Bethany Health Care Center has been selected as one of 150 nonprofits to receive funding through Cummings Foundation’s annual grant program, which awarded $35 million this year. Chosen through a competitive review process that drew a record 959 applicants, the Framingham-based organization will receive $225,000 over three years.

“Cummings Foundation has been a steady and generous partner in Bethany’s mission, and this award deepens a relationship we are grateful to sustain,” said Terry Hodge, Bethany CEO/Administrator. “For the women who call Bethany home, many of whom spent their lives in service to others, this grant ensures they can continue to live with the dignity, comfort, and safety they deserve.”

The grant will fund Bethany’s Resident Comfort and Care Project, a phased effort to replace 257 aging through-wall heating and cooling units throughout the facility. Most of the existing units are approximately 25 years old and well beyond their useful life. For older adults living with dementia or fragile health, unreliable temperature control carries real risk, including dehydration, respiratory complications, and distress that residents may not be able to communicate.

“These units are failing, and the parts and refrigerant we need are being phased out nationally,” said Jim Argir, Director of Operations. “This grant lets us replace systems proactively and stop responding to one crisis at a time. Meaning that our team can stay focused on what matters most: the people we care for.”

This year, the Woburn-based Cummings Foundation increased its annual grant program from $30 million to $35 million and shifted to fully unrestricted funding, allowing recipients to direct grant dollars where they’re needed most.

Foundation executive director and trustee Joyce Vyriotes noted that the changes reflect growing concerns among Greater Boston nonprofits about rising costs, increased demand for services, and sustained uncertainty around public funding.

“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 Vyriotes. “By providing increased, flexible funding, we hope to strengthen organizations’ long-term stability and help them respond to evolving community needs.”

This year’s grant recipients represent a wide range of causes, including housing and food insecurity, education, workforce development, healthcare, mental health services, social justice, immigrant support, and youth programming.

The annual grant program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties, as well as Brookline, Dedham, Milton, Needham, Quincy, and Wellesley.

Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation reinvests in the areas where it owns commercial real estate. Its buildings are managed at no cost to the Foundation by its affiliate, Cummings Properties, a Woburn-based commercial developer that leases and manages 11 million square feet of debt-free space. All rental profits support the Foundation.

Since its founding, Cummings Foundation has awarded more than $650 million to Greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s grant recipients, along with additional information about the Foundation and its grant programs, is available at CummingsFoundation.org.