Tue | Jun 9, 2026

US Embassy grants J$37m in funding for youth development, human rights, environment

Published:Monday | February 26, 2024 | 12:08 AM
United States Ambassador N. Nick Perry (front, centre) and Public Affairs Officer Mike Lavallee (front, second right) share in a photo op with grant awardees (front row, from left) Professor Dale Webber, Shanna-Lee Thomas, Verol Billett, and (second row, f
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United States Ambassador N. Nick Perry (front, centre) and Public Affairs Officer Mike Lavallee (front, second right) share in a photo op with grant awardees (front row, from left) Professor Dale Webber, Shanna-Lee Thomas, Verol Billett, and (second row, from left) Alex Morissey, Claudette Richardson-Pious, Vanessa Parkinson, Dr Kai Morgan-Campbell, Ashley Jones, as well as (back row, from left) Khalia Hall, David Walters and Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones.

The United States (US) Embassy, Jamaica has issued grants of more than J$37 million to seven local non-governmental organisations, aimed at positively impacting lives and communities.

The grants were issued to support programmes in the areas of youth development, human rights, and environmental protection. The awardees are Children First Agency, Esirom Foundation, KAHLE Journey, The Humpty Dumpty Institute, Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT), Jamaicans for Justice, and the UWI Discovery Bay Marine Lab.

US Ambassador N. Nick Perry officially presented the grants to the awardees during a handover ceremony, held at the US Embassy in Kingston.

The ambassador congratulated each of them on their achievements and went further to encourage the representatives to “positively impact the lives of Jamaicans through providing opportunities for growth and transformation”.

Representatives from the respective beneficiaries also used the opportunity to share details on their individual projects and their anticipated outcomes with the ambassador.

Perry was joined by the embassy’s public affairs officer, Mike Lavallee, and other embassy officials, who celebrated with the awardees.

The US Embassy’s Small Grants Program forms part of the US government’s effort to support activities that address the climate crisis, promote youth empowerment, strengthen democracy and human rights, stimulate trade and development, and uphold the rule of law.

The US Embassy will issue a new call for proposals aimed at these priority areas in March 2024 for its next round of grants.

Potential applicants may visit the US Embassy’s website at jm.usembassy.gov or its social media platforms @USEmbassyJA on Instagram and X, and US Embassy Jamaica on Facebook for future updates.