Maarten Jacobs

Maarten Jacobs, MSW, is the Director of Community Prosperity at the Allyn Family Foundation in Syracuse, New York. The foundation, founded in 1954, is committed to a collaborative partnership with organizations and the community to build strong families and vibrant neighborhoods in Central New York. In this new role at the Allyn Family Foundation, he is co-developing a Community Prosperity Initiative which aims to disrupt concentrated poverty in targeted Syracuse neighborhoods by empowering residents to fulfill their full potential, while contributing to the wellbeing of their families and the revitalization of their neighborhoods. Within this initiative, a strong focus is being placed on creating economic opportunities, economic empowerment, and vibrant neighborhoods where residents are empowered to transform their communities into the places where their families thrive. 

Since 2019, Maarten, in his role with the foundation, has served as the executive director of the Syracuse Urban Partnership (SYRUP).  SYRUP was formed as a new not-for-profit organization to design, construct, and manage the Salt City Market.  The Salt City Market is a new mixed-used building located at the southern end of downtown Syracuse. It features 26 mixed-income apartments, not-for-profit office space, and a 24,000 square foot food hall on the first floor featuring 10 food vendors, a bar and coffeeshop, and a full-service grocery store.  The food hall was designed to show off Syracuse’s culture, richness, and grit while providing minority and women-owned businesses a place to building generational wealth doing what they love. 

Most recently, Maarten has also begun serving as the executive director of the SEED Syracuse Inc. a new not-for-profit organization formed to redevelop underutilized commercial mixed-use properties in the City of Syracuse. Since being in that role, SEED Syracuse Inc. has purchased the Chimes building, a 150,000-square-foot historic building that will be renovated into 152 mixed-income apartments and will house 5 commercial tenants on the first floor.  

Prior to working for the Allyn Family Foundation, Maarten was the executive director of the Near Westside Initiative (NWSI), a nonprofit organization working to combine the power of art, technology, and innovation with neighborhood values and culture to revitalize Syracuse’s Near Westside, also known as the SALT District. In that role over the course of seven years, Maarten worked diligently to ensure that the neighborhood residents of the Near Westside were actively engaged in the revitalization taking place in their neighborhood and ensuring that the community’s best interests were represented. 

In addition to his work with the Allyn Family Foundation, Maarten taught Community Economic Development at the Syracuse University School of Social Work. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in Social Work with a concentration in Community Development and Social Action from the University of Maryland. 

Maarten has received recognition for his efforts with the Near Westside Initiative and the Allyn Family Foundation by receiving the MLK Jr. Unsung Hero Award at Syracuse University in 2016, receiving the 2019 Wisdom Keeper award from FOCUS Greater Syracuse, and receiving the 2024 Interfaith Leadership Award from Interfaith Works.