The philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of New Jersey is looking to make residents smile with its latest round of grant funding.

Last month, the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation announced 20 state-based organizations will receive more than $808,000 in awards – and in some cases multiple designations – to provide dental care and education to more than 13,000 uninsured and underinsured residents.

Reaching nearly all of the state’s 21 counties, the DDNJ Foundation said the collection of mini and major SMILE grants will be used to maintain the dental health of seniors, developmentally disabled adults and children, disadvantaged children and veterans, as well as to renew or begin programs to address the dental workforce pipeline.

To that end, a special series of grants dedicated to establishing or expanding dental assisting and school-to-career programs for high school students were funded in memory of Dr. Gene Napoliello, the foundation’s longtime chairman who passed away in 2022. Napoliello had a “passion for supporting and encouraging youth to pursue dental careers,” according to DDNJ’s website.

“For more than 37 years, a major focus of the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation has been and continues to be helping improve the oral health of New Jersey residents,” said Dennis Wilson, president and CEO of Delta Dental of New Jersey and vice president of the Delta Dental Foundation. “You can’t put a price on a healthy smile. These projects renew our oral care commitment to our communities and address the challenges they face head on.”

Recipients

• Morristown Medical Center Foundation will receive $120,000 to support dental care for approximately 750 underserved children, seniors, and those with developmental disabilities.
• Zufall Health of Dover will use its $65,000 grant to fund its annual two-day Smiles for Our Heroes event for underserved veterans.
• Matheny School of Medicine in Peapack will receive $50,000 to provide specialized oral health care to 270 developmentally disabled individuals.
• Hope Christian Services, a new grant recipient based in Wyckoff, will get $31,808 for dental equipment and supplies for intellectually and developmentally disabled populations.

The additional $514,000 in grants will go to:

• Newark Central High School’s Dental Academy – $31,500
• Paterson Public Schools Dental Clinic – $25,000
• Zufall Health Center’s Dental Assistant Training Expansion – $60,000
• KinderSmile Foundation’s Oral Health Centers and Dental Assisting program – $135,000
• Rutgers University Foundation’s VETSmile program – $25,000
• Brookdale Community College Foundation’s Dental Assisting and Dental Radiology program – $25,000
• Dental Lifeline Network’s NJ Donated Dental Services – $10,000
• Matheny School and Hospital’s Dental Center – $50,000
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center Foundation’s senior dental care program – $35,000
• Virtua Health Foundation’s children’s dental care program – $25,000
• JFK Medical Center Foundation’s senior or veterans’ dental care program – $35,000
• Overlook Foundation’s children’s dental care program – $66,510

Additional recipients include: Bergen Community College Foundation; Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Coastal & Northern NJ; Bloomfield Health Careers Foundation; Middlesex County College; Middlesex County Recreation Council and Rowan College of Burlington County.

This year’s funding marks and increase from 2022, when DDNJ Foundation awarded $761,000 throughout the state.