Six small nonprofits and neighbors are receiving thousands of dollars to support their community engagement projects aimed to improve the lives of people in Reading.
The Wyomissing Foundation and Barrio Alegría announced the winning projects that received a combined total of $25,000 to empower local changemakers to get the community active and connect people to the arts, community, and services they need. The grants are known as FARO grants. FARO means “lighthouse” in the Spanish language, alluding to the search for traditionally under-supported community projects.
Winners are selected each year by a committee of neighbors rather than nonprofit executives and board members. Pat Giles is the president of The Wyomissing Foundation, which provides the funding for the projects. She said that having neighbors navigate the selection process is essential to the grant.
“This grant program is all about neighbors helping neighbors,” Giles said. “So, it just makes sense for a group of neighbors to also be the ones to evaluate the grant requests and make the tough choices about which ones they believe will make the most difference in the community.”
Barrio Alegría acts as the convener for the grant process, asking active community volunteers to partake in the review committee and ultimately decide on who receives the grants. Barrio’s director of operations, Anthony Orozco, said he was happy to see so many different, innovative projects among the applications.
“It was important for us to attract not only small nonprofits, but also just everyday people with great ideas,” Orozco said. “We received more than 20 amazing applications, and this year we have lots of awardees who are neighbors with that spirit of action and creativity we look for.”
This year marks a total of $125,000 in accessible funds dedicated to community initiatives since 2022. The grants go through nonprofit organizations, so applicants who do not have their own nonprofit were paired with established organizations in the area. While it’s common for five grants to be awarded, this year six projects were able to be funded due to budget requests and committee interest. The awarded projects are:
- Artist Development Series by Berks County rapper and producer GMS; sponsored by the Yocum Institute for Arts Education.
- Cypher at the Squares City Park hip-hop dance meetups by Maldonado Arts and Movement Foundation; sponsored by Barrio Alegría.
- “23” The Aftermath of Gunviolence, safe spaces for grieving neighbors by Shaykayarira Delrio-Gonzalez; sponsored by Centro Hispano Daniel Torres.
- Cultivating Connection: A monthly women’s gathering series by Flowers From Us, To Us; sponsored by Tec Centro Berks.
- Alive: Trauma-Informed Kickboxing and Therapeutic Services for Vulnerable Populations, by Alive Trauma Informed Kickboxing and Therapeutic Services; sponsored by Betterview Counseling and Trauma Recovery
- Business English Cohort for Unfunded Small Businesses by Small For Small.
The grants looked specifically for projects that get neighbors involved over a long period of time rather than single, one-off events, according to Giles.
“One-day events can be fun, informative and bring people together in a variety of ways, but only for a very limited amount of time,” Giles said. “Community engagement initiatives can provide deeper interaction, learning and support over a longer period of time, which have a better chance for building relationships and developing skills or knowledge that benefit people more intensely.”
Orozco said he looks forward to seeing the projects take flight over the next year.
“This is a unique opportunity for these neighbors,” Orozco said. “This is going to be a learning experience for many of them and for some of them, this might even become a defining moment of their lives. We’re just honored to be a part of it in a small way.”
