I Am Trenton

What I Am Trenton does

I Am Trenton Community Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 in Trenton, New Jersey, governed by an all-volunteer board of trustees with at least 75% Trenton residents. The foundation's core function is small-dollar community grantmaking: it awards grants in the $1,000–$8,000 range to grassroots projects, small locally based organizations, and individuals — including unincorporated groups without 501(c)(3) status — across annual citywide grant rounds and neighborhood-focused programs in Downtown Trenton, Old Trenton, the Trenton Historic Development Collaborative (THDC) area, and East Trenton. Grant programs are administered in partnership with Isles, Inc. using Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) funding from the NJ Department of Community Affairs, and the foundation also runs special initiatives such as the Small Business Emergency Fund and the 'Making Trenton Even Better' themed annual rounds.

The foundation operates a community-led go-to-market model: applications are accepted in English and Spanish, in essay or video format, and community members serve as grant readers to guide funding decisions. Marketing and outreach run through the I Am Trenton website, Facebook, Instagram, email newsletters, and pre-application workshops. Revenue is sourced from individual donors, organizational/corporate sponsors, and administered funds from partner organizations such as Isles, Inc.; 100% of designated emergency-fund donations flow directly to recipients. Since inception the foundation has awarded over $867,000 to 290+ grassroots projects and is publicly campaigning to exceed $1 million in cumulative grants by the end of 2026. Leadership includes Co-Presidents Marelyn Rivera and Michelle Ruess, Treasurer Kelly Ingram, and a board drawn from local civic, educational, and small-business backgrounds.

Name

I Am Trenton

Legal name

I Am Trenton Community Foundation

Website

https://iamtrenton.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

I Am Trenton Community Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 in Trenton, NJ that awards small-dollar grants ($1,000–$8,000) to grassroots community projects, small businesses, and unincorporated groups through citywide and neighborhood-focused grant rounds administered with Isles, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation / Nonprofit Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Community grantmaking
• Grassroots project funding
• Neighborhood revitalization grants
• Small business emergency funds
• Nonprofit community foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Trenton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Individual and Organizational Donations: Receives donations from individual donors, organizations, and corporate sponsors. The foundation is funded through grass-roots contributions as well as larger institutional donors.
2. Administered Funds: Administers funds on behalf of collaborating organizations, including Isle, Inc. for NRTC (Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit) programs in specific neighborhoods.
3. Special Grant Programs: Organizes special funding opportunities such as the Small Business Emergency Fund, which raises and distributes funds for specific urgent initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

I Am Trenton Community Foundation is a nonprofit community foundation that administers small grants ($1,000 to $8,000) to grassroots community projects, small businesses, youth-led initiatives, and local artists in Trenton, New Jersey. It runs annual citywide grant rounds and neighborhood-focused programs (Downtown Trenton, Old Trenton, THDC, East Trenton) in partnership with Isles, Inc. using NJ NRTC funds, plus a Small Business Emergency Fund. All funding is sourced from individual donors, organizations, and corporate sponsors, with 100% of emergency donations directed to affected small businesses.

