Community Grants

Since 1989, the Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills (JLOSH) has awarded Community Grants to nonprofit organizations providing programs and services that improve the lives of individuals and families throughout our service area. In certain years, the League also made additional Community Donations to address emerging needs; beginning in 2002, these donations were formally incorporated into the Community Grants Program.
To date, JLOSH has invested more than $490,000 in local communities through grants and community donations. These investments reflect the League's long-standing commitment to identifying unmet needs, supporting effective local organizations, and strengthening the communities we serve.
For more information about current and upcoming grant cycles, please click here 

2022-2023 TOTAL: $7,800
The Bass Foundation - Direct Services Program - $3,400
NCJW/Essex - Back 2 School Store - $3,400

2020-2021 TOTAL: $10,000
The Bass Foundation - Summer Farmer's Market Program - $5,000
Youth Consultation Services - Operation Care Kits - $2,500
Family Connections - The Giving Closet - $2,500
 
2019-2020 TOTAL *COVID Emergency Relief Grants*: $8,000

• Isaiah House - $1,750 
• Family Assistance Resource Center New Jersey (FARC) - $1,750 
• Nassan's Place - $1,000 
• Metro YMCA -- East Orange and South Mountain - $1,750 
• Bethlehem Community Church - $1,750  

2018-2019 TOTAL: $7,600

• Bethlehem Community Church - Youth Trailblazers Program: $4000.
• Sierra House, Inc. - "Bed and a Home Transitional Program: $2500
• Nassan's Place - Backpack & School Supplies Giveaway Program: $1000
• The Littlest Volunteer:  Miss Maggie Meyer - Livingston Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (C.H.O.W.) - $100

2017-2018 TOTAL: $7,500

• ​28 Days Program - Summer Kits Program - $2600
• Interfaith Hospitality Network of Essex County - Home For Good Youth Uniforms - $2500
• Rent Party - BackPack Pals Program - $2400

2016-2017 TOTAL: $7,500

• Bethlehem Community Church: $4,000
• Interfaith Hospitality Network of Essex County: $2,500
• Foster & Adoptive Services: $1,000

2015-2016 TOTAL:$7,500

• Meeting Emergency Needs with Dignity (MEND) - Summer Hunger Program - $4,500
• Not Orange - Creation of a Community Garden - $3,000

2014-2015 TOTAL: $10,000

• The Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges - "La Vida Delicioso" nutrition and exercise program - $3,750 
• Foster and Adoptive Family Services - Backpack Program for 100 foster children - $3,500 
• Covenant House of NJ - TASC Program's GED equivalency training - $1500 
• Hilton branch of the Maplewood Memorial Library - Code Club for 4th - 8th Graders - $1,200

2013-2014 TOTAL: $10,500

• Cora Hartshorn Arboretum - $2500 to allow Orange/East Orange school children to learn about environmental education and explore native woodlands.
• Girls on the Run - $3,000 to provide training for a 5k run with games, activities, and discussions that promote emotional and social development for girls ages eight to thirteen who attend the Cleveland.
• Girl Scouts of New Jersey - $5,000 to serve approximately 40 girls in East Orange schools and will provide leadership skills training to girls ages 16-17 who in turn will provide positive role models for younger girls.

100TH ANNIVERSARY – CENTENNIAL GRANT: $10,000

• Awarded to Metro YMCAs of the Oranges for child sexual abuse prevention program 

2012-2013 TOTAL: $30,000

• Valley Arts - $5,000 to support creative expression of young people in Orange
• The Winston School - $4,000 to allow children with learning disabilities to attend summer camp
• National Council of Jewish Women - $3,700 for their Kids Community Closet
• Family intervention Services - $3,300 for a youth project encouraging kids to give back to their communities
• Interfaith Hospitality Network of Essex County - $3,000 for summer camp for children living in homeless shelters
• Maplewood Garden Club - $1,000 for youth program, which donates harvested food to local food pantries

2011-2012 TOTAL: $11,000

• Main Street Counseling - $2,700 to increase of therapy services to children in the Oranges
• Interfaith Hospitality Network of Essex County - $2,500 for summer camp for homeless children
• Friends of the Maplewood Library - $1,000 for ELL (English Language Learner) backpacks
• Family Intervention Services - $2,500 for the Therapeutic Theatre Group program for kids 8-12
• Community Day Nursery, East Orange - $1,300 for a parent-child literacy program
• Columbia High School's Scholarship Fund - $1,000 for a female student committed to community service.

2008-2011 – No Community Grants awarded

2007-2008 - 95TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY GIFT: $40,000

• Awarded to East Orange Public Library for “Junior’s Room” - renovating the children’s department 

2006-2007 TOTAL: $14,430

• New Jersey SEEDS - $5,000 for SEEDS Scholarship program in Orange and East Orange
• Marylawn of the Oranges Academy - $5,450 for the “Combating Teenage Obesity” program
• South Orange-Maplewood Education Foundation - $4,280 for the ACHIEVE Math Tutor Program

2005-2006 TOTAL: $31,000

• Community Day Nursery, East Orange - $1,200 for pre-school mathematics books 
• Good Grief, Inc. – $2,800 for child grief workshops in the West Orange and Millburn school districts.
• NIDA (Neighborhood Improvement Dev. Assoc.), East Orange - $5,000 for women’s job search skills
• SAGE Eldercare, Summit - $3,000 for “Meals-on Wheels” to elderly in Springfield & Millburn
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston - $3,000 for the ear testing equipment for children
• Springfield YMCA - $500 for children’s fitness program
• St. Timothy’s House, Orange- $1,500 for a computer literacy program
• Jewish Service for the Developmentally Disabled of Metrowest - $3,000 for disabled women’s program
• CARES Foundation, Millburn - $2,000 to help rebuild after a fire
• Tillmes House, East Orange - $2,000 to help rebuild after a fire
• Babyland Family Services, Inc. - $2,000 for children’s play area in a domestic violence shelter
• Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society - $5,000 grant towards the purchase of a new historic headquarters

2004-2005 TOTAL: $27,000

• Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey, Maplewood - $3,000 to a communication device
• East Orange Child Development Corporation - $3,000 for a literacy program
• First in Orange, Inc. - $2,500 towards a health literacy initiative for area teens
• Mend Food Pantry, Orange - $2,700 for food pantry essentials
• National Council of Jewish Women, Essex County - $2,000 for their Job Readiness Program
• Newark Boys Chorus School, Newark - $2,100 for the transportation for their “Senior Sing” program 
• Newark Emergency Services for Families, Inc.- $2,100 for mental health program for homeless children
• Programs for Parents, Inc. - $1,950 for Nutritional Wellness 
• Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center - $3,150 for bereavement workshops
• South Orange-Maplewood Education Foundation - $3,000 for the production of an instructional film
• Tri-City Peoples Corporation - $1,500 for personal development activities for at-risk teenagers 
• The Children’s Museum of Central New Jersey - $5,000 toward the building of a Children’s Museum

90TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY GIFT: $90,000

• Awarded to FAMILYConnections to build a playground for the youth in their therapeutic programs

2003-2004 TOTAL: $17,800

• Prevent Child Abuse NJ - $3,000 for parent education program
• The Community FoodBank of NJ - $3,000 for the Kids’ Closet program
• Family Intervention Services, Inc. - $2,500 for in-home art therapy for children
• The Hospital Center at Orange - $2,000 for outreach and breast cancer
• Kidz Pax, Inc. - $1,500 to fill diaper and duffle bags for babies and children entering foster care
• Community Agencies Corporation - $1,000 for speaker program at St. Timothy’s group home
• Dorson Community Foundation, Inc. - $1,000 for The Angels of Grace Dance Ensemble
• Interfaith Hospitality Network - $1,000 for a life skills program for homeless families
• Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies of Essex - $1,000 for pregnant women’s program
• Girl Scout Council of Greater Essex - $1,000 for their Positive Power Program 
•  South Orange/Maplewood Mentors, Inc. - $800 to fund outings for at-risk youth 

2002-2003 TOTAL: $12,000

• Babyland Family Services - $2,000 to help fund a Domestic Violence Shelter
• Choices, Inc. - $1,500 for literacy programs for kids while mothers get substance abuse treatment
• Helping Hands and Ears, Orange - $1,500 for their youth empowerment program

• NJ AIDS Partnership - $1,500 for their orphans of AIDS program
• Children’s Aid and Family Services - $1,000 for a READ WITH ME program
• Harambee Community Development Initiative - $1,000 for computer training for girls at Tillmes House
• Jewish Vocational Services - $1,000 for a computer training program for older women in East Orange
• The Parenting Center of Maplewood and South Orange - $1,000 towards parenting workshops
• AD House, Inc. - $500 for outreach and education to prevent low weight babies in East Orange
• Community Day Nursery, Orange - $500 towards preschool education
• South Orange/Maplewood Coalition on Race - $500 for seminars on the academic achievement gap

2001-2002 TOTAL: $23,950

• YMCA of Springfield - $750 for “Healthy Kids” day
• YWCA of Essex and West Hudson - $2,000 for “at risk” pregnancy workshops in Orange.
• CASA Essex County – $5,000 for a permanency initiative for abused kids
• Tender Loving Day Care Center, East Orange - $1,000 for healthcare workshops for mothers
• American Lung Association of NJ - $1,200 for puppet shows promoting lung health to children
• Cancer Care - $2,000 for information and screenings to older women in East Orange and Orange
• Urban Youth Development Corporation - $4,000 for “at risk” pregnant teens in East Orange
• CARES Foundation - $1,000 to educate on congenital adrenal hyperplasia, affecting Jewish and Hispanic populations
• East Orange Police Department/Police Athletic League (PALs) - $2,500 for program for teen girls
• Jewish Community Center Metrowest - $2,500 for personal safety puppet shows in W. Orange schools
• South Mountain YMCA, Maplewood - $2,000 for healthy living workshops for children at camp

   COMMUNITY DONATION TOTAL:  $9,200

• To families of the victims of the September 11th tragedy

2000-2001 TOTAL: $32,000

• Center for Hospice Care, Inc. - $2,000
• Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey - $2,300
• East Orange Child Development Corporation/Early Head Start - $4,500
• East Orange General Hospital/Children and Adolescent Psychiatric Services - $1,000
• Family Intervention Services Inc. - $1,000
• First In Orange - $5,400
• Main St. Counseling Center - $2,000
• Main Street South Orange - $5,000
• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction/North Jersey Area, Inc. - $1,000
• New Eyes for the Needy - $1,000
• Saint Barnabas Development Foundation - $900
• Shapiro Center - $2,400
• South Orange Police Department - $1,000
• Valerie Fund - $1,000
• West Orange Police Department - $1,500

1999-2000 – No Community Grants awarded

1998-1999 TOTAL: $6,000

• Isaiah House, East Orange - $1,500 to train volunteers to teach infant care to new mothers
• Girl Scout Council of Greater Essex - $1,000 for conflict-resolution programs for women and girls
• East Orange YMCA, East Orange - $1,500 for computer training for mothers of at-risk children
• First in Orange, Orange - $1,000 toward facilitating a weekly Teen Night serving 12-18 year olds
• Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey - $1,000 to train parents of developmentally disabled children

COMMUNITY DONATIONS TOTAL: $3,000

• Valley Settlement House, West Orange - $450
• The Unity Group, Inc., Millburn - $500
• Make a Wish Foundation, Union - $250
• Helping Hands & Ears, Orange - $500
• Cherished Creations, Inc.  - $500 for services for seriously ill children
• Resolve Community Counseling Center, Scotch Plains - $600 for counseling services
• First Aid Squad, Millburn - $200

1997-1998 TOTAL: $5,298

• American Red Cross, East Orange - $1,000 for fire safety and prevention education
• Main St. Counseling Center, West Orange - $1,000 toward treating children suffering from depression
• Marylawn of The Oranges School - $1,758 for counseling of emotional problems among students
• St. Rocco School, Newark - $1,530 for a security system for the physical safety of students

COMMUNITY DONATIONS TOTAL: $2,600

• Boy Scouts of America - $1,000 for materials and training for 200 adults in child abuse prevention
• Welfare Department, Maplewood - $1,000 for training Domestic Violence Crisis Intervention Team
• Special Education Committee, Millburn PTO - $600 for a presentation on learning disabilities

1996-1997 TOTAL: $5,922

• Summit Child Care Centers - $612 to support field trips for underprivileged children
• The City of Orange - $1,000 to underwrite their citywide Health Fair
• Pathways, Summit - $1,000 towards their newsletter distributed to survivors of breast cancer
• Maplewood Board of Health - $572 to place a newspaper ad on new lead paint ordinance
• The Great Commission Learning Center, Orange - $975 to provide summer enrichment program
• Newark Beth Israel - $300 to provide equipment for a recreation room that serves hospitalized teens
• Interfaith Network, Orange - $900 to provide rent for homeless families
• Tenderloving Care, East Orange - $563 to provide childcare equipment

COMMUNITY DONATIONS TOTAL:  $3,000

• Neighborhood Association of Millburn Township - $2,000 to renovate their playground
• South Orange Symphony Orchestra - $1,000 to fund a family-children’s concert for spring, 1998

1995-1996 TOTAL: $6,000

• Mental Health Association of Essex County - $1,000 to form two local mental health forums
• Adopt-a-Grandparent Program, Maplewood - $500 to fund bus transportation and supplies
• The Electronic Information & Education Service of New Jersey -  $500 for the Radio Reader program
• Harambee, East Orange - $1,000 for a bus trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame
• Senior Services, Orange -  $1,000 for “Mr. Fix-It” Program of Essex County
• Family Service & Child Guidance Center of the Oranges - $1,000 for training programs
• ARC of Essex County, Inc. Livingston - $500 for new furniture in a residence for disabled adults
• The First Occupational Center of New Jersey, Orange - $500 to help furnish a disabled apartment 

COMMUNITY DONATIONS TOTAL:  $5,500

• “Phoenix Rising - The Silent Victims Speak”  - $1,000 for a domestic violence awareness video
• East Orange/Orange Community Development Corporation - $2,000 for after school tutoring
• Township of Millburn - $2,500 to provide training for a domestic violence crisis intervention team

1994-1995 TOTAL: $5,000

• Millburn Senior Citizens, Millburn - $1,000 for intergenerational prom in the Millburn Middle School
• New Eyes for the Needy, Short Hills - $1,000 for eyeglasses for needy children in Essex County
• H.A.N.D.S., Inc. -  $1,000 to create a neighborhood association in Orange
• Millburn Recreation Department - $1,000 for a free concert series in Millburn
• East Orange School District - $1,000 to support grandparents who are primary caregivers
• Assoc. of Promoting Progress for Youth - $1,000 to basketball league giving books as trophies

