KINGSTON, Jamaica – The American Friends of Jamaica, Inc. (AFJ) strives to positively impact lives through supporting reputable charities while stewarding donations from our supporters in the United States of America to Jamaica.
In February this year, the annual AFJ grant cycle closed with 81 discretionary grant application submissions. Subsequently, following a rigorous evaluation process by the AFJ Grants Committee, 47 grant applications were approved to be awarded during the Grant Ceremony on May 7, 2024.
Grant awards were presented at this official ceremony hosted by The Honorable N. Nick Perry, U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica at the United States Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica.
American Friends of Jamaica Grant Recipients
Combined with Donor Advised Grants, a total of 47 grants were presented. The full list of grants to be presented during the ceremony are:
- A New Jamaica of Peace
- Alpha School of Music
- Bethel Baptist Church
- BREDS – Treasure Beach Foundation
- Busy Bee Educational Enrichment, Inc.
- Child Resiliency Program, VPA
- Christel House Jamaica
- Church Teachers College
- Cornwall Regional Hospital/WRHA
- Creative Language-Based Learning (CLBL)
- Fight for Peace International
- Friends of Hopewell
- Half Way Tree Primary School
- Institute of Jamaica
- Jamaica Conservation & Development Trust
- Jamaica Musical Theatre Company
- Journey 2 Free
- Lara Otunla Counseling Center
- Lupus Foundation of Jamaica
- Mission of Sight
- Musson Foundation
- National Education Trust- Level Up
- National STEM Centre
- Project STAR, Rose Town Foundation
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church
- Sagicor Foundation
- Seprod Foundation
- Southern Basketball Conference
- St. Mary’s Preparatory School
- St. Patrick’s Foundation/Riverton Meadows
- Stand Up for Jamaica
- STEM Boost Program
- The University of the West Indies, Mona
- Trench Town Primary
- UWI – Amb. Sue M. Cobb Scholarship
- UWI – Amb. J. Gary Cooper Scholarship
- UWI – Amb. Glen Holden Scholarship
- UWI Kathleen Newman Scholarship
- UWI – Kevin Akindele Wright Scholarship
- UWI – Klotz Family Scholarship
- UWI – Margaret “Peggy” Steuart Scholarship
- UWI – Ralph & Ricky Lauren Scholarship
- UWI – Sydney A Phillips Scholarship
- Violence Prevention Alliance
- VM Foundation Limited
- Youth Nutrition Program
Impacting Education, Healthcare and Economic Development
“The AFJ believes in reducing education inequity, investing in skills-building opportunities and improving patient-care. This year’s grants are an inclusive representation of our mission to impact Education, Healthcare and Economic Development in Jamaica,” states Caron Chung, Executive Director.
The Very Reverend Canon Sirrano Kitson offered solemn commemorative tributes to recently deceased AFJ President Emeritus Ambassador Glen Holden and AFJ Director Emeritus Ambassador Gary Cooper.
We were delighted to have Minister of Education, Fayval Williams deliver remarks following and inspiring introduction by Permanent Secretary, Dr. Kasan Troupe.
The AFJ’s grantmaking cycle begins in November, grantees are selected once per year. The AFJ is able to award grants from proceeds raised from annual fundraisers in New York and Miami, private foundations, corporate partnerships, donor direct contributions and the AFJ online giving platform.
