Newark Nonprofit Earns $70K Grant To Teach Meditation, Self-Healing

NEWARK, NJ — A $70,000 grant from the Kataly Foundation will help a nonprofit in Newark to spread “meditation, mindfulness, self-care and self-healing” in the Brick City.

The Newark Center for Meditative Culture (NCMC) recently announced that it will get the well-received windfall from the foundation’s Mindfulness and Healing Justice program, which supports community-based mindfulness programs, teacher trainings and restorative practice retreats led by and for Black, Indigenous and communities of color.

The grant will be distributed in two parts, with the NCMC having already received $30,000 this year and $40,000 to be disbursed in the next grant cycle in 2023.

According to the nonprofit, the funds will help it to increase the capacity for its meditation classes, healing workshops, mindful movement sessions and other programs. The funding will be used to operate NCMC’s brick-and-mortar space located in downtown Newark and to hire freelance contractors to support volunteer staff.

This is the second grant that the NCMC has earned from the foundation. The first grant, awarded in 2021, funded the nonprofit’s BIPOC Mindfulness Retreat in Nature, which took place in June.

“We are very grateful for the generous support of the Kataly Foundation,” said Ib’nallah S. Kazi, spiritual director of the Newark Center for Meditative Culture.

“The Kataly Mindfulness and Healing Justice grant will directly impact local residents and will help us educate them about mindfulness and meditation techniques that will positively impact their lives,” Kazi said.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.