Product overview

I Am Trenton Community Foundation operates a grant-making platform that administers multiple neighborhood-focused and citywide grant programs, including the Downtown Trenton (DTTN) grants supporting the Creek to Canal Creative District, Citywide grants for equity and social justice initiatives across Trenton, Old Trenton Neighborhood grants, THDC grants, and the Small Business Emergency Fund. The organization also maintains a publicly accessible Project Directory showcasing all funded grassroots projects. The foundation serves as a community foundation for and by Trenton, supporting local changemakers with an all-volunteer board.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Downtown Trenton (DTTN) Grants A neighborhood grant program administered in collaboration with Isles, Inc. that supports community projects, arts, culture, beautification, and business development in the downtown Trenton area bordered by the Assunpink Creek and D&R Canal. Targeted at Trenton-based grassroots organizations and small businesses.
• Citywide Grants An annual citywide grant round funding grassroots projects anywhere in Trenton that address equity, social justice, resilience, and community improvement. Open to small, locally based Trenton people and organizations.
• Old Trenton Neighborhood Grants A neighborhood grant round funding community projects, arts, culture, beautification, and business development in the Hanover/Academy area near downtown Trenton, administered in collaboration with Isles, Inc.
• THDC (Trenton Historic Development Collaborative) Grants A neighborhood grants program focused on a portion of the inner West Ward of Trenton, administered in collaboration with Isles, Inc. and supporting grassroots organizations and resident activists. Currently paused.
• East Trenton Neighborhood Grants A now-concluded grant program that funded projects in East Trenton (North Clinton Ave area) in partnership with the East Trenton Collaborative.
• Small Business Emergency Fund A special grant fund established to support Trenton small businesses that experienced damage, providing emergency support and repairs. 100% of donations go directly to the affected businesses.
• Making Trenton Even Better 2024 A specific annual iteration of I Am Trenton's citywide grant round (the 2024 cycle) supporting innovative and inspiring grassroots projects across Trenton.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $867,000 awarded to 290+ grassroots projects since founding in 2007
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• Isles, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2020Primary strategic partner for administering neighborhood grant programs. Co-administers THDC, Old Trenton, and East Trenton neighborhood grants using NJ Department of Community Affairs NRTC funds. Isles manages NRTC funding while IAT runs the community grants component.
• Lisa Trinh and Daniella Virgen (GoFundMe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed crowdfunding effort that raised over $5,000 in one week for Small Business Emergency Fund, working with IAT to distribute emergency support to 11 small businesses after May 2020 unrest.
• City of Trenton Division of Economic DevelopmentsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated with IAT during Small Business Emergency Fund response to share information and ensure businesses received needed funding quickly.
• Trenton Downtown Association (TDA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated with IAT during Small Business Emergency Fund response; TDA had separate emergency response grant programs to complement IAT's efforts.
• East Trenton Collaborative (ETC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organizing initiative that partnered with IAT to administer community grants in East Trenton neighborhood from 2016-2017, supporting 16 projects.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Burlington County Foundation: New Jersey county-level community foundation supporting local nonprofits through competitive grants and scholarships. Directly comparable grantmaking model serving a defined sub-state geographic community.
• Princeton Area Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving greater Mercer County, including Trenton, with donor-advised funds, grantmaking, and community leadership programs. Directly comparable geographic territory and similar community-foundation mission.
• Delaware Community Foundation: Mid-Atlantic community foundation pooling charitable assets and awarding grants across Delaware. Comparable structure and scale as a state-level community foundation using donor funds to support local projects.
• Greater Newark Community Foundation: Urban New Jersey community foundation supporting Newark-area nonprofits through donor-advised funds and competitive grants. Closely comparable as a place-based New Jersey community foundation supporting grassroots projects in a post-industrial city.

Broad incumbents

• Robin Hood Foundation: Large New York City poverty-fighting foundation using grantmaking and programs to break cycles of poverty. Comparable as a place-based, anti-poverty grantmaker, but operates at vastly larger scale with a research/data-driven model.
• The Chicago Community Trust: One of the oldest and largest U.S. community foundations, aggregating donor funds to support Chicago-region nonprofits. Comparable community-foundation model and grantmaking role, but vastly larger assets and geographic scope.
• Community Foundation of New Jersey: Statewide New Jersey community foundation making grants across health, education, environment, and the arts. Comparable as a New Jersey-based community grantmaker, though it operates at much larger scale and is not hyper-local to a single city like I Am Trenton.
• The Pittsburgh Foundation: Major community foundation serving the Pittsburgh region with competitive grant rounds, donor-advised funds, and place-based initiatives. Comparable community-foundation structure and use of competitive grant rounds for grassroots applicants.

Others

• The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation: New Jersey-based private foundation funding arts, education, environment, and social justice. Comparable thematic priorities (Trenton-area, social-justice grantmaking) and is an actual IAT funding partner, but operates as a major institutional foundation rather than a grassroots community foundation.
• Isles, Inc. Trenton-based community development and environmental organization and IAT's core strategic partner for administering NRTC-funded neighborhood grants. Closely aligned mission and active operating partner, but offers direct programs rather than acting primarily as a grantmaker.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IAmTrentonCommunityFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/iamtrentoncf
• Xx.com/iamtrentoncf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about I Am Trenton