Downtown Hightstown, Inc., an all-volunteer group made up of residents, business owners and stakeholders, is now a nonprofit organization, making contributions tax-deductible and eligible for nonprofit-specific grants, according to a news release.

“This is a great endorsement of Downtown Hightstown’s role as a community hub,” Ryan Rosenberg, chair of Downtown Hightstown, Inc., said in a statement. “We’ve worked hard to build partnerships that make everyone more successful in improving the town, and having nonprofit status will help us generate funding for projects that will further energize our downtown.”

The organization, established in 2008, strives to improve the visual appeal and desirability of the borough’s downtown area, according to the release. The nonprofit status is effective retroactively to May 1, 2009.

“The organization’s new designation as a public charity creates a promising opportunity for future cultural, educational, and historical preservation initiatives, such as a public mural project currently under development,” the release said.

Downtown Hightstown holds meetings the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Hightstown Memorial Library.