The Montclair Foundation (TMF) has awarded $65,000 in grant funding to 17 diverse nonprofits dedicated to making a positive difference in the Montclair community and its environs.
“We are proud to partner with these outstanding nonprofits to address the challenges and opportunities in our community,” said Peggy Deehan, Trustee and Grants Committee Chair. “We had over 30 applications, which was the most we’ve ever received. The grant review process was incredibly difficult because many worthy organizations applied.”
Every year, TMF’s grantmaking goal is to provide funding for a range of programs serving the community. This Fall’s grant recipients focus on several key areas:
• Mental Health and Well-Being – Community organizations which help meet basic needs
• Education – Community organizations which provide the academic, social, and financial support needed for all to succeed
• Seniors & Vulnerable Populations – Older adults and persons with special abilities are helped to achieve and maintain a high quality of life
• Arts, Culture & Community Service – Community organizations that enrich our diversity and cultural resources.
Learn more about the exceptional organizations that have been supported through these grants.
Mental Health and Well-Being
Main St. Counseling Center. Grant funding will go towards hiring an additional bi-lingual therapist. MSC provides accessible mental health services to low-income residents of Montclair and its surrounding counties.
Montclair Ambulance Unit. Grant will provide funding to hire additional staff for night and weekend shifts. MAU is a community-based emergency medical service organization that is not supported by township tax dollars.
We’ve Got Friends. Funds will go towards rent, supplies, and other essentials for their special needs teen-led programs, which enable social interactions through projects, games, and common interests.
Family Service League, Inc. Grant will go towards hiring a new bilingual clinician. FSL provides individual and family counseling primarily for sexual violence, and has a rape crisis center.
Education
AAPI Montclair. Funding will be put towards providing workshops to support community solidarity. AAPI promotes awareness and education about Asian American and Pacific Islander culture and history to create a more inclusive environment.
Friends of the Howe House. Funds will help develop a K-12 program entitled: Howe House Matters: Exploring History Through the Lens of Slavery, Abolition, and Social Justice. FOHH was formed in the fall of 2022 to acquire the Howe House, the historic house of James Howe, a formerly enslaved man who was freed in 1817.
Good Success Academies. Grant will support Afterschool and Summer programs to help high schoolers be college- and workforce-ready. GSA runs afterschool classes and a summer program in conjunction with MSU to train and tutor primarily students of color.
Immaculate Conception High School. Grant will go towards scholarship funding. Immaculate Conception is a college preparatory high school in which 99% of its students are Black, Latino, or both, and 76% come from low-income families. The school has a 100% graduation rate.
Montclair Art Museum. Grant funding will support MAM’s ArtLink School Tours for all 2nd graders in Montclair. ArtLink explores specific themes in the Museum and connects with classroom activities to foster creativity, critical thinking, and expression.
OASIS – A Haven for Women and Children. Funding will go towards their GED program to educate impoverished women. The funds defray teachers’ salaries and provide integrated services (meals, childcare, clothing, and psychosocial support) to help women become economically self-sufficient.
Seniors and Vulnerable Populations
HOMECorp – Affordable Housing in Montclair. Grant funding will help to fund essential repairs to several of their properties. HOMECorp provides affordable housing, financial education, and counseling to low- and middle-income families.
KinderSmile Foundation. Grant will provide underserved children with access to dental care and dental education. 93% of their children are from at-risk families.
Montclair Community Farms. Grant funding will go towards their work in the greenhouse located in Van Vleck House & Gardens to grow seedlings for their farm sites, engaging seniors in the process. MCFO is a community coalition that provides accessible food access and urban farming.
Montclair Gateway to Aging in Place. Grant will be used to help train seniors to use iPhones. mGAP is an advocacy and service organization that addresses the needs of seniors in Montclair.
Arts, Culture, and Community Service
Luna Stage. Grant will go towards the development of a staged play about Montclair’s Howe House, based on their 2023 monologues about its history. Luna Stage produces plays about local and global experiences and plans to show this play in the Montclair area.
Pushcart Players. Funds will go towards producing two plays dealing with diversity and inclusion to be shown in public schools. PP provides professional theater productions for schools.
Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts. Funds will help expand their Senior Dance Fitness program to serve more seniors in need of movement and connection. Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts provides training on dance and related theater arts to all ages.
About The Montclair Foundation
In its 44 years of grantmaking, The Montclair Foundation has granted over $3 million to nonprofit programs that strengthen the quality of life for all who live, work, and enjoy Montclair and its environs. The Spring grant cycle will open on February 1. Applicants may only apply once within a 12-month period. For more information, visit www.montclairfoundation.org.