Category: Arab American Giving
A grand total of $46,000 will be distributed to deserving community groups across the country, thanks to the Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) and its commitment to unite and empower Arab Americans through collective giving.
CAAP’s community grantmaking program, supported by CAAP board members and individual donors across the U.S., allows eligible Arab American organizations to use the grants in continuing their work in their respective communities. From the program, $40,000 will support organizations varying in services including advocacy, arts and culture, cultural outreach, community organizing, education, social services and leadership development. The funds will assist with general operations to help them expand their foundations and grow their reach.
“CAAP is committed to its mission to: ‘Give Smart. Give Together.’ When we pool our resources and invest them strategically we can make a bigger impact. We are investing strategically in Arab American communities through our united effort in collective giving,” said Maha Freij, CAAP Founder.
One of the worthy nonprofits to receive a grant this year is the Network of Arab-American Professionals (NAAP), a professional association. NAAP, formed in early 2002, is dedicated to the development of an influential Arab American community connected through its national network. It exists to ensure community members find a place to develop themselves as individuals, but also grow under the umbrella of community empowerment.
“For over a decade, NAAP has thrived on its volunteer power. As we further build the network, we will compliment our volunteer strength with sustainable staff. The CAAP Operational Grant will be key to help achieve this organizational goal,” said NAAP National Vice President Eman Ahmed.
About 50 percent of CAAP’s community grantmaking funds are being distributed to arts and culture organizations, including Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture in Philadelphia, Alif Institute in Atlanta, Alwan for the Arts and Noor Theatre in New York and Radius of Arab American Writers based in Houston, Texas.
Almost 40 percent will go to human-service organizations including Arab American Action Network based in Chicago; the Arab American Heritage Council of Flint, Mich.; the Iraqi Mutual Aid Society of Chicago; and Somali Family Service of San Diego.
The remaining grant funds will be awarded to the Palestinian Youth Movement of Riverside, Calif., a youth-based organization focused on leadership.
The Teen Grantmaking Initiative (TGI), a project of CAAP comprised of dynamic youth dedicated to bettering their community through grantmaking, is also granting $6,000 from three chapters across the country to commendable organizations.
The Michigan-based TGI chapter is granting to:
- Arts and Scraps, to provide art kits to 1,600 teens in metro Detroit
- Detroit Community Health Connection (DCHC), to underwrite the cost of teen focus groups on the cause of youth and family violence in Detroit and to solicit teen’s input on solutions
- Eastside Community Network (ECN), to expand the Youth on the Edge of Greatness (YOE) program, a licensed substance abuse prevention program that targets at-risk middle school-aged youth
- HAVEN, to support HAVEN’s Spark program to train middle and high school girls to be leaders in their school communities to end gender-based violence
- TGI-San Diego, hosted by YALLA San Diego, is granting to:
- Ocean Discovery Institute, to support a youth-led community improvement project based in science and environmental exploration
- reInterpret, to support the reInterpret Studio for students and math, science and social studies projects
- TGI-Orlando, hosted by the Arab Community Center of Florida, is granting to:
- Orlando Youth and Community Trust, to support afterschool activities at the Parramore Kidz Zone
Photo courtesy of Network of Arab American Professionals (NAAP)