JN Foundation offers grant funding for community projects

Approved projects can access grant funding of up to J$1.5 million, to address issues related to health and safety; education and sports development at the community level.

Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation, said the organisation is collaborating with the JN Circle to implement the projects. The deadline for proposals is November 30.

For proposals to be considered, they must:
• Fit within the themes/focal areas
• Be sustainable and impactful
• Have measurable and realistic outcomes; and
• Budget aligned with grant amount

“The proposals must be an initiative being implemented by chapters of the JN Circle and their partner organisations. Projects should be for the benefit of the community and not an individual,” explained Allen.

She urged persons to visit the JN Circle website at https://www.myjncircle.com, to learn about the JN Circle, and join a local chapter so that they can be a part of an initiative in their community.

“The foundation prepared JN Circle members to identify and develop projects which will create positive impact in their communities,” Ms Allen went on to say. “We hosted training sessions to ensure the ideas presented were sustainable, measurable and importantly, they would achieve the JN Circle mandate of community building.”

Welcoming the initiative, Phillip Service, president of the JN Circle Falmouth, noted the positive impact the funds could create. He added that all JN Circle members should use this opportunity to access needed funding for their respective community projects.

“This is an opportunity for community leaders to add some value to what is being offered at the community level. Certainly, it will make a significant contribution to education, or any of the social issues being faced by the community,” Service said.

“This is also an opportunity to also develop leaders, who are consciously able to respond to those issues,” he added.

The JN Foundation established a pool of J$15 million, to be accessed by chapters of the JN Circle for the funding initiatives, which will serve to improve their communities. A selection committee is in place to review applications and determine the winning projects.

The JN Circle is a network of clubs, which comprises JN members and customers of the companies in The Jamaica National Group. It was introduced in August 2019; and allows members and customers, who share JN's values, to take action aimed to improve outcomes for themselves and for all Jamaicans, wherever they reside. There are 16 JN Circle clubs across the country.