work,” said Bill Cummings.  “Our hope is that others will join us by making significant investments in this institution and others like it whose work is so critical to the growth and well-being of the city of Boston.”

The name change to Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology, which requires approval by the Department of Higher Education, will be paired with a comprehensive brand update for the college, to be unveiled later this year.  On the horizon is also a transition to the school’s new purpose-built campus in Nubian Square.  In addition to reflecting its founder’s original gift, the name change reinforces the broader commitment by both the school and Cummings Foundation to amplifying the importance of educational equity, workforce development, and inclusive economic growth in Boston and beyond.

“The past two years have highlighted the connection between education and equity; our programs focusing on both traditional and evolving technical careers—particularly in fields like clean tech, life sciences, robotics, and beyond—create a lifelong path to economic opportunity,” said Dr. Aisha Francis, president of the Institute.  “Cummings Foundation’s commitment to this work is a vote of confidence in our faculty and staff, our programs, and our focus on the future needs of an evolving technical field.  This gift is an important step in creating flexibility and capacity for us to execute against our strategic vision.”

As a community-centered college, Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology serves a unique student population: 57% are first-generation college students, 74% are students of color, and 99% receive financial aid.  The impact of graduating from one of its two-year Associates Degree or one-year certificate programs is clear.  Students’ household incomes on entry average just about $23,000 and the median first year salary of graduates is more than $43,000, proving that an affordable, technical education can, and does, lead to upward economic mobility.

“With this gift, the Institute joins Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and Cummings School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Endicott College as an affiliated college with which the Foundation recognizes a special relationship.  We respect Dr. Francis and her leadership team’s ability to determine how best to use this multi-year funding; therefore, we were delighted to designate it for general operating support, especially in the area of workforce development.  We are confident that with this commitment, Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology will further expand its impact and create equitable opportunities for communities that are an untapped resource for economic growth,” said Joyce Cummings.

Read a Boston Globe article about the donation

Press inquiries, please contact Diana C. Pisciotta (617-784-5256, dpisciotta@denterlein.com)