10 Philadelphia-Area Nonprofits Win $315K in Project Innovation Grants

NBC10, Telemundo62 and the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation announced that 10 local nonprofits will receive a total of $315,000 in Project Innovation 2021 grants. The winning organizations feature programs that are addressing local community issues through innovative solutions in the areas of community engagement, culture of inclusion, next generation storytelling and youth education and empowerment. This is the fourth consecutive year that NBC10 and Telemundo62 along with the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation recognize local nonprofits with Project Innovation grants.

“We are proud to support 10 nonprofits that are using innovation to address local community issues in the areas of community engagement, culture of inclusion, next generation storytelling and youth education and empowerment,” said Ric Harris, President and General Manager of NBC10 and Telemundo62. “These organizations are addressing many real-life challenges that our communities face every day and we’re excited that the Project Innovation grants will help build stronger communities throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.”

Project Innovation is presented by the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation and NBC and Telemundo owned stations located in 11 markets, including Philadelphia. Grant applications opened January 8 and closed on February 12. The stations created and gathered community panels to review grant applications and select final grant recipients. This year, the program funding levels increased in each participating market to $315,000 up from $225,000 and to $3.475 million across the 11 markets, up from $2.475 million.

Local Project Innovation 2021 grant recipients include:

CLAY STUDIO – $25,000

• Clay.Play.Read, is an out of school, arts-based early literacy program for families with children ages 4 to 8. Funding will be used to expand the workshop series to three new partner locations in the South Kensington community of Philadelphia where Clay Studio will be moving to in November.

NEW JERSEY CONSORTIUM FOR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN – $30,000

• Funding will help develop DACA for All, an immigrant outreach and education program, and increase the organization's ability to reach and support potential DACA applicants in Cumberland County, New Jersey.

DELAWARE GUIDANCE SERVICES FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH – $25,000

• Funding will be used to implement the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach to better support children in outpatient therapy.

FEDERATION OF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS – $20,000

• The Sharing Excess program aims to expand their food rescue and distribution locations that bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity in Philadelphia.

GIRLS ON THE RUN PHILADELPHIA – $20,000

• Funding will be used to expand Girls on the Run to low-income sites and more Philadelphia locations, and provide coaches with the training to deliver an experience-based curriculum designed to support girls' emotional skills and development.

HEALTHY NEWSWORKS – $40,000

• Healthy NewsWorks guides youth through a journalism program in which they learn and report about public health and healthy behaviors, and funding will expand the reach of these publications and build stronger relationships with families and the larger community.

HISPANICS INSPIRING STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE AND ACHIEVEMENT (HISPA) – $20,000

• Funding will be used for the Virtual HISPA Role Model Program, to engage new partner schools in Trenton and Camden and to expand their offerings beyond STEM, to storytelling fields such as entertainment and journalism.

PHILADELPHIA VIP – $45,000

• Funding will go towards hiring a legal support coordinator for the Preserving Homeownership and Household Wealth Project to allow for greater client and volunteer capacity.

The Land Conservancy For Southern Chester County – $15,000

• Funding will be used for the Teens Turning Green (TTG) STEM Paid High School Summer Internships enabling the program to hire more interns and add a new location which will greatly increase access to the TTG program.

TREE HOUSE BOOKS – $75,000

• Funding will be used to implement a new mobile book distribution center that will greatly enhance the impact of their Giving Library project which aims to increase literacy through book choice, distribution, and intervention in North Philadelphia.

Project Innovation 2021 grants were presented to eligible nonprofits in select markets including New York (WNBC, WNJU), Southern California (KNBC, KVEA), Chicago (WMAQ, WSNS), Philadelphia (WCAU, WWSI), Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS, KXTX), Boston (WBTS, WNEU, necn), Hartford, CT (WVIT, WRDM), Washington, D.C. (WRC-TV, WZDC), Miami-Fort Lauderdale (WTVJ, WSCV), San Francisco Bay Area (KNTV, KSTS), and San Diego (KNSD, KUAN).

For a list of all Project Innovation 2021 winners, click here. Follow on social at @NBCUFoundation and #ProjectInnovation.