The 2025 Summer Initiatives Grant, funded by the Princeton Area Community Foundation’s Community Impact Grants fund, is designed to support nonprofit organizations that provide summer programs for underserved youth in the Greater Mercer County region. The grant focuses on programs aimed at children and young people, ages 0-25, who face barriers to summer program participation due to economic or social challenges. These may include low-income tweens and teens, immigrant children, children in foster care, and children with disabilities. The foundation's mission is to promote philanthropy that enhances community well-being, and this funding opportunity aligns with that vision by ensuring that all children have access to enriching summer experiences.

The purpose of the grant is to fund initiatives that foster youth engagement, promote meaningful family involvement, and provide structured summer opportunities to reduce juvenile crime and support working families. Many families struggle to access summer programs due to cost, transportation issues, limited enrollment, or lack of information. The Summer Initiatives Grant aims to eliminate these barriers by supporting programs that provide reading opportunities to prevent summer learning loss, enrichment activities, meal provisions, and transportation solutions.

Eligible applicants must be tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code and must also be registered as a charity in good standing with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Organizations must operate within specific counties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Mercer County, Eastern Bucks County, Northern Burlington County, Southern Hunterdon County, Southern Middlesex County, and Southern Somerset County. Statewide organizations may be eligible if they have a physical presence in these areas and conduct all programming within the designated region.

Applications must be submitted online by 12:00 PM on February 28, 2025. Required submission materials include organizational information, project details, geographic location, target population, age range served, outcome measurement plans, program dates, budget documentation, and requested funding amounts. If applicable, a fiscal sponsor agreement must also be provided. Applications will be evaluated based on alignment with the initiative’s objectives, clarity of need, outreach efforts to underserved populations, and budget feasibility.

The selection process prioritizes programs that serve teens and tweens and those that specifically focus on inclusion for traditionally excluded youth. Grant award notifications will be sent via email by April 11, 2025, with payments processed by April 25, 2025. Recipients are encouraged to acknowledge the Princeton Area Community Foundation in public announcements and are required to submit an end-of-grant report detailing the impact and reach of their program. Failure to comply with reporting requirements may result in ineligibility for future funding opportunities.

The funding cannot be used for general overhead costs, building renovations, fundraising efforts, political activities, religious programming, or essential government services. The grant is intended solely to enhance summer programming for underserved youth and must be used exclusively for the activities outlined in the application. Any unused funds must be returned, and grantees are required to notify the foundation of any significant program changes.