The following is a news release from Impact100 Essex:
Impact100 Essex, a women’s giving collective in Essex County, is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 Equity Grants, awarding a total of $65,000 in unrestricted funding — the largest distribution since the launch of the Equity Grant initiative.
This year’s grantees, all organizations with annual budgets under $500,000, are deeply rooted in their communities and advancing equity in powerful, measurable ways.
Impact100 Essex received a record 28 applications for the 2025 cycle. Thirty-three member volunteers participated in a rigorous review process, diving deep into the work of nonprofits that are driving health, economic, cultural, and educational equity across Essex County.
The 2025 Equity Grant awardees are:
- $25,000: Bessie Green Community, Inc. Serving Newark’s communities for decades, Bessie Green provides thousands of meals, bags of groceries, clothing and support services each year to individuals and families in need. Bessie Green Community, Inc.
- $20,000: Brothers Building a Better Nation. Focused on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) men and their families in Newark, this organization offers trauma-informed care, mentoring and paths to employment to break systemic barriers. Brothers Building a Better Nation
- $20,000: Butterfly Dreamz. Based in Newark, this organization empowers girls and young women to become confident, justice-centered leaders, through holistic leadership programs and community engagement. Butterfly Dreamz.
“These organizations exemplify the creativity, resilience, and community-based leadership that the Equity Grant program was designed to uplift,” said Jennifer Avers and Jennymarie Idrobo, co-leaders of the Equity Grant Committee. “By providing unrestricted funding, we invest capital in leaders and teams who are closest to the challenges — and the solutions — within their communities. We are honored to help amplify their impact.”
The Equity Grant program was created to support smaller nonprofits (and fiscally sponsored projects) led by people of color who understand and advocate for the communities they serve. Unrestricted grants of this kind provide organizations with the ability to strengthen infrastructure, invest in staff, innovate, and respond quickly to emerging needs.
“With our largest Equity Grant cycle yet, Impact100 Essex continues to deepen its commitment to equity-driven philanthropy,” said Sunita Chaudhuri and Kelley Holland, Co-Chairs of Impact100 Essex. “We celebrate these remarkable grantees and the members whose collective resources and engagement make this work possible.”
For more information about the Equity Grant initiative or Impact100 Essex, please visit: impact100essex.org.
Equity Grant Recipients and Impact100 Essex Grants Chairs. (Photo courtesy of Impact100 Essex)
