Bayer Fund, the philanthropic arm of life sciences firm Bayer, announced Monday that it has awarded $4 million in grants to 250 charities and nonprofits in the U.S., including several in New Jersey.
The grants are going to programs supporting one or more of Bayer Fund’s key focus areas: food and nutrition; science, technology, engineering and math education; health and wellness; and community development. The fund said a good portion of the money would help with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bayer, which has its U.S. headquarters in Whippany, said it also awarded $2 million to initiatives directly tied to the COVID-19 crisis.
“We’re proud to support these organizations and help strengthen them to make meaningful impacts in the communities they serve,” Bayer Fund President Al Mitchell said in a prepared statement. “Now, more than ever, we need to make sure we provide them with the tools they need, such as programming and other resources to support their communities in such unprecedented times.”
The company said $585,000 of the grants were awarded to nonprofits in the New Jersey and New York region.
Several of the organizations fight food insecurity, including:
- Community Foodbank of NJ, based in Hillside, which received $170,000 for programming, plus $100,000 to support COVID efforts;
- Interfaith Food Pantry in Morris Plains, which received $50,000;
- nourish.NJ in Morristown, which received $25,000; and
- Faith Kitchen in Dover, which received $15,000.
In addition, Students 2 Science, based in East Hanover, received $125,000 to support its STEM programming.
“Bayer Fund’s generous support of our mission during this critical time is twofold,” Carlos Rodriguez, Community Foodbank of NJ’s CEO and president, said in a statement. “Not only will the funds help us buy more food as we work to meet the unprecedented increase in need, but they will also allow us to purchase a 26-foot box truck for the food bank that will bolster our operations and expand our capacity to get that food out to where it’s needed most.”
The first $710,000 of the COVID initiative also targets food insecurity, with $200,000 of that slated for the New Jersey and New York areas, Bayer said.
Bayer Fund said it awarded more than $14 million to more than 3,200 organizations in 2019, and has given more than $79 million to nonprofits over the past five years.
