2022 Bunbury Fund Grants

The Bunbury Fund at the Princeton Area Community Foundation awarded a total of over $1 million in grants to more than 20 nonprofits in 2022.

The Bunbury Fund awards grants that help strengthen the capacity of nonprofits, which in turn, allows them to more effectively support the communities they serve. Grants awarded last year helped organizations with matters such as strategic planning and technology upgrades.

“2022 was the fourth consecutive year that the Bunbury Fund was able to invest more than $1 million into the community through our grantmaking,” said Jamie Kyte Sapoch, Lead Advisor to The Bunbury Fund. “The Fund’s focus remains on capacity building – the internal investments of equity, governance, technology, and evaluation – and the fund advisors remain committed to partnering with nonprofits across our region to help them deliver their best work, with efficiency, effectiveness and inclusion.”

Grants were awarded to:

ActorsNET, Morrisville, Pa., $7,200 to modernize their financial systems
Anchor House Inc., Trenton, $33,000 to strengthen its mental health department and develop a communications plan
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County, Trenton, $10,000 to update and strengthen its governance processes and structure
Camp Fire NJ, Trenton, $3,000 — to upgrade software and train staff on the new technology
Every Child Valued, Lawrence, $30,000 — to create a new strategic plan, which will include improved human resources and communications systems
Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, Hopewell, $20,000 — to create a new strategic plan that will strengthen governance, incorporate equity and expand Outdoor Equity Alliance partnerships
Housing Initiatives of Princeton, Princeton, $19,130 — to develop a four-year strategic plan, along with a communications plan, that will enhance its financial position, community impact, and overall mission.
I Am Trenton Community Foundation, Trenton, $63,500 to embark on a two-year project to advance its strategic plan, including improvements to its operational system and to fully integrate the Latinx communities of Trenton into its leadership and work
Isles, Inc., Trenton, $30,000 — to develop an updated vision and strategic plan that will demonstrate equity-centered managerial practices.
James R Halsey Foundation of the Arts, Hamilton, $20,000 — to grow and strengthen its Board of Directors so the organization can increase its sustainability and expand its resources
Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County, Princeton, $20,000 — to begin a strategic planning process that will assess the most pressing needs in the community and determine how those needs are aligned with the nonprofit’s expertise and priorities.
Lawrenceville Job-Training Partnership, Lawrenceville, $10,000 — to develop an overall strategy for improving organizational capacity and manage program anticipated growth
Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness, Trenton, $45,000 – the organization received a $10,000 planning grant to identify a systems change project, and then received an additional $35,000 to create a new, sustainable organizational model initiatives that are grounded in the experience and perspective of those directly impacted by homelessness.
Millhill Child & Family Development, Trenton, $42,000 — to upgrade its database system so staff can better track the needs of the children in its programs
NAMI Mercer NJ, Hamilton, $18,500 — to engage in a comprehensive strategic planning process to help maximize its impact
NonProfitConnect, Hamilton, $50,000 — to create a strategic blueprint for expanding their work supporting the nonprofit sector in our region
Prevention Education Inc. (PEI Kids), Lawrence, $8,200, — to upgrade its computer systems
Princeton Nursery School, Princeton, $20,000 to modernize its virtual and communication platforms to better track student metrics, improve parent engagement, manage enrollment, attract and maintain donors, and allow staff to focus more on service delivery

Multi-year grants:

Passage Theatre Company, Trenton, $150,000 – a 3-year grant to build a sustainable, community-centric fundraising department, which will lead to a culture of generosity that is grounded in racial equity, justice, and empathy.
The Paul Robeson House of Princeton, Princeton, $100,000, — a 3-year grant for leadership development, capital campaign assessment, marketing and communications planning, board training, and technology investments
Womanspace, Inc., Lawrence, $100,000 – a 2-year grant for a capacity-building project that will realize Womanspace as an anti-racist organization and will address gaps in service delivery to the Black community in Trenton and the LGBTQ community county-wide.

All of these grants included an additional 15 percent in funding, totaling more than $119,000, to help the organizations pay for overhead and administrative costs, such as supplies, rent and utilities.

Additional year-end grants of $50,000 each were awarded to five organizations.

These awards were made in recognition of the important role these nonprofits play in the community and in anticipation that they can

use the funds to address the capacity building issues identified by leadership staff and their board to as most needed to help them do their best future work.