2018 Grant Recipients
We are thrilled to introduce you to the 2018 cohort of grantees. We gave out $16,380 to 14 nonprofits doing great work in and around College Park. In total, since our founding in 2012, we have given $52,800 in six grant-making cycles.
College Park Arts Exchange | $850
The mission of College Park Arts Exchange (CPAE), founded in 1998, is to build community through the arts. CPAE brings high-quality arts events to the people of College Park and surrounding area, offering over 150 events and serving more than 6500 individuals every year. The CPCF grant will support an Arts Drop In program, provided in collaboration with Embry Center for Family Life. Arts Drop In meets a need in the Lakeland neighborhood for a high-quality youth arts program, providing students the opportunity to study art outside the school in a fun community atmosphere.
College Park Hispanic Parent Support Group | $1,500
The College Park Hispanic Parent Support Group provides a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment for Spanish-speaking parents in the College Park area. The grant from CPCF will support the group’s annual trip to Cunningham Falls, reducing out of pocket costs for the groups’ parents, most of which make below poverty-level wages.
College Park Scholars Science Technology and Society Program | $830
The STS program provides an after school robotics program for nine Prince George’s Public Schools in the area near the University of Maryland College Park. The grant fund will support expansion of the program to University Park Elementary School and provide additional robotics resources for local STEM education events in the College Park area.
College Park Seniors Committee | $600
The College Park Seniors Committee was established to support the development of a community-based, volunteer neighborhood network, evaluate issues needing more resources, and identify legislative priorities relating to the senior community. In May 2018, two professors from the University of Maryland College of Information Studies presented to the Seniors Committee. They introduced how smart-devices, like the Echo Show, have been used to address social isolation and intellectually stimulate/entertain seniors and people with disabilities. They were also interested in engaging the local senior population as part of their academic research, specifically with these devices in mind. The grant from CPCF will fund the purchase of Echo Shows to be used by seniors in College Park.
College Park Volunteer Fire Department | $1,500
The College Park Volunteer Fire Department (CPVFD) was established in 1925 with the goal of protecting the City of College Park, University of Maryland, and surrounding areas from fire-related hazards. CPVFD has since expanded, and adapted to the growth and development of College Park by adding and expanding resources. The CPCF grant will support upgraded treadmills that will provide volunteers with a reliable means to remain physically fit even when they are unable to leave the station.
Embry Center for Family Life | $1,500
The grant from CPCF will support the B.O.O.S.T (Building Our Own Success Trail) Program, which offers free homework assistance and academic enrichment activities in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The program meets three times weekly with volunteer student tutors from the University of Maryland. Participating students receive 2 hours of academic support and enrichment per session, as well as dinner and incentives based on individual achievements.
Congregations United for Compassion and Empowerment | $500
CUCE oversees The Prince George’s Plaza Day Center, which offers meal, showers, laundry, and computer services to check email and do employment applications. The grant from CPCF will help pay for increasing the capacity of the program, which continues to see more and more people make use of its services.
Friends of Greenbelt Theater | $1,000
Since 2015, Friends of Greenbelt Theatre, a 501(c)3 non-profit, has operated the historic Old Greenbelt Theatre in Greenbelt, MD, as a community-based arts organization. Over the past three years, OGT has continually offered free community programming such as our School’s Out Series, Storytime on Screen, and Monday Matinees. The grant from CPCF will help expand these programs to up to 200 students at College Park Elementary Schools.
Girls on the Run | $1,500
Girls on the Run DC serves girls in grades 3-8 with proven, evidence based curriculum that integrates character development with running instruction-delivered by trained adult mentors in a small group setting. The grant from CPCF will support expansion of this program into Hollywood Elementary School and Paint Branch Elementary School.
Lakeland Community Heritage Project | $1,500
During the era of segregation in Prince George’s County, African Americans from the northern part of the county attended Lakeland High School (LHS) from 1927 to 1950. The CPCF grant will support a one-time project to collect, organize, digitize, and present a small locally produced booklet of memorabilia held by members of the “Last Class” of Lakeland High School. The project will also include editing and production of a printed booklet of selected documents and artifacts to be distributed back to members of the Last Class and to LCHP.
Pregnancy Aid Center | $1,500
PAC’s mission is to provide high quality, culturally sensitive, individualized medical care and behavioral health services to low-income women and adolescents The majority of PAC’s clients live at or below the Federal Poverty Level. PAC’s goal is to contribute to the reduction in Prince George’s County overall infant mortality rate, which historically has been one of the highest in the state of Maryland. The CPCF grant will be used to purchase two new fetal Dopplers for early detection of fetal heartbeats.
University of Maryland Counseling, Assessment, Research, and Educational Services (CARES) Psychological Center | $1,000
The Counseling, Assessment, Research, and Educational Services (C.A.R.E.S.) Psychological Center is a newly formed psychology training clinic, providing low cost clinical and outreach services to the greater College Park area. The grant from CPCF will support a Community Mental Health Awareness Night hosted by the C.A.R.E.S. Psychological Center: a free, evening event in which community members can learn about mental health through speakers, engage in experiential activities such as mindfulness, and gain community provider information through informational booths.
University Park Elementary School PTA | $1,500
The University Park Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) supports activities to ensure that our school is a place where all students can thrive. The grant from CPCF will help fund the purchase of Chromebooks for students with a goal of providing one computer per student in grades 3 through 6. Many UPES students do not have access to computers in their own homes; using laptops at school is their only chance to experience this type of technology.
Warm Nights Program at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church | $1,500
The Warm Nights Program is a week-long shelter for 30-35 homeless people, to include 3 meals per day, toiletries, laundry, and other needed services/amenities. The grant from CPCF will support the purchase of portable space dividers to provide additional privacy to shelter guests and flexibility in configurations to the program.