The Princeton Area Community Foundation has been awarded a $150,000 grant from NJM Insurance Group. The five-year grant will be paid in annual installments of $30,000, and will help fund the Community Foundation’s new All Kids Thrive initiative.

“We are grateful for this tremendous support from NJM, which has been a longtime partner to nonprofits throughout New Jersey, including the Mercer County region,” said Jeffrey M. Vega, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “Our All Kids Thrive program is a bold, new initiative designed to improve the lives of young people living in poverty in our region, but we know we cannot tackle this problem alone. That’s why supporters like NJM are so important. We hope this inspires other funders to collaborate with us, as we work to ensure that All Kids Thrive.”

The Community Foundation is working to alleviate child poverty in the Mercer County region. Education can help lift children out of poverty, but to obtain an education, children must be in class. That is why the All Kids Thrive program will fund partnerships between schools and nonprofits that are working to reduce chronic absenteeism. Studies show children who miss 10 percent or more of the school year – 18 days – often lag behind their peers at every level: from early childhood, when chronic absenteeism erodes the benefits of Pre-K, to high school, where chronically absent students are more likely to drop out.

The Community Foundation will announce the 2018 All Kids Thrive grant recipients within the next several months.

“One of our core values as a company is to support the communities we’re privileged to serve,” said Mike Van Wagner, NJM’s vice president of public affairs. “For nearly thirty years, the Princeton Area Community Foundation has helped promote philanthropy and advance the well-being of communities throughout central New Jersey. We’re thrilled to be part of the All Kids Thrive initiative, and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have in our region.”