2015 Grants Awarded
SIGNATURE EMPLOYMENT GRANTS
Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago (Chicago, IL) - To support youth with disabilities transitioning out of high school as a pathway to success and economic security by creating a two-track model to help youth gain college access, employment, and economic independence: $500,000.
Florida Atlantic University Foundation (Boca Raton, FL) - To replicate the successful College to Careers (C2C): Bridging the Gap program in Florida. The program features an innovative and engaging professional workplace-skills curriculum, offered for credit to college students with disabilities, and career plan services combined with career-oriented work experience and internships, peer mentorships, and placement assistance: $407,468.
Mercy Health Foundation (St. Louis, MO) - To develop and implement a Healthcare Workforce Inclusion Model focused on job creation, intensive job training and employment, centralized job coaching models, and creating a culture of inclusion through new programing and education: $400,762.
Supported Employment Enterprise Corporation (Silver Spring, MD) - To address the core barriers to employment for people with developmental disabilities through holistic, collaborative strategies in partnership with five supported employment providers and Maryland's Developmental Disabilities Administration and Department of Disabilities, and to effect systemic and policy changes in support of new best practices for other states to emulate: $282,000.
COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT GRANTS
Caucus Educational Corporation, Inc. (Montclair, NJ) - To produce, promote, broadcast, and provide educational content to highlight programs that improve disability employment outcomes in connection with a series of public television programs, which appear on both public television and cable outlets throughout New Jersey: $50,000.
Community Options, Inc. (Princeton, NJ) - To conduct a one-year feasibility study to determine the resources and requirements needed to implement Autobility. This program will collect information on transportation providers and barriers/gaps in the transportation system in Pittsburgh, PA, consult legal and technology experts to create legal/technical frameworks, and create a collaborative team of providers and agencies: $50,000.
Goodwill Industries of New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc. (Astoria, NY) - To launch a unique entrepreneurship pilot project designed to build the skills of individuals with disabilities, and develop proven, scalable, and published recommendations for incorporating accessibility for individuals with disabilities into the national Makerspace movement: $100,000.
Jewish Family Service of Atlantic County (Margate, NJ) - To increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Atlantic and Cape May counties, Jewish Family Service will pilot PAWS—a pet service microbusiness: $100,000.
Jewish Vocational Service of Metro West (East Orange, NJ) - To support individuals with disabilities as they transition from center-based workshop activities to integrated employment or activities: $100,000.
Matheny School and Hospital, Inc. (Peapack, NJ) - To create direct connections between artists with disabilities and art buyers, Matheny School & Hospital and Arts Unbound will launch a venture modeled on the Community Supported Art structure, where buyers pre-purchase shares of original art from artists with disabilities: $100,000.
The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation (Trenton, NJ) - To infuse the online course for college students with disabilities into New Jersey higher education institutions and expand it to include local internships and other resources unique to the business community, while encouraging cross-fertilization of ideas and successful programs among collaborators: $100,000.
SPECIAL INITIATIVE GRANTS
Challenged Athletes, Inc. (San Diego, CA) - To strengthen the mental and physical well-being of New Jersey-based military personnel with permanent physical disabilities by providing recreational equipment and opportunities in sports: $20,000.
Compassionate Friends Therapeutic Riding Center (Medford, NJ) - To strengthen the body, mind, and spirit of children with special needs by providing weekly riding lessons designed to achieve maximum therapeutic benefits in a safe environment: $14,000.
Latsky Dance, Inc. (New York, NY) - To celebrate the ADA's 25th year anniversary, Latsky Dance Inc. will create ON DISPLAY, a site-specific performance model featuring members of local dance and disability communities throughout New Jersey: $10,000.
Montclair State University Foundation (Montclair, NJ) - To support the continued expansion of ReelAbilities: Disabilities Film Festival to New Jersey, an effort to promote awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with various disabilities: $20,000.
Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (Cherry Hill, NJ) - To support the Association's Equipment Distribution Program, which meets a critical need for individuals with MS in New Jersey by providing them with free equipment and mobility items: $10,000.
New Jersey Ballet Company, Inc. (Livingston, NJ) - To provide weekly dance classes to individuals with Parkinson's disease and their care partners, free of charge, to help facilitate cognitive stimulation and social interaction, while also focusing on stability and gait: $10,000.
Overlook Hospital Foundation (Summit, NJ) - To improve the quality of life of stroke survivors, caregivers, and their families through a 3-day weekend retreat that provides educational, relaxation, socialization, and recreational activities in a comfortable and informal environment: $15,000.
Push to Walk, A New Jersey Non-Profit Corporation (Riverdale, NJ) - To augment current exercise options for clients through the purchase of a new Functional Electrical Stimulation leg cycle and provide scholarships to clients experiencing financial hardship: $20,000.