NJCDC Takes On New Environmental Efforts

For 30 years, NJCDC has been dedicated to ensuring the health and wellbeing of Paterson residents. Alongside our services promoting individual wellbeing, we also work hard to transform the neighborhood we serve — Paterson’s Great Falls Neighborhood — into a safe and healthy place to live, work, and visit through a variety of environmental initiatives. We’ve provided the community with safe housing units free of contaminants like lead and asbestos, new parks and playgrounds for children, communal gardening spaces, and much more, in an effort to revitalize and uplift the neighborhood. Thanks to recent grants, we can further our environmental efforts through two new exciting initiatives.

Youth Climate Action Fund

Continuing with our mission to empower young people, our Paterson Youth Council recently partnered with Mayor Andre Sayegh and the City of Paterson to launch a Paterson Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF). The YCAF, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is a worldwide campaign to fund and support youth-led environmental initiatives. Paterson youth aged 15 to 24 can now submit applications for their own initiatives focused on combating climate challenges in our city. Through this fund, we’ll distribute micro-grants of $1,000 to $5,000 to help Paterson youth create and implement innovative climate solutions in their city.

The first stage of applications is open now, and youth and youth-serving organizations have until August 2 to submit a 90-second video describing their project. The YCAF Selection Committee, made up of Paterson Youth Council members, will review each submission, and selected applicants will receive funds in September. Click here for more details and please send any inquires to info@njcdc.org.

Lead Paint Removal and Remediation

We were recently awarded $1.98 million from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to support lead remediation and abatement in the Great Falls Neighborhood. This funding is part of a state-wide endeavor to rid residential buildings of hazardous and harmful lead paint, which can cause drastic detrimental health effects. With this funding, we plan to conduct remediation or abatement in over 100 neighborhood homes, creating safer and healthier homes for families throughout the Great Falls Neighborhood.

NJCDC’s Founder & CEO Bob Guarasci said, “One of our goals at NJCDC is to make the Great Falls Neighborhood — and Paterson — a healthier and safer place for children and families. We’re so grateful to Bloomberg Philanthropies and NJDCA for funding these projects that will help us achieve that goal.”