Maryland 501(c)(3) · Serving Jamaica
Building Stronger Futures for Youth Through Leadership, Education & Community
JEPF is a nonprofit organization supporting at-risk youth through leadership development, education, mentorship, and community programs in Jamaica and the Washington, DC and Maryland area. Our long-term mission is to build a leadership training center in Jamaica that gives young people access to guidance, skills, and opportunities for a stronger future.
JEPF also produces Caribbean food and wine festivals featuring Caribbean cuisine, wine, live music, culture, and community experiences. Proceeds and support from JEPF Food & Wine Festivals help advance our youth development and leadership programs.
- Students supported
- 4,200+Students supported
- Years of local events
- 15+Years of events in this area
Nobody here takes a salary. The money comes from local businesses that sponsor us and from the family festivals we have run in this area for more than fifteen years.
Why a Nonprofit Runs a Business Directory
Grants are slow, and they run out. A local business that sponsors us for a year gives us money we can count on. That is what lets us tell a student their fees are covered through June instead of guessing.
The business gets something back: a listing on this site, a link, and something real to point to when a customer asks what they support. We check every business before it goes up. Our supporters range from cleaning companies to law firms.
How sponsorship worksFind a Supporter Near You
These are local businesses that put money into keeping Jamaican students in school. Search by what you need.
What We Do
Our Programs
Three programs, paid for by our festivals, our sponsors, our supporter businesses, and people who donate. All of it goes to young people in Jamaica who need it.
See all youth programs
Education & Scholarships
Books, supplies, and scholarships so a student is not the only one in class without what the lesson needs.
Leadership & Mentoring
Mentorship and leadership development. A mentor who stays in touch, notices when a student slips, and answers what nobody at home can.
Leadership Training Center
A permanent place in Jamaica where a young person can keep going after school ends. Not built yet. We are raising the money.
The Long-Term Project
A Leadership Training Center in Jamaica
One place a young person can walk into and be known. Somewhere to get leadership development, mentorship from adults who stay, and real help preparing for work. Right now none of that exists for the at-risk youth we serve.
It is not built. We are raising the money now, and every part of this site pays into it: festival tickets, sponsorships, business listings, and donations.
Ways to Support
Five Ways to Back This Work
Donate
Give once, or monthly so we can plan a full school year around it.
Volunteer
Mentor a young person, teach, work an event, or lend us a skill.
Sponsor
Put your business behind a festival, a program, or the center.
Join the Directory
Get listed as a supporter. Free to apply, pay only if approved.
Attend an Event
Come eat, hear good music, and pay for a term of school.
Our Flagship Event
The JEPF Food &Amp; Wine Festival
Caribbean food, wine, and live music, run by the people whose food it is. We have been doing this here for more than fifteen years. Every ticket pays for books, fees, and mentoring for a young person in Jamaica.
Who You Are Giving To
A Registered Nonprofit, Run by Volunteers
501(c)(3) public charity
Jamaica Education for the Poor Foundation, Inc. EIN 30-0207531, registered in Maryland. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent the law allows.
Officers take no salary
Our officers work for free. The filings show no compensation paid to any of them. Your money is not paying anyone here.
Educators on the team
Our members are teachers and graduates of Howard, the University of Maryland, and Georgetown. Several substitute teach at High Point, Roosevelt, and Northwestern.
