Victoria Foundation and LISC New Jersey Award $45,000 to Resident-Selected Grants Across Three Newark Neighborhoods

Victoria Foundation and LISC New Jersey today announced the latest round of Neighbors Helping Neighborhoods grants, awarding $45,000 to five resident-led projects in Upper Clinton Hill, Fairmount Heights, and Lower Broadway. In this unique approach to community investment, the program puts decision-making in the hands of a community review board made up of Newark residents, underscoring the expertise of community members to know what their neighborhoods need to thrive.

Launched in 2018 as part of the Thriving Neighborhoods Initiative, the Neighbors Helping Neighborhoods program has awarded more than 50 projects totaling over $300,000 across eight years.

"This is a model for how philanthropy can move away from top-down approaches and toward real investment in resident leaders and supporting the vision a community has for their own successes," said Craig Drinkard, Executive Officer of Victoria Foundation.

"What makes this program unique is that it shifts power to the people who know these neighborhoods best. Every funded project reflects the creativity, determination, and commitment of Newark residents," shared LISC New Jersey Executive Director Jorge Cruz. "Through this partnership with Victoria Foundation, we're not simply funding projects—we're investing in local leadership, strengthening neighborhood connections, and creating a foundation for lasting community-driven change."

Rather than following a traditional approach to philanthropy, core to this grantmaking is a community-led process where residents design and submit solutions for their own neighborhoods and people from the community choose which projects fund.

"Reviewing these applications was a rewarding moment. Because we are residents, too, we weren't just grading applications. Our input was an investment in our neighbors, our blocks, and the future of our community. Having a voice in where resources go makes the outcomes more meaningful because the decisions are rooted in local knowledge and lived experience," said Quadeer Porter, one of the selection committee members and Founder & Executive Director of Brothers Building A Better Nation, a Newark-based nonprofit advancing healing-centered, wraparound support for youth, caregivers, and communities.

The resident review process is central to the Neighbors Helping Neighborhoods program. Applications were grouped by neighborhood and evaluated by community reviewers using a shared rubric, ensuring that the people closest to each neighborhood's realities, who understand the context of daily life, held the power to shape its future.

This round drew 55 applications from residents across all three neighborhoods, with funded projects including:

Clinton Hill

• Visionaries with a Purpose: Youth Leadership & Mentorship Initiative: Expands year-round mentorship, leadership development, and academic support opportunities that empower youth to become leaders and community changemakers.
• RaySoul Hoops: Wellness Hoops Workshop™: A community wellness program that uses guided hula hoop workshops, stretching, rhythm exercises, and grounding activities to promote emotional well-being, stress relief, and social connection among residents.
• Seasonal Smiles Outreach: Provides year-round outreach, seasonal assistance, food distributions, and resource connections for local families and residents.
• Youth-Led Community Garden & Neighborhood Stewardship Initiative: Engages youth and residents in gardening, beautification, and environmental stewardship projects that strengthen neighborhood pride.

Lower Broadway

• Sprouting Sustainability: Pesto with a Purpose: Students at Newark Global Studies will grow herbs, create healthy recipes, and engage families in hands-on learning about nutrition and environmental sustainability.
• Keys to Success' Piano Bus: North Ward – Music After School at St. Michael's: Expands access to after-school music education and youth leadership development opportunities for Newark students.
• Mentor U Connect: Promotes local businesses and neighborhood assets through digital storytelling, video content, and social media campaigns.

Fairmount Heights

• Essentially Yours' Essential Items Pantry: Provides families with household essentials, fresh produce, clothing, and meals to help offset the cost of everyday necessities.
• SHE Wins! Sisters: Springing into Self Care: Mental Wellness Sister Support Series – Delivers peer-led and professionally supported mental wellness programming that supports confidence, resilience, and healthy relationships among middle-school girls.
• Princeton Blairstown STEM Summer Camp 2026: Expands STEM learning opportunities through camps and hands-on projects that foster youth leadership, problem-solving, and community engagement.

The portfolio of projects reflects the creativity, care, and leadership already alive on Newark's neighborhoods. Individual grants range from $2,500 to $5,000, distributed through The Urban League of Essex County, a longstanding partner to Victoria Foundation and LISC New Jersey.

Past grants have seeded lasting neighborhood fixtures like the West Side High School Baby Pantry in Fairmount Heights and Rabbit Hole Farm in Clinton Hill.