General Business
On Sep 16, 2025
The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) has awarded nearly $7 million in FY 2025 NJLEAD (New Jersey Locally Empowered, Accountable, and Determined) grants. Funding goes directly to nonprofits, municipalities, and training centers working on the front lines of reentry, helping people transition home, prepare for work, and stay connected to their communities.
“New Jersey has one of the lowest rates of recidivism in the nation, and we know from experience that the period after release is when people are most vulnerable to falling back into old patterns. When individuals leave custody without housing, employment, or a support system, the chances of returning to prison rise dramatically,” said NJDOC Commissioner Victoria L. Kuhn, Esq. “These grants are our way of breaking that cycle. By putting resources directly into the hands of trusted local organizations, we make sure people have real opportunities to succeed.”
NJLEAD provides resources to organizations that serve returning citizens so they can offer appropriate programs and the opportunity to rebuild lives through job training, housing assistance, case management, trauma support, and vocational skills development. These grants connect people with local organizations who know their communities best, making reentry work both personal and practical. The impact reaches far beyond individuals and represents stronger families, safer neighborhoods, and a more resilient New Jersey.
“NJLEAD is built on the belief that local organizations and communities know best how to serve their people from their communities. These grants make it possible to expand case management, trauma recovery, job training, and prerelease services in a way that is the most impactful,” said Dr. Darcella Patterson Sessomes, Chief of Programs and Reintegration Services.
The awarded grants are as follows:
Reintegration Service Coordination in Urban Communities
Supports municipalities in coordinating local reentry strategies, building partnerships, and ensuring services are accessible to residents returning home by hiring a Reentry Coordinator for the municipality who can direct residents to local supports.
| City of Paterson | $152,000 |
| City of Newark | $175,000 |
| Neptune Township | $112,750 |
Reentry Supportive Services
Funds community-based organizations that provide direct case management, housing assistance, mental health services, and other wraparound supports for people leaving incarceration.
| Team Resurrection | $160,000 |
| Helping Arms | $260,000 |
| Salvation and Social Justice | $350,000 |
| SCORES Reentry | $250,000 |
| Kommunity Kare | $175,000 |
| Habakkuk’s Vision Charitable Ministries, Inc. | $250,000 |
| Transition Professionals | $198,000 |
| The Kintock Group: Vantage Point | $350,000 |
| Education Health Centers of America | $175,000 |
| Pyramid House | $130,000 |
| Isaiah House | $275,000 |
| Reformed Church Of Highland Park | $300,000 |
| Urban League of Union County | $300,000 |
| Communities in Cooperation, Inc. | $250,000 |
| Returning Citizens Support Group | $100,000 |
| Greater Bergen Community Action | $200,000 |
| YWCA Northern NJ | $100,000 |
| Trinity Episcopal Church | $60,000 |
| Most Excellent Way Life Center | $175,000 |
Innovative Reentry Cooperative Economic Empowerment
Supports programs that build career pathways, entrepreneurship opportunities, and job readiness so that people leaving prison can earn stable wages and contribute to their local economies.
| Rutgers University – Raised | $60,000 |
| Second Chance NJ | $75,000 |
| Ideal Institute of Technology | $250,000 |
| Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship | $110,000 |
| Cathedral Community Development Center | $75,000 |
| The Workwell Partnership | $200,000 |
| Newark Workforce Development Board | $100,000 |
| The Beloved Project of NJ | $75,000 |
| African American Chamber of Commerce NJ | $250,000 |
| Union County Economic Development Corp. | $60,000 |
| Urban League of Essex County | $200,000 |
| MidAtlantic State Career and Education Center | $200,000 |
Innovative Prerelease Preparation and Vocational Training
Provides prerelease life coaching, certifications, and vocational training so that individuals leave correctional facilities with skills and credentials that can translate directly into work.
| African American Chamber of Commerce NJ | $100,000 |
| Dr. Carl Williams, LLC Counseling Services | $100,000 |
| New Jersey Performing Arts Center | $145,000 |
| Sojourn Institute, LLC | $51,000 |
| The WOW Center | $100,000 |
| The BLOC Foundation | $100,000 |
| Partners Uplifting Our Daughters and Sons | $75,000 |
| Severe Solutions | $80,000 |
| National Action Network Newark Tech World | $80,000 |
To access more business news, visit NJB News Now.
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