NBC4, Telemundo 44 and the NBCUniversal Foundation are awarding a total of $225,000 in grants to six D.C.-area non-profit organizations as part of the first annual Project Innovation grant challenge, it was announced Monday.
The stations selected the winning organizations for their innovative programs that use technology to solve everyday problems in the areas of civic engagement, skills for the digital economy and STEM/STEAM youth programs.
"We live up to our brand of 'Working 4 You/Trabajando Para Ti' in so many ways," said Jackie Bradford, president and general manager of NBC4 and Telemundo 44. "Yet perhaps none is as significant than providing resources they can use in such significant ways."
The winning organizations' purposes for the grant range from helping veterans to helping homeless youth to helping underserved students in the D.C. area.
Below are the recipients of NBC4 and Telemundo44’s local Project Innovation grant:
Arcadia Food, Inc: The grant will be used to install a “Farm in a Box” program on the Arcadia Veteran Farm Incubator in Alexandria, Virginia, where graduates of the Veteran Farmer Program will start businesses to train veterans to start businesses that will increase availability of healthy, nutrient rich food.
Community Youth Advance, Inc.: The grant will be used for its Summer Academy which delivers additional literacy, math and STEAM hands-on activities that extend students’ learning and prevent summer learning loss.
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Manna Food Center, Inc.:The grant will support its Community Food Rescue, an innovative, technology-based system called The ChowMatch that offers real-time matching between food donors, recipient organizations and volunteer food runners.
Covenant House, Washington, D.C.: The grant will be used for its Workforce Readiness Program which encourages youth to further their professional skills and resources and maintain professional social media accounts during job searches.
The Fishing School, Inc.: The grant will go toward an afterschool program that will serve more than 345 students in Washington, D.C. communities.
Community Bridges, Inc.: The grant will help mentor a cohort of young women to design, build and install a demonstration for an urban polycrop farm in their local Silver Spring community.
Project Innovation is presented by NBCUniversal Foundation and NBCUniversal-owned TV stations. The grant challenged was announced in Jan. 2018. The grant aims to identify local organizations that embrace technology and innovation to develop real-life solutions for their communities.
The local stations create community panels to review the applications and select grant recipients. This year more than $2.4 million will be awarded across the country.
