From The Maplewood Foundation:
photo credit: Joy Yagid Photography
The Maplewood Foundation, a community foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life of all Maplewood residents, today asked the community for donations to help it reach its 2024 goal of raising $350,000, which will enable it to distribute $70,000 in grants later this year to local not-for-profit organizations. The Foundation already guaranteed at least $60,000 in grants for this year’s applicants after raising $200,000 through a matching challenge in late July. Grant recipients will be announced in mid-November.
Launched in 2023, the Foundation provided $50,000 in grant awards to seven nonprofits, netting more than $1 million in donations last year. It saw a 30% rise in grant requests in 2024, receiving 21 applications totaling $220,000.
“The Maplewood Foundation was created to help bolster the vital nonprofits that serve this community’s diverse population, and our outreach to these organizations tells us their needs are greater than ever,” said Fred Profeta, president of The Maplewood Foundation board of trustees. “As we approach the close of our 2024 fundraising cycle, we ask anyone who loves this town as much as we do to consider a donation. No gift is too small or too big.”
The Maplewood Foundation Inaugural Grantees
The Foundation uses a grant-awarding process to disseminate approximately 5% of its assets each year in support of established Maplewood-focused organizations and aspiring nonprofits. Donations are invested in a fund for a longer-term and wider impact. The more the fund grows each year, the higher the amount that can be disseminated to nonprofits.
“The demand for funding from the nonprofit community is clearly there and with your help, we can do more each year – 40% more than we did last year,” said Veda Truesdale, the board’s first vice president. “The Maplewood Foundation is a perfect vehicle for your generosity, as your gift will help this community not just in the coming year, but for years to come. Every dollar is carefully invested to create a sustainable source of grant money.”
photo credit: Joy Yagid Photography
To learn more about the grants given last year and how seven nonprofits made an impact through their initiatives, check out The Maplewood Foundation’s 2023 annual report.
To make a donation to The Maplewood Foundation, visit www.themaplewoodfoundation.org/donate. The Foundation also encourages its donors to continue giving directly to local nonprofits.
ABOUT THE MAPLEWOOD FOUNDATION
The Maplewood Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation dedicated to providing a continuously growing bedrock of financial support to nonprofit organizations benefiting the residents of Maplewood, New Jersey. The organization uses a grant-awarding process to disseminate approximately 5% of its assets each year in support of established and aspiring nonprofits in the following areas: climate and environmental stewardship; diversity, equity and inclusion; educational scholarships; emergency relief for residents; enhancement of public education; programs for individuals with disabilities; promotion of the arts; support for senior citizens; and, youth recreation.
