Multiple non-profit organizations and local Hillsborough groups received grant awards this year through a township-sponsored credit program.
Six different non-profit organizations received grant awards through the Hillsborough Rewards Visa Credit Card Program at an October township committee meeting.
Officials from the organizations were present to accept the ceremonial check presented by Hillsborough Township Mayor Frank DelCore, the township committee and members of the Credit Card Advisory Committee.
Approximately $4,600 total amount awarded for this year’s program, according to officials. Since the inception of the program, officials said more than $80,000 in grant monies have been issued to community-based youth, senior and local non-profit organizations.
The Fall 2019 grant recipients are the Hillsborough Baseball League; GiGi’s Playhouse Hillsborough; Boy Scout Troop 489; Hillsborough Soccer Club; Girl Scouts Service Unit 72; and the Women’s Club of Hillsborough.
“The Hillsborough Rewards Visa Credit Card program is an opportunity for our qualifying local organizations to obtain funding without any expense to our township taxpayers,” DelCore said. “By our community obtaining and utilizing this rewards Visa credit card, funds will continue to be raised for additional grant offerings.”
The grant awards bestowed upon these groups came months after Hillsborough organizations were encouraged to apply for the township endorsed grant by the end of September. DelCore made an Aug. 13 announcement that the municipality’s Credit Card Advisory Committee would accept grant applications until the end of September for the 2019 second round of grants. Officials said the program operates at no cost to the taxpayers of Hillsborough and allows individuals or businesses to sign up for it.
According to officials, the aim of the program is to give back a portion of every charge in the form of grants to nonprofit local youth and senior citizen groups as recommended by the Credit Card Advisory Committee and approved by the Hillsborough Township Committee.
Officials said the municipality partnered with Affinity Federal Credit Union to offer a Hillsborough Rewards Visa Credit Card, administered through Affinity Federal Credit Union’s Hillsborough Branch. Similar to other reward-based cards, officials said card users of the Hillsborough Rewards Visa Credit Card receive a point for every dollar spent, which they can then redeem at any future time for various reward options such as cash back, travel, gift cards, merchandise and more.
One feature of the Hillsborough Rewards Visa Credit Card through the program is that a percentage of the purchases (card usage) is returned to the Hillsborough credit card trust fund, according to officials. Funds deposited to the trust fund are then distributed to various township non-profit senior citizen groups and youth organizations through the credit card grant application process, and officials said these grant opportunities are self-funded through the account.
Past recipients who completed the application process and were recommended by the Hillsborough Credit Card Advisory Committee based on the various criteria outlined in the application have included Boy Scout Troop 1776, the Woodfern Home and School Association, the Hillsborough Rockettes & Rocket, the Hillsborough HEAT baseball team and the Family YMCA.
For more information on the Affinity Hillsborough Rewards Visa Credit Card visit www.affinityfcu.com/credit-cards/hillsborough-rewards-visa.aspx, call the Member Service Center at 800-325-0808, or visit the Hillsborough Branch of Affinity Federal Credit Union.
