NBC10, Telemundo62 and Comcast NBCUniversal announced more than $227,000 has been awarded to eight local nonprofit organizations through the 2024 NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants. Since 2018, NBC10 and Telemundo62 have now provided more than $1.5 million to 51 local nonprofits through the grant program.
Now in its seventh year, the competitive grant challenge provides unrestricted funding to eligible nonprofits that provide vital support to Philadelphia-area communities in the categories of youth education and empowerment, next-generation storytellers, and community engagement. The 2024 application period for eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits began March 19 and concluded April 19.
“NBC10 and Telemundo62 are excited to honor eight local non-profit organizations with grants for unrestricted funding through the NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant program,” said Ric Harris, President and General Manager of NBC10, Telemundo62 and NBC Sports Philadelphia. “We salute these organizations and their impact on helping our communities thrive.”
The 2024 NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants are providing $2.5 million in funds to nonprofits serving one of NBC- and Telemundo-owned stations’ 11 U.S. markets, which are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Miami, San Diego, and Hartford, Conn. Founded in 2018, NBCUniversal’s grant program has now provided $18.5 million to 546 nonprofits across the country.
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The 2024 NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant recipients in the Greater Philadelphia region are:
- ArtSmart - $34,315.72
- ArtSmart transforms the lives of youth in under resourced communities across the U.S. through tuition-free music lessons and mentorship by paid, professional artists. Their music mentorship framework is designed to provide youth a pathway to academic, economic, and emotional stability by harnessing the proven cognitive and social-emotional benefits of these opportunities. They empower their students to succeed in all facets of life by equipping them with the tools and meaningful relationships critical to their creative and personal growth.
- Niche Clinic - $25,000
- The Niche Clinic helps equip vulnerable persons with financial literacy, financial assets, structured use of financial institutions, and employment preparation to improve their financial well-being. Their approach integrates financial literacy with experiential workforce preparation in the form of paid fellowships with small businesses. Over 1,500 individuals, primarily Black youth aged 13-24, have been served by their school-based and community-based programs since July 2023. By providing an alternative to criminal sentencing that lays the groundwork for long-term financial stability, the Niche Clinic makes our communities safer and more prosperous.
- People Advancing Reintegration-Recycle Works - $42,957
- As a long-term solution to recidivism, People Advancing Reintegration-Recycle Works (PAR), is a social enterprise that provides transitional employment for individuals returning to society from prison. Previously incarcerated individuals who participate in the program obtain financial stability, develop, and strengthen their job skills on a path to full-time permanent employment. While doing so, PAR also serves the needs of the broader community by providing environmentally responsible recycling of electronics & secure data destruction. They provide "Green Jobs" to their program participants diverting over 500,000 pounds of e-recyclables from landfills each year.
- Project Libertad - $45,000
- Project Libertad's mission is to empower newcomer immigrant youth by providing essential, youth-led, and youth-centered legal and social services -- the only such services available in the Greater Philadelphia area. By filling this gap in needed services, the Chester County nonprofit furthers its vision of a world where all newcomer immigrant youth have access to the legal services, social services, academic support, and leadership opportunities needed to thrive.
- Teachers' Teammates - $35,000
- Teachers’ Teammates collects suitable school supplies to distribute to the students and teachers in under-resourced schools in Delaware County, PA. They provide an easy avenue for businesses and the community to donate new and like-new goods that can be re-purposed by local teachers and students. The member-based nonprofit makes it as easy as possible for donations to be dropped off, volunteers to contribute time and for teachers’ orders to be delivered to their schools.
- Big Picture Alliance - $25,000
- Big Picture Alliance (BPA) empowers marginalized youth to define their own narrative through free filmmaking and media arts programs across Philadelphia. Their pathway of after school, summer, and workforce programs mentor youth, ages 12-24, from script-to-screen and from curiosity-to-careers. They bring professionals into classrooms and communities to teach digital storytelling through hands-on project-based programs in partnership with schools, industry leaders, and cultural institutions. Youth develop digital literacy, self-expression, social-emotional empowerment, civic engagement, and 21st-Century skills through producing original films which they present at industry field trips, screenings, and their annual film fest.
- Unscripted Project - $10,000
- The Unscripted Project's mission is to equip students with the building blocks for personal and professional success through the power of an improv education. Programs are free for public schools, removing financial barriers to arts education. The nonprofit’s approach ensures arts education is accessible, relevant, and responsive, embodying their deep commitment to equity and accessibility. Classes elevate student voices and experiences, reminding them that they already have everything they need to tell stories and engage in community artmaking. The nature of improv keeps overhead costs low, allowing a greater percentage of their funds to directly benefit students and their diverse staff.
- Urban Creators - $10,000
- Urban Creators' mission revolves around the "Six Pillars of Sovereignty": food, art, education, healing, community organizing, and social entrepreneurship. Since their inception in 2010, food access and food justice have been core aspects of their work. Serving North Philadelphia communities that face severe food apartheid, Urban Creators is dedicated to enhancing food-growing capabilities, expanding agricultural knowledge and practices, and fostering connections between neighbors and the land, as well as the foods that are important to them.
For more information on the NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants, visit localimpactgrants.com and the Spanish-language becasdeimpactolocal.com, and follow on social @NBCUFoundation and #LocalImpactGrants.
