The Cummings Foundation has announced a $12.5 million commitment to the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in support of workforce development programming.

The multiyear pledge to Boston’s only technical college reflects Bill and Joyce Cummings’ interest in expanding the reach of their foundation to include organizations creating greater opportunities for communities that have historically lacked access to higher education and the career pathways it provides. In recognition of the commitment, which is nearly equivalent to the school’s annual operating budget, the college will be renamed the Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology. Later this year, the school will launch a rebranding effort as it moves to a new purpose-built campus in Nubian Square, formerly known as Dudley Square, in Boston’s working class Roxbury neighborhood. 

The Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology expects to serve a population that reflects its new community; currently, 57 percent of the student body are first-generation students, 74 percent are students of color, and 99 percent receive financial aid. Students’ household incomes on enrollment average approximately $23,000, and the median first-year salary of graduates is more than $43,000. 

“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,” said Joyce Cummings. “We respect Dr. [Aisha] 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.”

(Photo: Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology President Dr. Aisha Francis/ Credit: Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology)