OVERVIEW: The Summit Area Public Foundation supports Summit, New Jersey and the surrounding communities in the areas of civic and community, health, education, special needs, elderly, and arts and culture.
IP TAKE: The Summit Foundation is a low-key community funder that makes modest grants in a restricted geographical range, serving exclusively the community of Summit in Union County, New Jersey. Like most community funders, the Summit Foundation funds broadly, preferring to distribute its modest funds to as many small, local nonprofits as possible in a wide range of focus areas. However, it does have its priorities. Its largest grants go to nonprofits working with the most vulnerable populations: children and adults with disabilities and special needs. If your work serves these groups, or the elderly, in some capacity, you have a much better chance at securing funding from Summit.
Summit is a fairly transparent funder that maintains a list of past grantees for each year dating back to 2017, including grant values and a brief description of each project funded, as well as keeping the community updated with posts to Instagram and Facebook. It is accessible as well, as it accepts proposals for its unrestricted grants twice a year with a simple, one-step application. Being a community foundation, it also manages a number of donor-advised, bequests, and restricted funds. Since most of these operate by invitation-only and do not accept unsolicited applications, it may take a little more networking to get on the foundation’s radar. Fortunately, its giving range is limited to a small community.
PROFILE: The Summit Foundation was established in 1972 as the Summit Area Public Foundation and serves as the local community foundation in Summit, New Jersey. Its mission is to “foster philanthropy by identifying local needs and offering donors flexible ways to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors” and “create enduring impact by actively engaging residents, nonprofits, and local networks in expanding resources and possibilities for people to prosper in our area.” This foundation administers approximately 50 funds, including donor-advised funds, restricted-purpose funds, unrestricted funds, and scholarship funds. As a community foundation, Summit is funded entirely by donations to its unrestricted and other funds. Funding is restricted to the town of Summit and nearby communities. Summit’s current focus areas are community resource development, food and housing insecurity, health care access, arts and culture, and education.
Grants for Education and Youth
The Summit Foundation’s grantmaking for education and youth supports “education for all ages.” It makes grants for schools, youth activities, literacy programs, and other education-related non-profits. It is a major supporter of schools and hospitals for children with disabilities and special needs, including PG Chambers School, Midlands School, Matheny School and Hospital, and Summit Speech School. Other grantees for education and youth include Paper Mill Playhouse, Literacy New Jersey, Second Street Youth Center, and Empowering Kids Organization.
The Summit Foundation also manages over a dozen Scholarships for students graduating from Summit-area high schools. Individual scholarships may have eligibility restrictions based on merit, financial need, or major or specialization. Most scholarships do not require the student to attend a university or trade school in New Jersey, only to graduate from a New Jersey high school. Donors may donate to an existing scholarship or create a new one with donated funds. Summit-area students interested in a scholarship should inquire with their high school’s guidance department.
Grants for Community Development
The Summit Foundation broadly funds projects and initiatives to improve the prosperity and well-being of the community of Summit, New Jersey. It supports “civic and community resource development,” “public space improvement and conservation,” and “cultural programs and the arts.” It also gives to projects that seek to improve economic opportunity for Summit residents. Much of Summit’s funding that does not fall into other categories is given away through unrestricted grants to community organizations working in a broad range of focuses. It gives to local nonprofits as well as municipal fundraising programs. Grantees include Summit Department of Community Programs, Summit Park Life Foundation, United Way of Union County, YMCA, Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Second Street Youth Center, and Summit Interfaith Council.
Grants for Public Health and Diseases
The Summit Foundation is a major funder of schools, hospitals, and programs for children and adults with disabilities and special needs, as well as elder care and hospice. Its annual donations to Children’s Specialized Hospital and Sage Eldercare are among its largest each year. It also supports local groups providing services in the areas of health care access, hunger, homelessness, mental health–particularly bereavement and grief counseling–and addiction. Past grantees include Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Center for Hope Hospice, Bridges Outreach, Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad, Family Promise, Our House, Good Grief, Senior Center of the Chathams, and Caring Contact.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Summit Foundation supports museums, cultural centers, music, performing arts, public art, efforts to improve public spaces, and other cultural programs and events in the Summit area. Past grantees include Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Friends of Summit Public Art, Continuo Arts Foundation, Playhouse Association, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, Vivid Stage, Arts by the People, New Jersey Jazz Society, and Summit Chorale.
Important Grant Details:
Grants generally range from $1,000 to $50,000. Grantseekers may review the foundation’s Past Grants to learn more about its recent grantmaking habits.
- The Summit Foundation’s grants exclusively serve the community of Summit, New Jersey and the surrounding Union County. Summit supports both well-established groups and grassroots organizations, including national nonprofits with branches of operation in its giving area.
- The Summit Foundation accepts applications online in two cycles per year, with deadlines generally falling on April 1 and October 1. Applicants may submit their proposals through the online grant application portal. No letter of interest is required. Grantees are expected to submit a grant report and provide publicity for the grant. Grantees may not apply for more than one grant per year or for more than three consecutive years.
- For scholarships, students should inquire with their high school’s career guidance department. Scholarships are available to Summit-area high school graduates, depending on eligibility, financial need, and merit.
- The Summit Foundation does not make grants to individuals, religious programs, programs by religious institutions that do not serve the broader community, or private schools from its unrestricted grant funds.
Grantseekers can direct general questions to the staff at info@sapfnj.org. Phone calls are not encouraged.
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