HFNJ Awards $2,886,777 in Grants in the Third Quarter of 2022

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey (HFNJ) is pleased to announce that it has awarded $2,886,777 to twenty-one New Jersey non-profit organizations in the third quarter of 2022.

The largest grant this cycle is a one-million-dollar award to Summit’s Overlook Medical Center to modernize and expand the hospital’s maternity health center. The redesigned unit will be equipped to ensure safe, effective, and family-centered care in a state-of-the-art environment, and will be a key part of Overlook’s broader efforts to equitably service their growing population of diverse and high-risk patients. This aligns with The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey’s priority of supporting programming that facilitates greater health equity for all. The renovation will create 37 private maternity rooms and four high-risk rooms that will enable birthing mothers and their families to be together in privacy and will involve moving the entire mother/baby floor so it is adjacent to the neo-natal intensive care unit.

Several other projects awarded this cycle also address reproductive and maternal health. Two local Planned Parenthood organizations – Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, Southern NJ and Planned Parenthood of Metro New Jersey – received two grants totaling $361,807 to support patient navigators, who will help assure excellent reproductive and health care for all patients in need of service. Requests for assistance from Planned Parenthood have increased dramatically in the past several months. A $109,623 grant to the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute will create a training program to help perinatal community health workers identify the signs of mental illness among patients and connect them to support services.

“This quarter The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey received and vetted a record number of grant proposals, which is a reflection of the urgent and growing needs in the communities we serve,” said Michael Schmidt, Executive Director and CEO of The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey. “In addition to maternal and reproductive health, the projects we supported this quarter address an array of human needs – from dental care for children, veterans, and Holocaust survivors to access to nutritious foods to helping children receive quality mental health care in the wake of the pandemic, which remains a continuing focus of our grantmaking in 2022.”

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 third quarter of 2022 are:

• $ 1,000,000 to Overlook Foundationfor Family-Centered Maternity Care in an Advanced Clinical Environment       
• $ 259,900 to Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, Southern NJfor Abortion Patient Navigators    
• $ 186,165 to Rutgers School of Dental Medicinefor RSDM Veterans Smile Program
• $ 150,000 to The Salvation Armyfor The Wellness Center at The Salvation Army Newark Area Services   
• $ 130,000 to New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fundfor Health Care for All Kids Education and Outreach Project         
• $ 123,780 to Opportunity Projectfor Post-Pandemic Needs  
• $ 120,000 to Zufall Health Centerfor Expanding Access to Healthcare and supportive services for low-income Essex County Seniors
• $ 109,623 to the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institutefor Mental Health Education for Perinatal Community Health Workers     
• $ 102,140 to Youth Development Clinic of Newarkfor Recovery and Moving Forward with School-Based Mental Health     
• $ 101,907 to Planned Parenthood of Metro NJfor Patient Navigator Support        
• $ 100,000 to Make the Road States / Make the Road NJfor Addressing Mental Health Challenges among Low Income Immigrants           
• $ 75,000 to Imagine A Center For Coping with Lossfor Changing the Culture of Grief in Newark Schools        
• $ 73,262 to Family Service Leaguefor Promoting Mental Health Through Quality Counseling        
• $ 50,000 to Adler Aphasia Centerfor Expanding access to the Aphasia Therapeutics Life Skills Program (Year 2)        
• $ 50,000 to the Greater Newark Conservancyfor Improving Access to Healthy Foods Through Sustainable Farmers Markets and Food Stands in Newark   
• $ 50,000 to Jewish Family Services of MetroWestfor Sustaining and Expanding Rachel Coalition’s Legal Services   
• $ 50,000 to Kindersmile Foundationfor Oral Health Program
• $ 50,000 to WNETfor Establishing a Mental Health Beat within NJ Spotlight News       
• $ 40,000 to Table to Tablefor Food Equity for Newark’s Most Vulnerable Populations     
• $ 40,000 to Covenant Housefor Physical Wellness Advisor  
• $ 25,000 to Bessie Green Community, for Full Belly Project