COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

Winter 2026

Grants totaling $585,400 were awarded by Partners for Health in the Fall of 2025 to provide direct service and general operating support to organizations that address health inequities:

• United Way of Passaic County - Outreach, education and systemic changes to promote food security in Clifton (2-year project grant totaling $70,000).

• CUMAC - Mobile pantry service delivery in Clifton and Little Falls, and same-day benefits enrollment (1-year general operating grant of $25,000).

• New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance - A statewide coalition that advances health equity and climate justice for residents who are disproportionately affected by pollution and disinvestment (1-year general operating grant of $30,000).

• New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children - Statewide legal services and policy advocacy in support of immigrant youth and their families (2-year general operating grant totaling $120,000).

• Montclair Ambulance Unit - To provide 24/7 emergency medical services, mutual aid, and community health training (3-year general operating grant totaling $150,000).

• New Jersey Food Security Access Fund - A funding collaborative to leverage federal nutrition programs, and advance food security initiatives (3-year project grant totaling $90,000).

• Produce Purchasing Program - Support for community food providers who distribute fresh produce to households facing financial difficulties (1-year grants to multiple organizations totaling $100,400).

Small Grants were also awarded last year to organizations that included:

• Brothers Building A Better Nation for the Intensive In Community Therapy program

• City Green in Clifton for technology, and to increase cold storage capacity.
  
• Make the Road New Jersey to advocate for healthy homes and workplaces for low-income New Jerseyans.
  
• Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris for Integrated Case Management Services.

• Montclair Emergency Services for Hope (MESH) for overnight respite during the 2025-26 winter season.

• Montclair Public Library Foundation to produce a multimedia toolkit on current New Jersey housing housing laws and tenants’ rights. 

• Montclair State University's Transformative Education Network to establish learning communities and wellness programming to combat health inequities and systemic stressors for teachers.

• 1in6 Support to sustain caregiver support and advocacy training.

• The Jersey Bee to engage West Orange community leaders and residents in identifying local information needs.

Partners for Health awards grants in the Spring and Fall. Small Grant requests of up to $15,000 are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. 

Spring 2026 Pre-Application Forms are due on February 23. Click the link below to get started!

BOARD OFFICERS 2026-2027

Congratulations to Casey Castañeda and Ammar Idelbi who have been elected to serve as Co-Chairs of the Partners for Health Foundation Board. The other newly elected officers are Abdur R. Yasin, First Vice Chair; Jenny Peck, Second Vice Chair and Secretary; and Steve Reid, Treasurer.

Read their bios.

Partners for Health recognizes that funding alone is not enough. Nonprofit leaders navigate relentless pressure, complex decisions, and deep responsibility with little margin for error.

The 2026 Collective Leadership and Action (CLA) was created for this moment.

CLA responds to the reality that today's leaders need more than technical skills - they require courage, reflection, accountability, and sustained support. Participants will engage through experiential learning, case studies, simulations, storytelling, and real-time problem-solving focused on equity, power, scarcity, and impact.

This is leadership for the moment we are in,

and the future we are building together.

About Partners for Health

Partners for Health is a community-based organization that works toward a vision of thriving communities ensuring health for all. The Foundation invests in programs, policies and organizations that lead to healthy communities and increased opportunities to thrive. It knows that everyone prospers when the needs of those who experience health inequities are recognized and supported. Through partnering with community organizations, Partners for Health strives to advance health equity through learning, grantmaking and advocacy.



The Foundation awards grants to eligible organizations that provide direct service in Montclair, New Jersey and surrounding communities, including 13 municipalities in Essex County, plus Clifton and Little Falls in Passaic County. It also funds statewide organizations that support local coalitions or advocate for statewide policy change to advance health equity and social justice.