2021 Awardees
Mayor Lenny Curry on behalf of the City of Jacksonville and in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Jacksonville Field Office announced the 2021 recipients of the COJ/HUD Public-Philanthropic Initiative Award on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at the St. James Building - Jacksonville City Hall. Awardees were selected by an independent jury panel and presented to three Jacksonville partnerships for completed or ongoing initiatives that are executed in collaboration with community partners including philanthropy and local, state, or federal government.
The COJ/HUD Public-Philanthropic Initiative Award recognizes excellence in public-philanthropic partnerships that have both transformed the relationship between sectors and led to measurable benefits for low-and moderate-income individuals and families. This award was developed and launched by the City of Jacksonville in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development -Jacksonville Field Office. Jacksonville was the first city to locally replicate HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships national award, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in partnership with The Council on Foundations. Learn more about the Partnerships Award.
The 2021 COJ/HUD Initiative Awardees:
- MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation - Club 904 Teen Center: The MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation was selected because they filled a gap in the Durkeeville community by developing a teen center that helps teens develop skills needed to be successful in school, find steady employment, break cycles of poverty and become contributing members of the community. Click here to learn more about their organization.
- Operation New Hope - Ready4Work: Operation New Hope was selected because they have made Jacksonville the City of Second Chances that connects returning citizens with housing, transportation, and employment to break the cycle of incarceration. Click here to learn more about their organization.
- Sulzbacher - Homeless COVID-19 Response: Sulzbacher was selected because of their multi-pronged, strategic approach in response to COVID-19 which stemmed the spread of the virus among the very vulnerable homeless population.
Congratulations to the inaugural awardees – MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, Operation New Hope & Sulzbacher – for creating innovative solutions and developing cross-sector partnerships to increase the quality of life for the most vulnerable in our community. These awards highlight the power of collective impact that can be achieved through strategic partnerships.