(NEWARK, NJ) -- Three Parent Fellows from Arts Ed Newark's Arts Ambassadors Program have been selected to receive Prudential Community Grants. Six parent fellows applied, with Maria Oluwayemi of the South Ward, Oluwamodupe Idowu of the South Ward and Xilena Woods of the West Ward receiving between $2,500-$5,000 of funding for their projects, which will "increase resident access to opportunity and improve quality of life" in the city of Newark.

The CFNJ grants site shares, “Local change makers and leaders often have the solutions to support their neighborhoods, but typically do not have access to financial resources.” This opportunity is giving community members and parents alike the capacity to not only develop ideas and solutions but implement them in their own neighborhoods.

Oluwayemi will give away Back to School backpacks with literacy supplies to increase youth engagement in reading and writing. Idowu will adopt a school in the South Ward to distribute Art Boxes, increasing Arts Education to youth beyond the classroom; and Woods will be offering a free six-week introductory multi-discipline dance program for youth ages 5 to 10 years old, ‘providing access to one of the most liberating forms of art expression’.

Arts Ed Newark would like to give a special thank you to Arts Ambassadors Program Facilitator, Kaleena Berryman for her leadership in guiding the Parent Fellows in the application process from start to finish. Arts Ed Newark is proud of all of their parents/caregivers and is looking forward to supporting the recipients in seeing their projects to fruition.

For more information on Arts Ed Newark’s Arts Ambassadors Program, click here.

Through the fiscal sponsorship of Newark Arts, Arts Ed Newark is an alliance supporting collaboration in the community, enabling partners to reach over 40,000 children with high-quality arts programming. We are sector-builders and connectors, helping youth-serving organizations collectively bring access to arts education in Newark to scale. Our network builds organizations’ capacity, navigate systems, and capture impact so partners can focus on engaging our children in the wonder of the arts.