Ironbound Community Corp.

Joe Della Fave is executive director of the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC), which empowers residents of the Ironbound section of Newark — a diverse neighborhood of 50,000 people – to build better lives for themselves and a better community for all who call the Ironbound home.

As the leading social service organization in the Ironbound, ICC takes a unique approach to delivering quality services by linking them with community planning, development, and activism.

This ongoing effort to transform lives and community began in 1969 when residents started a preschool as a grassroots response to a growing need for childcare. Today, ICC remains loyal to its original commitment to develop grass-roots solutions to neighborhood needs.

In addition to serving nearly 1,000 people daily with social services and agricultural programs ICC plays a leadership role in organizing and collaborating with community members and with stakeholders on a range of neighborhood issues — from affordable housing and economic development to safe streets, clean air, and educational opportunities for adults and children. All of this happens with the support of foundations, government, and community members, investing in positive changes in the Ironbound.