The Princeton Area Community Foundation awarded $500,000 in grants to more than two dozen nonprofits for summer programs that engage local young people, especially tweens and teens living in underserved communities.
The goals of the grants are to help bridge access to summer programming and increase the participation of youth in structured experiences and support families who may not otherwise have options available. The summer programs offer a wide range of activities, including academic lessons, arts and crafts, swimming, sports, photography lessons, and field trips. Many also serve meals to the participants and some offer transportation. The programs are also designed to help prevent academic summer slide and provide social-emotional learning lessons and enrichment opportunities.
“We are committed to our communities, and to working with nonprofit partners who work daily to support families and help make a difference for children,” said Nelida Valentin, Community Foundation vice president of grants and programs. “We know that for many of these working families, summertime presents childcare challenges, which is why we’re funding these outstanding programs. Having caring adults and good programming that reaches kids can make a difference in the lives of young people.”
The Summer Initiative Grants are funded through the Community Foundation’s Community Impact Fund. The Burke Foundation, J&J Innovative Medicine (formerly Janssen), and generous individuals also contribute to the Fund.
The Community Foundation helps donors give to the causes they care about and provides support to nonprofits to help our communities thrive. Since its founding in 1991, the Community Foundation has awarded a total of more than $200 million in grants to nonprofits.
This is the second year in a row that Summer Initiative Grants have been awarded. This year’s grantee partners are:
- Arts Council of Princeton, Princeton
- Artworks Trenton, Trenton
- Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County, Trenton and Lawrence
- Capital Harmony Works, Hamilton
- Catholic Youth Organization, Trenton
- Every Child Valued, Lawrence
- Friends of Foundation Academy, Trenton
- Greater Somerset County YMCA, Princeton
- Hamilton Area YMCA, Hamilton
- Hamilton Township Public Schools, Hamilton
- HomeFront, Ewing
- HomeWorks Trenton, Trenton
- Howard’s Healthy Choices, Trenton
- James R. Halsey Foundation of the Arts, Hamilton
- Mercer County Community College Foundation, West Windsor
- Mercer Street Friends, Trenton
- Millhill Child & Family Development, Trenton
- PEI Kids, Lawrence
- Princeton Nursery School, Princeton
- Princeton-Blairstown Center, Princeton
- RISE, Hightstown
- Snipes Farm and Education Center, Morrisville, Pa
- The Children’s Home Society of NJ, Trenton
- The Watershed Institute, Pennington
- Trenton Circus Squad, Trenton
- UrbanPromise Trenton, Trenton
- West Windsor Arts Center, West Windsor
- YWCA of Princeton, Princeton
For more information about the Princeton Area Community Foundation, please visit their website.
