Foundation & Grantee News
How to Adjust Messaging in Current and Changing Environments
The Pascale Sykes Foundation hosted its annual grantee conference virtually this year on September 22, 2020. The conference centered on how grantees can adjust their messaging in current and changing environments as the funding landscape quickly changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion topics included: how to talk to… Read More
Pascale Sykes Foundation grantee, Cross County Connection, receives CARES Act Funding
Thanks to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to NJ TRANSIT, Atlantic County has received a grant to support transportation efforts in the county. Atlantic County is a member of the Atlantic County Community Shuttles Work Group, a collaborative, cross-sector effort led by our grantee Cross… Read More
Fostering Community Resilience Through Youth Mentorship: Q&A with Jessica Greenawalt of The Arthur Project
Take a moment to imagine your middle school self. What comes to mind first? Perhaps you think back on what it was like to adjust to a new school and academic pressures. Or you remember navigating difficult social situations with your friends, or the less than stylish haircut you had… Read More
Frances Sykes on Exponent Philanthropy: How small foundations can support grantees and leave a lasting legacy
“Listen to the grantees. They are the experts, we aren’t the experts.” In our role as a funder, listening to our grantees and the communities we serve throughout South Jersey, Jersey City and The Bronx has always been a cornerstone of our work. This approach has become all the more… Read More
Pascale Sykes Foundation on Ascend: Navigating uncertainty and strengthening families with the Whole Family Approach
“Once COVID-19 started, we at the Foundation had three goals. One was that our grantees and their families maintain as much of their gains as possible. Second, was that our families successfully address their new goals. Thirdly, that our families have proactive responses. To make sure they’re not just responding… Read More
STATEMENT FROM FRANCES P. SYKES: We Stand in Support of Black Lives
As founder and president of the Pascale Sykes Foundation, I not only stand firmly against police brutality and discrimination in any form, but also advocate against the white privilege so woven into our society that many people may not recognize it. I urge all of us to work within our… Read More
Paying it Forward: Q&A with Bob and Carey Hettmannsperger of Essl’s Dugout
How THRIVE South Jersey is Helping One 50-Year Old Business Support its Community During the Pandemic When Bob and Carey Hettmannsperger purchased the historic diner Essl’s Dugout in 2018, their goals were to put their culinary skills to use by running a successful restaurant and making delicious food for their… Read More
Three Ways the Whole Family Approach Builds Resilience to Weather Crises
By Paula Sarro, Associate Executive Director, and Debbie Panek, Director of Family and Youth Programs, Mercy Center When Mercy Center and three other service providers formed the Familia Adelante collaborative in 2017, joining forces to weather a global pandemic was not part of our mission. As a group of like-minded… Read More
Building Strong Families During COVID-19
Like many of you, the Pascale Sykes Foundation has spent the past month taking swift action to support the well-being of our grantees and the families they work with as they face the many hardships caused by COVID-19. As much as ever, our work is guided by the belief that… Read More
How My Life As a Teacher Shaped Our COVID-19 Response
By Frances Sykes Before establishing the Pascale Sykes Foundation, I worked as a elementary and middle school school teacher. For nine years, I taught everything from first-grade remedial reading to seventh-grade math in multiple states. Though the students, location and subject matter differed year to year, every classroom I taught… Read More
