Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology’s proposed new campus in Roxbury’s Nubian Square will include glass-walled ground floor space providing views of educational programs including its robotics lab. Image courtesy of Studio G Architects and Studio Enee

The commercial real estate power couple behind Cummings Properties has made a $12.5 million donation to a Boston technical college focused on first-generation college students and students of color.

Bill and Joyce Cummings’ gift to the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology won’t be used to fund the school’s new in-development home in Roxbury’s Nubian Square, the school said in a press release. Instead, the multi-year gift will let BFIT develop new programs in fields like clean tech and biotech, and help defray the cost of tuition for some students.

The gift was channeled through the Cummings Foundation, Cummings Properties’ affiliated foundation which distributes millions of dollars of donations every year fueled by the company’s profits.

In a statement announcing the donation, Bill Cummings said the couple’s gift was inspired by a desire to spur better workforce development programs and aid historically marginalized communities. The college’s student body is 74 percent people of color and 57 percent first-generation college students. In addition, nearly all students receive financial aid.

“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,” Bill Cummings said. “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.”

In recognition of a grant this big – nearly equivalent to the school’s annual operating budget – the school is also renaming itself the Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology.

“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,” BFIT President Dr. Aisha Francis said in a statement. “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.”

BFIT is just the latest school to benefit from the Cummings’ largess. Endicott College broke ground last year on a new nursing school that will bear the couple’s name after their $20 million gift.

“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,” Joyce Cummings said in a statement. “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.”