1993-1994 TOTAL: $11,250

• Millburn Middle School - $500 for grade level involvement in volunteer activities
• Community Psychiatric Institute, East Orange - $500 for holiday dinner for special needs patients
• East Orange YMCA - $1,180 to underwrite summer camp program for homeless children
• Girl Scouts of Greater Essex County - $1,000 for weekend camping program for handicapped Scouts
• Arts in the Park, South Orange - $1,000 for 1994 free concert series
• Our Lady of Sorrows School, South Orange - $1,000 to revamp science lab
• Project Playground of Maplewood - $920 for revamping of playgrounds
• Board Member Institute, Livingston - $750 for collaborative training for New Jersey non-profits
• Children Together, South Orange - $1,000 for door intercom system for house security
• “Two Years Without Sleep” by Cathy Feldman - $1,000 for copies to be sent to local schools
• JLOSH “Pitchpipers” - $1,000 to create a video and cassettes of their music concerts
• Los Angeles Junior League - $500 for disaster relief for earthquake victims
• Mayor’s Office, Edison - $500 for pipeline explosion victims
• Midwest Junior Leagues - $400 for disaster relief for Midwest flood victims

1992-1993 TOTAL: $6,000

• Planned Parenthood of Essex County - $500 for booklets and pamphlets
• Essex Council Boy Scouts of America - $250 for purchase of a VCR
• Volunteer Center of Greater Essex - $250 for pilot project in Orange
• Urban Center for Public/Private Partnership - $500 for non-traditional college admissions
• Metropolitan Y of the Oranges - $500 for child care services
• Newark Renaissance House - $500 to help subsidize program on “Children of Substance Abusers”
• South Orange Symphony Orchestra, South Orange - $600 for family concerts
• Henry H. Kessler Foundation, West Orange - $500 for patient services fund
• Help Is Here, Orange - $300 for latch key program
• Interfaith Hospitality Network, Orange - $1,000 for rent for previously homeless families
• East Orange P.A.L. - $400 for new projects
• Rutgers Co-op - $500 for 4-H project
• Creative Spirits of New Jersey, East Orange - $200 for artist-in-residence program

1991-1992 TOTAL: $6,000

• United Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey, East Orange - $1,000 for purchase of therapy equipment
• Children Together - $700 for consultant and training of teaching parent
• Partnership for Cultural Enrichment - $1,000 for book fair emphasizing positive images of African-American children
• Board Member Institute, Orange - $600 for BMI workshop in Spanish
• Neighborhood Association of Millburn Township - $700 for “surrogate grandparent” program for disabled children
• Newark Community School of the Arts - $500 for musical instruments for 3 - 7 year olds
• Family Services and Child Guidance Center of the Oranges - $1,000 for a playroom for abused/neglected children
• Adopt a Grandparent Program, Maplewood Middle School - $500 for transport

1990-1991 TOTAL: $6,000

• Low Cost Psychotherapy Plan, South Orange - $500 to support outreach efforts
• The Valerie Fund - $1,000 towards summer camp for children with cancer and blood disorders
• Girl Scouts of Greater Essex County - $300 for weekend camping program for handicapped scouts
• Zoological Society of New Jersey - $400 for special needs children from the Oranges to visit
• Township of Millburn - $900 for Senior citizens bus, installation of mobile phone
• Main Street Counseling Center - $650 to help furnish a group therapy room
• Community Day Nursery, East Orange: $250 to fund field trip to Bronx Zoo
• Hospital Center at Orange - $1,000 for child birth education training 
• Therapeutic Foster Home Project, Newark - $500 to help develop a resource library for foster parents
• Unity Group - $500 to support advocacy group for battered women and their children

1989-1990 TOTAL: $5,100

• Summit Child Care Center - $750 for bookcases
• Millburn High School - $1,000 for parent/child workshop on drug and alcohol abuse
• Essex Co. Ed. Services Commission, Orange - $1,000 for leadership training for handicapped students
• Livingston Community Players - $250 to help subsidize free shows at nursing homes and hospitals
• Association of Retarded Citizens, East Orange - $100 to renovate a group home living
• Orange Garden Club - $1,000 to purchase necessary materials and landscape at Isaiah House
• West Essex Community Health Services - $250 to help purchase a computer system.
• Millburn Township Beautification League - $250 to refurbish traffic islands
• Polished Acts, Inc., Orange - $500 to help fund a new life creation program for young people.