ISLES INC

Social profit center at mill one: is a historic former textile mill on the trenton/hamilton border that isles converted into a highperforming, mixed use regional hub for dozens of social profit organizations. The center fosters a collaborative environment for organizations to thrive and find new ways to strengthen communities through capacity building programming and technical assistance. In 2024, we maintained nearly full occupancy with 34 including 23 nonprofits. We continue to host regular tenant meetings and other programming to develop community spirited engagements that foster collaboration and enhanced impact amongst tenants and the community at large.

Isles youth institute (iyi): iyi offers alternative education options for disengaged students seeking their high school equivalency diploma, job skills, and life skills training. 25 iyi students graduated earning their high school diplomas. 46 students, community members and alumni participated in various internal and external job training, internship, and summer employment opportunities. Meaningful community service projects for more than 45 youth, which included beautifying and maintaining the trenton city hall outdoor atrium and improving community centers. 67 youth earned certifications in cpr, osha, and preapprentice construction training.

Financial services: isles continued to offer homebuyer and foreclosure counseling to prepare low and moderateincome individuals for homeownership and to help families avoid foreclosure. We also offered isles financial solutions (ifs), an employerbased financial capability initiative for lower wage workers that includes an innovative mix of financial coaching, creditbuilding finance, savings products, and groupbased learning. Ifs works with princeton university, capital health systems and local nonprofits. This year: isles had 160 customers seeking housing or foreclosure advice or assistance. 63 customers purchased a first home. 354 customers received ifs services.

Johnson learning center - to invest in the empowerment of community-based approaches and organization in both trenton and throughout nj, isles launched the johnson center for learning & impact in 2022. We designed the center for be a vehicle through which isles can advance knowledge, best practices, and resources; strengthen public policies; build stronger data and research capacity within isles; and prepare the next generation of community leaders. The center strives to maximize the reach and effectiveness of both isles and other community organizations working on similar issues throughout new jersey. It is also a bridge between public policy and on-the-ground services within the impacted communities. Unlike research that is often done in an academic vacuum, the center's role also includes cross-pollinating between research and grassroots services so that both are informed by each other. This results in actionable information and resources that can be disseminated beyond isles to drive positive change outside of the geographic scope of isles' program, research and policy work. Specifically, this year, isles johnson center staff spoke at multiple conferences across new jersey and the country, hosted events about energy affordability, building decarbonization, micro transit and lead paint remediation. The johnson center also fought for increased funding for youthbuild programs (like that run by isles youth institute) and hosted 15 summer interns who gained practical experience in research, policy, community engagement, advocacy, and project management.