Foundation grants benefit local nonprofits

Two local organizations are among the 20 recipients of grants from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. The foundation announced its third round of grants for 2009. Since January 2009, the foundation has awarded $987,250 in grants.

The Monmouth County Arts Council in Red Bank received a grant of $5,625 to support the Monmouth County Teen Arts Festival. The festival provides young artists a venue to exhibit their work. The artists receive critiques from professional artists while attending workshops, performances and exhibits. The 2010 Teen Arts Festival will be held March 18-19 at Brookdale Community College and will serve 2,300 teens.

In addition, Solutions Pregnancy & Health Center in Shrewsbury received a grant of $8,000 to support its Straight Talk Disease & Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. The program pairs young men and women volunteers in teams to present ageappropriate information and practical strategies on healthy lifestyle choices to 4,400 middle school and high school students in Monmouth County.

The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey supports charitable organizations that promote health and the arts throughout New Jersey.