The Bolger Foundation is pleased to announce its/our Spring 2024 grant recipients. A total of almost $1 million was awarded to 13 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations; approximately half of that total amount is being given in the form of challenge grants. Five grant requests were funded in full.

Brownsville Ambulance Service, Inc. (Brownsville, PA) received the largest amount granted outright: $226,500 for a new ambulance plus a new roof on the building that will house it. The next largest fully funded grant was to The Phoenix Center (Nutley, NJ) in the amount of $108,363 towards a new bus for the private special needs school.

In addition, the Ridgewood Historical Society (Ridgewood, NJ) received $54,500 to cover improvements to the landscape, painting, windows, doors, and security system at their Schoolhouse Museum. JoyDew Foundation (Ridgewood, NJ) which offers a government-approved day program focused on job training, social life, and employment for autistic adults, was awarded $50,000 towards computers and iPads for their new facility in Livingston, NJ. Finally, Spectrum for Living (River Vale, NJ) was given $19,912 to replace an aging HVAC system at one of their residences for adults with developmental disabilities.

The largest challenge grant is a 1:1 match of $125,000 to The Boston House (Brookline, MA), which provides housing for children with cancer and their families. Construction is already underway on much-needed structural renovations and refurbishment.

Others receiving challenge grants include:

• Dawn Treader School (Paterson, NJ), which must raise $150,000 to receive $100,000 towards their new HVAC system and solar-paneled roof
• All Saints Episcopal Church (Glen Rock, NJ), which upon raising a total of $800,000 for their preschool building’s renovations will receive $80,000 from The Bolger Foundation to complete the project
• Pony Power Therapies (Mahwah, NJ), which must raise a total of $130,000 to receive $50,000 towards their new farm’s pavilion, equipment storage building, and run-in sheds
• Community Hope, Inc. (Parsippany, NJ), which must raise $80,000 to receive $34,000 for renovations to their buildings housing homeless veterans and recovering mental health patients
• USA Cares (Louisville, KY), which will raise $50,000 in order to receive a matching amount for new doors and windows at their facility; they provide post-911 veterans and military families with emergency financial services and post-service job training to help them establish long-term stability
• Center for Hearing and Communication (New York, NY), which must raise $30,000 to receive $28,000 for new testing equipment to further their mission of providing the highest quality of comprehensive services for people with hearing loss
• Family Forward (St. Louis, MO), which must raise $25,000 to receive $20,000 for adding a Sensory Path at their newly renovated building as an additional therapeutic resource for victims of early childhood trauma

Says JT Bolger, president of The Bolger Foundation, “All of us at The Bolger Foundation continue to be amazed and gratified by the excellent applications we receive from outstanding nonprofits that are growing and affecting the community around them.”