HFNJ Awards $1,116,928 in Grants in the Second Quarter of 2022

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey (HFNJ) is pleased to announce that it has awarded $1,116,928 to eight New Jersey non-profit organizations in the second quarter of 2022.

The two largest awards given this quarter are a $222,383 grant to the Jewish Community Housing Corporation to support the renovation and expansion of their Lester Senior Housing Medical Suite, and a $193,923 award to Caldwell University to upgrade the equipment, staff capacity, and professional training opportunities at their School of Nursing.

Nearly all the other grants awarded in this cycle address behavioral health – highlighting the urgent need for treatment laid bare by the “second pandemic” of mental health concerns exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The requests The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey received this quarter demonstrate that nonprofit organizations in greater Newark and the Jewish Greater MetroWest community have an urgent need for qualified mental health clinicians to help them address their communities’ increasing and ever-more complex health needs,” said Michael Schmidt, Executive Director and CEO of the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey. “We are particularly pleased to support several organizations serving children, whose mental health has been particularly impacted throughout the pandemic by school closures and loss of learning time, loss of routines, social isolation, and family stress.”

Youth-focused grants awarded this quarter include a $187,500 grant to Golda Och Academy and a $93,750 grant to New Jersey Y Camps to help these organizations expand their staff’s capacity to deliver mental health care.  Other mental health-related grants include a $111,550 grant to Irvington Counseling Center to support the provision of mental health counseling to underserved populations in Irvington and a $126,310 and a grant to assist Irvington Counseling grow and strengthen their capacity to serve the community.  An award to Prevention Links was provided tofund peer recovery specialists to work with those struggling with drug addiction.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey operates on a quarterly grant-making cycle.  It provides funds to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable populations in the greater Newark and Jewish Greater MetroWest communities.

The grants awarded in the second quarter of 2022 are:

• $222,383 to the Jewish Community Housing Corporationfor Lester Senior Housing Medical Suite Renovation and Expansion
• $193,923 to Caldwell Universityfor Upgrade of the Simulation and Nursing Skills Labs and New Interventions
• $187,500 to Golda Och Academyfor Post Pandemic Expansion of Youth Mental Services
• $132,000 to Playworksfor Revitalization of Healthy School Climate in 8 Newark Public Schools
• $126,310 to Prevention Linksfor Rutgers Infectious Disease Practice
• $111,550 to Irvington Counseling Centerfor Decreasing Wait Time for Psychiatric Evaluations
• $93,750 to New Jersey Y Campsfor Year-Round Mental Health Support Staff to Address the Current MESH Crisis
• $49,512 to Connections at Homefor Reducing Social Isolation by Bridging the Digital Divide for Seniors, Year 3