Brick Education Network Will Use $2M Grant For COVID Relief

NEWARK, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of BRICK Education Network. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

BRICK Education Network (BEN) is among a short and impactful list of non-profit organizations based in major cities across the country chosen by global advocate against poverty and racial inequities, the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), to join forces in the ongoing COVID-19 response in hard hit communities of color. The nationwide initiative is part of a $50 million COVID-19 relief and recovery effort, of which $26 million has been committed through The Audacious Project at TED.

One of six cities across the nation selected, BEN is the only partner organization in the tri-state area and Northeast region. It will receive an initial $2 million as one of HCZ’s partnering institutions with the goal of securing an additional $2 million to further provide COVID-19 related aid.

As the only African-American led charter management organization in New Jersey, serving students and families in Newark, BEN’s model, like HCZ is rooted in a holistic approach providing families with financial, food, housing, employment, medical and mental health resources and services -- through its two- generation support division, the South Ward Promise Neighborhood (SWPN).

“BEN is humbled and honored to be selected by the Harlem’s Children’s Zone,” said Dominique Lee, Founder and CEO of BEN. “We directly serve over 1,800 students and their families in our schools and indirectly serve over 2,000 kids and families through neighborhood-based programming. The support from HCZ and The Audacious Project will allow us to continue doing the critical Covid relief work Newark’s South Ward residents desperately need now more than ever.”

“BRICK Education Network’s clear vision of unlocking the limitless potential of our young people by removing barriers to success resonates with me given the work we do in Harlem. COVID-19 poses one of the greatest threats to communities of color all across the nation, so we are excited to partner with BEN Founder and CEO, Dominique Lee, and the BEN team to ensure that communities in Newark are equipped with vital resources and information to tackle COVID head on,” said Harlem Children’s Zone CEO Kwame Owusu-Kesse. Also assisting BEN in scaling its efforts are a distinguished group of national partners including the NAACP, StriveTogether, and PolicyLink. Together, they will leverage their collective reputations as community advocates and organizers to raise awareness and identify solutions to the racial disparities magnified during this unprecedented time.

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