(SUMMIT, NJ) -- The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (VACNJ) was recently awarded a $12,000 grant by The Summit Foundation to help fund outreach programs with Summit area nonprofits serving seniors, adults with disabilities, and underserved youth.

“We’re incredibly grateful to The Summit Foundation for this generous grant, which will greatly strengthen our ability to deliver impactful in-community programs for Summit residents,” said Melanie Cohn, Executive Director of the Art Center. “Their ongoing support is essential to sustaining our work with partner organizations and advancing our mission of transforming lives through the shared experience of art.”

Specifically, the funds provided by The Summit Foundation will be used by VACNJ to help fund: Art from the Heart at SAGE Eldercare; Language and Literacy Through Art with Empowering Kids Organization (EKO): Art Intensive with Summit PEP; and Education, Careers & Lifelong Community (ECLC) PRIDE programs.

“We are pleased to support VACNJ—right here in Summit—and its capacity to deliver hands-on art experiences to people of all ages and abilities, so they may delight in the exploratory facets of creating art,” said Dana Turk, President of The Summit Foundation.

The Summit Foundation fosters philanthropy and strengthens resources to address local needs and enhance lives in the Summit, NJ area. In the past 10 years, it has invested over $10 million in the community through grants, scholarships, donor-advised distributions, and special purpose funds.

For more than 90 years, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey has been exclusively dedicated to viewing, making, and learning about contemporary art. Recognized as a leading non-profit arts organization, the Art Center’s renowned Studio School, acclaimed exhibitions, and educational outreach initiatives serve thousands of youths, families, seniors, and people with special needs annually.

The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is located at 68 Elm Street in Summit, New Jersey. Gallery hours: Monday–Thursday, 10:00am–8:00pm; Friday & Saturday, 10:00am–5:00pm; and Sunday, 11:00am–4:00pm. Please call 908-273-9121 to confirm holiday hours.

Major support for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is provided by the Wilf Family Foundations; New Jersey State Council on the Arts; and the Art Center community of supporters.