Photo Courtesy of Joy Yagid Photograph The Maplewood Foundation's Celebrate Our Community event was emceed by Michelle Charlesworth, longtime Maplewood resident and reporter/co-anchor at WABC-TV Channel 7.
MAPLEWOOD – The Maplewood Foundation hosted a festive gathering this month to honor its 12 grant recipients for 2025 and begin its fundraising campaign for 2026.
The third annual “Celebrate Our Community” event, which drew nearly 200 attendees for an evening of camaraderie and revelry, raised a total of $102,672 through ticket sales, donations and sponsorships, as well as a live auction and paddle raise.
Fred Profeta, president of The Maplewood Foundation, reaffirmed the organization’s 2026 goal of giving $100,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations serving community residents.
“This year’s exciting and highly successful event raised more than last year and further demonstrated our community’s strong support for and belief in investing together to support our neighbors,” said Profeta. “With the money raised, we have the momentum we need to make 2026 the year we become a six-figure grant-making machine.”
Twelve non-profit organizations received grants totaling $92,900 to develop new programs or expand their services. This represents a more than 30% increase over the Foundation’s awards in 2024. It has given a total of $212,900 to fund 29 programs over its first three years.
Showcased at the event and recognized on stage were the 2025 grant recipients:
• Columbia High School Scholarship Fund received a Program Grant of $20,000 to create The Maplewood Foundation Scholarship, a needs-based scholarship awarded annually in perpetuity to a graduate furthering his or her education.
• Family Connections received a Program Grant of $15,000 to expand “The Next Step,” a summer program that builds academic and social-emotional skills and helps ~ 50 rising 9th graders confidently transition to Columbia High School.
• Meeting Essential Needs With Dignity (MEND) received a $10,000 Emergency Relief Grant to support local families facing heightened uncertainty due to the pause of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
• South Orange Performing Arts Center received a Program Grant of $10,000 to expand access to its Arts Education Program for district students, engaging them in music, dance, and visual arts experiences that meet state learning standards and foster creativity, confidence and cultural appreciation.
• Together We Bloom received a Program Grant of $10,000 to support “A Blueprint for Belonging,” making local events and spaces more accessible with accessibility roundtables, a sensory education video and “Sensory To-Go” kits.
• Durand-Hedden House & Garden Association received a Program Grant of $5,000 to sustain its annual Juneteenth Celebration (done with the SOMA Community Coalition on Race), combining history, art, and culture to honor Black heritage and educate the community.
• Rent Party Pantry, Inc. received a Program Grant of $5,000 to expand by 15% its critical BackPack Pals program, which currently provides more than 150 children facing food insecurity with a weekend’s worth of nutritious food each week.
• SOMA Tool Share received a Seed Grant of $5,000 for start-up costs to build a community tool library, including tool purchases, rent, workspace build-out, and supplies needed to launch operations and host educational workshops.
• The South Mountain YMCA received a Program Grant of $5,000 to expand its Performing Arts Program to better include participants with mental and behavioral challenges by increasing staffing for individualized support.
• SOMA BuildHers received a Seed Grant of $3,500 to purchase essential tools, supplies, and lumber in order to expand its partnership with Isaiah House, which supports families transitioning from shelter to permanent housing.
• Clinton School PTA received a Program Grant of $2,900 to launch a composting pilot with Java’s Compost, a local Black- and woman-owned business, where third graders will learn to divert cafeteria food waste and create compost to enrich school gardens.
• Girls on the Run NJ East received a Program Grant of $1,500 to provide athletic scholarships for Maplewood and South Orange girls participating in its after-school program to build confidence, develop healthy relationships and cultivate resilience.
“This latest class of grantees includes a solid mix of start-ups and established nonprofits,” said Profeta. “The idea that we can create a permanent scholarship while at the same time respond to an immediate crisis – one we couldn’t have anticipated when we started our grants cycle – reinforces the importance of having a flexible, sustainable and growing source of funding for our area nonprofit organizations.”
Held at Maplewood Country Club, the night began with a lively cocktail hour and sleight-of-hand magic with Rory Feldman. The main event was emceed by Michelle Charlesworth, longtime Maplewood resident and reporter/co-anchor at WABC-TV Channel 7.
The crowd saw a performance by Lydia Johnson Dance before hearing from the 2025 grantees. The Foundation’s Development Director, Josh Adler, led a live auction featuring an exciting lineup of prizes and a paddle raise that provided the Foundation with a jumpstart on its 2026 fundraising efforts.
Donations to The Maplewood Foundation are invested in a fund for a longer-term and wider impact within the community. The Foundation gives approximately 5% of its holdings each year as Program and Seed grants through an annual grant cycle.
To learn more about the Foundation’s impact or make a donation, visit www.themaplewoodfoundation.org/donate. The Foundation also encourages its donors to continue giving directly to local nonprofits.
Fred Profeta, president of The Maplewood Foundation, shows how far the Foundation has come since 2023; with a goal to increase the invested fund to $2 million and give away over $100,000 in grants in 2026.
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