MPAC Gets $10K Grant

The was a recent recipient of a $10,000 grant from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, to support its Performing Arts Company, an arts education and community outreach program for youth ages 11 through 18.

HFNJ, in total, recently awarded 19 grants, totaling $342,500. 

The entire press release is below.

The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey today announced the awarding of $342,500 in grants to assist 19 nonprofit organizations across New Jersey in undertaking important programs and furthering their charitable missions. The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey supports charitable organizations that promote health and the arts throughout New Jersey. 

The grants are part of $2.3 million in total awards from the second round of corporate giving this year, which includes $2 million for 13 New Jersey health centers.

Since its inception in 2004, the Foundation has made more than 750 grant awards to New Jersey nonprofit organizations, totaling more than $28 million.

“The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey proudly supports organizations that enrich and make a positive difference in the lives of the people they touch,” said Robert A. Marino, Chairman of the Foundation Board and Chairman and CEO of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. "These grant awards will help enable community organizations to implement programs and deliver services that will benefit New Jersey residents all across the state.”

            The Foundation awarded the following 19 grants:

• Algonquin Arts in Manasquan, received a grant of $10,000 to support its Page & Stage Program. The grant supports this literacy and cultural enrichment project at learning centers serving Head Start children in Asbury Park, Neptune, Howell, Keyport and Red Bank.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Foundation of New Jersey in Mountain Lakes, received a grant of $25,000 to support the planning, implementation and evaluation of Sports Buddies.  This pilot program will offer youth and their mentors agency-organized activities focused on sports and other physical fitness to promote healthy lifestyles, mentor relationships and increased physical activity.  The program will be conducted at BBBS of Essex, Hudson and Union Counties; Mercer County; and Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties.

• Boys and Girls Clubs in New Jersey in Clifton, received a grant of $50,000 to support its Triple Play Program at Boys and Girls Clubs in Atlantic City, Camden, Newark and Trenton-Mercer County.  Designed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Triple Play Program addresses childhood obesity in children ages 6-18.  Triple Play teaches children about nutrition and making healthy eating choices, boosts physical activity levels through sports and fitness activities and builds positive relationships among youth.

• HOPES CAP in Hoboken, received a grant of $20,000 to support HOPES on the Road. The program connects individuals residing in low-income neighborhoods in Hudson and Union Counties, especially seniors and  individuals with limited English proficiency, with information and assistance services.  Over 40 community partners provide on-site, one-on-one counseling on managing chronic disease, accessing health insurance, nutrition and locating health care providers. Weekly health education events, lunch and learn workshops, translation services and transportation for access to health care services are also provided. 

• Integrity Inc. in Newark, received a grant of $20,000 to support its Depression Screenings and Treatment Program at its Newark and Secaucus campuses for clients who experience co-occurring disorders of substance abuse and depression.

• Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, received a grant of $10,000 to support its Performing Arts Company, an arts education and community outreach program for talented youth ages 11 through 18.

• Monmouth Museum and Cultural Center located on the Brookdale Community College campus in Lincroft, received a grant of $10,000 to support its Green Arts Studio & Traveling Art Project. The Green Arts Studio uses recyclable materials collected from individuals and local companies for reuse in the creation of art projects by children and families visiting the Monmouth Museum.  The Traveling Art Project is expanding the program to include outreach presentations to New Jersey schools where artists and educators design and facilitate programming to assists students in learning and creating art.

• Newark Arts Council in Newark, received a general operating support grant of $15,000 to fund its school-based Arts Education Initiative, ArtStart Program, Open Doors Studio Tour, and website.

• New Jersey Pediatric Council on Research and Education (NJPCORE) in Hamilton, received a grant of $50,000 to support the New Jersey Immunization Network (NJIM):  Immunization Initiative.  Through this collaborative project, NJPCORE and NJIM will work with selected pediatric practices in Ocean and Burlington Counties to have their patients, from birth through two years, immunized against all 14 recommended vaccine preventable diseases. The goal is to establish practices for improving immunization service delivery and immunization rates within each practice. The grant also supports the practice teams to use the mandated New Jersey Immunization Information System /Registry to ensure accurate and complete immunization documentation for patients ages seven and under. 

• The Noyes Museum of Art in Oceanville, received a grant of $15,000 to support Finding Home, a collaborative project of the Atlantic City Rescue Mission homeless shelter, artist Seth Camm and The Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton College.  Using art as a therapeutic and unifying tool, mission residents and members of the community will create a permanent art installation at the Mission and capture the process in a multimedia documentary. The Museum will host related events, including an exhibition of Camm’s portraits, documentary viewings and a panel discussion. 

• Puerto Rican Unity for Progress in Camden, received a grant of $15,000 to support Project Salud. The program addresses the multiple health challenges facing the Hispanic population by providing disease prevention and health education workshops and screenings for low-income Hispanic residents residing in Camden City. The workshops and screenings are for cancer, hypertension, diabetes and asthma.

• Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts in Millville, received a general operating support grant of $10,000 to fund staff salaries, art supplies, marketing and other purposes.

• Saint Peter’s College in Jersey City received a general operating support grant of $15,000 to fund the Healthing Along Program. The program provides local students in grades K through 12 with health education seminars taught by students majoring in health and physical education from Saint Peter’s College.    

• Save Latin America in Union City, received a grant of $25,000 to support the Asthma Health Outreach and Education Initiative. The grant supports a collaboration with Dr. Barbara Suarez and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s RESPIRA program to improve the health of Hispanic asthmatic children in Hudson and Essex Counties through activities that identify, educate and treat asthma.  Activities include twice-monthly workshops, asthma screenings, and home visits by a bilingual health educator and public health worker for children identified with asthma.   

• Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts in Asbury Park, received a general operating support grant of $10,000 to fund its 2012-2014 Program. The program includes workshops, seminars, exhibitions, art auction, outdoor sculpture park and special art events. The grant also funds the launch of a Community Outreach Initiative, as the Institute recently relocated to Asbury Park. The outreach includes demographic-based tours and lectures, internships and in-reach programs.

• South Jersey Cultural Alliance in Pleasantville, received a general operating support grant of $10,000 to fund its Arts for Students program, which provides opportunities for students underserved by the arts to attend theatre and dance performances, symphony concerts and cultural exhibits.

• Strand Ventures in Lakewood, received a general operating support grant of  $10,000 to refurbish and add LED lighting to the marquis of the 1,042-seat Strand Theatre, which is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. The grant also funds programming for senior citizens. 

• Sussex County Community College in Newton, received a grant of $7,500 to support its Thursdays on the Green Program, a free six-week outdoor summer concert series. The grant also provides funds for transportation for youth, senior citizens and the disabled as well as pre-concert performances at local nursing homes, senior citizen centers, summer camps and recreation centers.  

• Young Audiences of New Jersey in Princeton, received a grant of $15,000 to support the Trenton Adopt-A-School Initiative: Family Arts & Creativity Program. This after-school and evening program will serve up to five Trenton schools, bringing together students, parents and professional teaching artists in hands-on art-making workshops that engage families to explore and learn together.