South Ward Wellness Center receives $500,000 Burke Foundation grant

Thriven Design is happy to congratulate BRICK Networks and the South Ward Wellness Center project team on a $500,000 capital investment grant from The Burke Foundation toward maternal and family wellness programs. The grant, announced Monday, November 10, is a portion of $6.5 million in funding that the Burke Foundation is committing toward maternal and infant health and early childhood development in New Jersey.

Thriven Design is providing architecture, engineering, sustainable design and interior design services toward the creation of BRICK Networks’ South Ward Wellness Center. The 45,000 square foot multi-use facility is anticipated to provide culturally responsive health and wellness services to 2,000 Newark residents annually when it opens in the latter half of 2026.

The Center will include: a branch of the Newark YMCA, offering fitness and wellness options to South Ward residents; prenatal care, maternal care, and support programs offered by South Ward Healthy Beginnings; and a 12,000sf Federally Qualified Health Center operated by St. James Health, that will offer medical care to individuals and families, regardless of patients’ ability to pay.

The South Ward Wellness Center with use the Burke Foundation grant to fund doula care; expand its CenteringPregnancy, CenteringParenting, and HealthySteps initiatives; provide lactation assistance to new parents, as well as mental health counseling and workforce training.

To learn more about the Burke Foundation and the other 2025 Maternal and Infant Health Grant recipients, visit https://burkefoundation.org/uncategorized/burke-foundation-announces-6-5-million-in-multi-year-investments-to-strengthen-maternal-and-early-childhood-health-in-new-jersey/.