Childcare, Elderly, Special Needs Arts Are Focus of Grants

Nearly a quarter million dollars was awarded to local nonprofit agencies by the Summit Area Public Foundation over the summer. The grants will support efforts on behalf of people with special needs and the elderly, along with education, health, civic, and arts programs.

Summit Area Public Foundation (SAPF) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Summit. It fosters philanthropy in the Summit area by identifying local needs and offering donors flexible ways to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors.

The largest share of the grants will support special needs programs. Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey ($12,000), The ARC Kohler School ($15,000), The Connection for Women & Families ($25,000), Winston School ($5,000), and Matheny Medical and Educational Center ($8,451) all received grants.

Support is also going to a number of civic programs. They are Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless ($5,000), Bonds of Courage ($12,500), Family Promise ($15,000), and the Colonial Crossroads chapter of the American Red Cross ($25,000). There is also support for a program run by Summit’s Recycling Advisory Committee to expand a food-composting program from the high school to the middle school ($7,417).

Two Summit-based agencies, SAGE ($30,000) and the Connection for Women & Families ($15,000), will receive support for programs benefitting the elderly.

The Summit Area YMCA received $25,000. This grant will provide financial assistance to families whose children attend the Learning Circle, a childcare and early education program managed by the Y.

Three arts grants went to the Visual Arts Center of NJ ($15,000), the Judith G. Wharton Music Center ($3,540), and the Metropolitan Orchestra of NJ ($2,500). A portion of the Arts Center grant will support art programs for people with special needs.

Rounding out the foundation’s grants was support for health programs run by CONTACT We Care ($3,500) and the Connection ($5,000).

Among the programs that received support is The ARC Kohler School’s effort to use music and art as therapy for special-needs children. CONTACT We Care’s use of cellphone texting for outreach to teenagers also drew the foundation’s favorable attention. CONTACT We Care is a crisis intervention and suicide-prevention service for central and northern New Jersey.

SAPF awards grants twice a year, in the summer and again in the winter. The foundation makes grants from funds donated by local residents. SAPF is managed entirely by volunteers. Over the last five years, it has awarded $2.1-million in grants. For additional information on the foundation, visit sapfnj.org.

Editor's Note: This was a press release from Summit Area Public Foundation.