2024 Grant Recipients
Meet our 2024 grant recipients! Each organization was nominated to receive a grant by one of our fourteen community-based Nominators. A Team of Selectors then reviewed all nominations. Learn more about our trust-based process here. Read on for more information about each recipient.
theAcademy365
Essex County | $10,000
Nominated by Camille Estrella
The mission of theAcademy365 is to create a safe space and programming that aims to fight the dominant narrative of Black men in America. They strive to develop young men into individuals with a sense of self-worth and emotional maturity. They accomplish this by creating resources and tools that assist in developing a core identity, an elevated level of emotional intelligence and social awareness. Their programs include Black Boys Deserve to Smile; Cornerstone Scholars Initiative; Project Manhood: A Community Approach; Blackboy Storytellers Project; Black Boy S.T.E.A.M.
Greater Essex Community Uplift Foundation
Essex County | $5,000
Nominated by Carol Jenkins
Under the leadership of the Eta Pi Chapter Foundation, this organization (The C.U.F.) seeks to alleviate the societal ills that constrain the upward mobility of families and the enlightenment of young people. At the request of the Nominator, SparkNJ funds will go specifically to the Dr. Ernest Everett Just Mentoring school-based program, which meets bi-weekly in four elementary schools in the city of East Orange. Its mission is to help prepare 100 male students in fifth grade to successfully make the transition to middle school.
HBCU Scholarship Ride
Essex County | $12,500
Nominated by Richard Roper
The mission of this organization is to financially assist students from Newark, NJ in realizing their aspirations of attending an HBCU (Historically Black College or University). At the request of the Nominator, SparkNJ funds will be used to assist the potential students to learn more about HBCUs by funding within their Academy programming, the new Drum Academy, opening this summer and aiming to give young students an understanding of an important part of HBCU life. Funds will also be used to improve the organization’s operating infrastructure.
Leaders for Life, Inc.
Essex County | $10,000
Nominated by Richard Cammarieri and Carlos Lejnieks
The mission of this nonprofit is to improve the quality of life and access to opportunities for disenfranchised youths by providing training support and resources that result in increased literacy, life-skills, and employment opportunities. Their Leaders for Life’s High School Equivalency Diploma prepares students to successfully pass the HSED exam. Their Middle School Transition to High School program provides support for a successful beginning in high school. Jobs for America’s Graduate (JAG) seeks to recover dropouts and to provide an array of services leading to a solid future.
Maroon Theatre Project
Essex County | $7,500
Nominated by Amanda Ebokosia
The Theatre Project aims to empower youth of color by providing them with a safe space to engage in social justice and political education through the arts. The larger impact of the Maroon Theatre Project’s work is to expose young people to learning opportunities they may not have had access to in traditional education settings, helping them to develop a critical analysis of gender, race, class, disability and other important social issues. Through the art of theatre, the youth develop the tools and skills necessary to address these issues.
Parents Engaging Parents
Essex and Passaic Counties | $15,000
Nominated by Joe Lee
Their mission is promoting civic awareness and proactive community advocacy by advancing the interests of parents and communities. PEP strives to unite parents and stakeholders with access and information in order to help parents navigate an ever-evolving world, influence the development of their communities, and promote a productive lifestyle for their families and children. They offer workshops and engagement activities to parents in Newark, Orange, and Paterson, to help them learn to navigate educational systems, local governments, and support systems so they can become better advocates for their children.
Paterson Alliance
Passaic County | $10,000
Nominated by Barbara Lawrence
Their mission is uniting nonprofit and community partners to create a vibrant Paterson. They strive to improve collaboration between members, to be inclusive and build a culture where everyone feels respected, included, and valued. The Alliance has a membership of more than one hundred organizations. They host monthly meetings with a theme, a speaker, and a time to ask for help; they share funding opportunities; work with members to develop an advocacy agenda around key city issues; and promote various initiatives that work toward the betterment of all Paterson residents.