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Project Partners

Thank you to the partners and funders who made this work possible this summer! Without the help of great organizations in our city whose mission revolves around improving the lives of youth living in the city of Newark, this project would not be possible.

Rutgers University-Newark, Center for PreCollege

The Center for PreCollege Programs administers precollege and pipeline programs designed to educate, inspire and prepare students to be successful in secondary and post-secondary education while promoting a college-going culture. Our commitment is to effectively support students by providing opportunities to achieve and grow. The Center for PreCollege Programs includes our TRIO programs of Talent Search and Upward Bound, the Abbott Leadership Institute, University-Assisted Partnerships with local high schools, Cooperman Scholars Program and the Rutgers Future Scholars Program, our collaboration across Rutgers University.

 

Woodrow Wilson Foundation, Civic Spring Project

Rajiv Vinnakota, president of the WW National Fellowship Foundation in Princeton, NJ, partnered with Bellwether Education Partners to lead a project examining civic education in the United States. Over the course of 2019, he interviewed more than 100 practitioners, researchers, policymakers, funders, and public intellectuals in the broader civic learning and preparation space which is documented in the white paper, From Civic Education to a Civic Learning Ecosystem. The work resulted in significant momentum to engage in cross-partisan field-building activities and led to the identification of four major work areas. A March convening to develop the goals and next steps was delayed until the fall. In this window of time, Raj facilitated the creation of a highly skilled and diverse Task Force and set the groundwork for the Civic Spring Project. A team from WW will be administrating the work in conjunction with a tremendous group of volunteers.

This spring, a task force of 40 people from the civic space came together to determine how to help young people use civic activities as a catalyst for responding to COVID-19 in their communities this summer.

The Civic Spring Project issued a call for proposals for youth civic engagement initiatives designed to be civic-minded, youth-oriented, nonpartisan, nimble, measurement-minded, and generative.

Out of 1,100 eligibility inquiries and 144 applications, 6 grantees were selected.

 

City of Newark, NJ – Newark Youth One-Stop Career Center

Newark Youth One Stop supports the growth and success of our children.  We service youth between the ages 16- 24. Here they can receive help earning their GED, building their resume, and gaining employment.

The Victoria Foundation

The mission of the Victoria Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in Newark, New Jersey, and to protect water resources and preserve open space statewide.

To fulfill its Newark mission, the Foundation seeks to improve educational outcomes for young people, stabilize and revitalize distressed neighborhoods, improve the quality of the urban environment, promote civic engagement and leadership, increase job opportunities, help children develop into healthy, creative adults, and strengthen fragile families.  Statewide grantmaking related to the environment targets the New Jersey Highlands the Pinelands National Reserve, and the Kittatiny Ridge & Valley Region.

The Turrell Fund

The Turrell Fund was founded in 1935 by Herbert and Margaret Turrell. Herbert Turrell, a man burdened with an underprivileged childhood, a broken home and near-poverty translated his misfortune into devoted sympathy with and services to all young children facing challenges. The Turrells felt that the most important use for their wealth would be to give at-risk children the basic elements for success in life.

Our priority is organizations serving young children ages zero to five, which can present strong evidence of exceptional service quality and who have distinguished themselves along multiple dimensions.

While we continue to fund direct services, times have changed and many parents are in the workforce. We fund policy change because we recognized the importance of the early years and access to high-quality childcare.

The Gem Project, Inc – We Captivate to Educate

Since 2006, The Gem Project has serviced the greater Newark, New Jersey area and has provided high quality programming that has enforced leadership and community service amongst school-age youth, adolescent youth, and young adults. We have since evolved and consolidated our programming,  offering service-based fellowships between high school and college matriculated students.

The Gem Project works to improve high school to college student engagement, while supporting on-time graduation rates,  through peer-mentoring, life-skill workshops and service-learning initiatives that take on a social justice approach.