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The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers’ 2023 – 2027 Strategic Plan reimagines the future for CNJG. As a result of the extensive strategy development process, the plan includes a renewed vision, mission, core values, and goals. The work is informed by previous efforts, and current issues and trends impacting philanthropy and society.

The 2023 - 2027 Strategic Plan is a roadmap for the next five years, built upon CNJG's past strategic plans and learnings. We look forward to executing this plan, the additional learnings and opportunities it will bring, and delivering on these goals to move us into the future.

As a follow-up to our Giving in Indiana study (released earlier this year), Indiana Philanthropy Alliance is pleased to share this snapshot of promising practices for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in Indiana philanthropy. Throughout our state, foundations are incorporating the values of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into their organizational cultures; engaging diverse populations as staff, board members, donors, and grantees; and working to make their communities more welcoming places. This report is an effort to capture a sampling of these endeavors.

More than a decade ago, the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and Philanthropy New York spearheaded a project to develop common application and report forms to help streamline the grant application process and ease the often time-consuming grant preparation process.

This application is a four-page form, which includes directions for use, a sample cover sheet, and the common grant proposal guidelines.

The separate Common Report Form follows closely the format of the New York/New Jersey Area Common Application Form.

Information for Grantmakers:

One of the core values at the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project (with whom CNJG partnered on a trust-based grantmaking learning series in the summer of 2021 – read about Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) encourages funders to streamline their requirements for paperwork from nonprofits. Accepting the NY/NJ Area Common Grant Report Form is one way. Another is to accept reports from nonprofits that they submitted to a different funder.

Recent articles from Vu Le at NonprofitAF.com (We need to have a serious talk about character limits on grant applications and Trust-based grantmaking: What it is and why it’s critical to our sector), Joan Garry in the Chronicle of Philanthropy (A Plea from Community Nonprofits for Investment Equity and less Bureaucracy), and the research project by the Technology Association of Grantmakers (Grant Applications Share 39% Similarity According to New Research by TAG) in the summer of 2021 have re-focused attention on the concept of a common grant application.

CNJG encourages our members to review the application and report form, and consider accepting these forms (or using these questions on your online application / report form) from your current or potential grantees.

CNJG surveyed our members in August 2021 asking if they accepted the NY/NJ Area Common Grant Application and report form. CNJG members can download that report (link forthcoming).

Information for Grantseekers:
Before sending this (or any) application to any funder, be sure to check their specific funding guidelines and application requirements. Some funders require preliminary, additional, or supplementary information. Some funders only accept their own application form. CNJG members are under no obligation to accept either the common grant application or common grant report form.

Additional notes when using the NY/NJ Area Common Grant Application Form:

• Please check with each individual funder if they accept only their own form, the NY/NJ Area Common Grant Application form, or some other form.
• Funding area guidelines still apply. Research each organization’s funding areas to be sure your proposal fits within their guidelines before submitting your application.
• Any funder that has agreed to accept the NY/NJ Area Common Grant Application may request additional information at any stage in their application process.
• Every funder has different deadlines and timetables. Refer to each organization's funding and/or reporting guidelines.
• Do not submit the NY/NJ Area Common Grant Application or report form to the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers. Submit your application directly to the organization from which you are requesting support.
• Questions should be directed to the organization from which you are requesting support.

Community foundations are beginning to deepen and shift how they work, adopting an anchor mission that seeks to fully deploy all resources to build community wealth. Moving into territory relatively uncharted for community foundations, they are taking up impact investing and economic development — some in advanced ways, others with small steps. This report offers an overview of how 30 representative community foundations — including The Seattle Foundation, the Vermont Community Foundation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation — are working toward adopting this new anchor mission.

This Democracy Collaborative report was written by Marjorie Kelly, Senior Fellow and Director of Special Projects and Violeta Duncan, Community Development Associate.

Newark to Offer Affordable, Healthier Food Options for Residents
Through the office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison, CNJG recently had the opportunity to convene a group of funders with the Brick City Development Corporation (BCDC), a nonprofit that is working with the City of Newark to improve access to fresh, affordable foods for Newark residents.

BCDC's Fresh Foods Program Farm Stand Initiative will link New Jersey farmers with 11 Family Success Centers located at public housing developments and nonprofit agencies. Operated by BCDC, the initiative will expand Newarkers’ access to fruits and vegetables, increase use of WIC Farmers’ Market Vouchers and Food Stamps, and educate residents about the benefits of nutrition and physical activity.

Newark’s 283,000 residents currently have little access to nutritious, affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. Only three full-size supermarkets operate in the city, and Newark residents report a scarcity in supermarkets stocked with nutritious food products. The South and West Wards, the city’s most underserved neighborhoods, are not served by full-sized supermarkets or farmers’ markets. 

Lack of fresh foods access is linked to troubling statistics for individuals of color and low-income individuals. A multi-state study found that wealthy neighborhoods have over three times as many supermarkets as low-wealth neighborhoods, and predominantly white neighborhoods have four times as many supermarkets as predominantly black neighborhoods. Nationwide about 44% of Latino and 40% of African American youth are overweight, and obesity rates are three times above average in low-income districts. The State of New Jersey has the highest rate of obesity in 2-5 year old children in the country, and about 56% of its residents are at risk for obesity-related illness. In 2004 the City of Newark WIC Program found that 18.2% of children under age 2 were overweight, higher than both the national average of 13.6% and state average of 16.8%. Similarly, 20.8% of children over age 2 were found to be overweight.

When grocery stores and other fresh-food retailers, such as farmers’ markets, are present, they have a direct impact on residents’ patterns of consumption: a 2002 study found that black Americans’ fruit and vegetable intake increased by 32% for each additional supermarket in the census tract. Farmers’ markets have an even more dramatic effect: another study found that women who had access to farmers’ markets consumed more fruits and vegetables than women who had access only to supermarkets. 

BCDC anticipates launching the Fresh Foods Program Farm Stand Initiative in the spring of 2009.
 

What comes after “strategic...?” If you said, “planning,” you’re not alone. And for many leaders of community foundations, especially small ones who don’t have the time or money for a big process, anxiety is the feeling that follows. If that’s the case, this guide is for you.

It invites you to test-drive some activities to bring your current program, operations and community leadership strategies into focus before you decide whether to create a plan or not. It helps you discover ongoing strategic practices and decide whether to keep them or not. If you already have done a strategic plan, and it is languishing on a shelf, this guide will help you refresh it.

PART A: Good Strategy Takes Practice (Not Just Planning)
PART B: Do Your Discovery
PART C: Jumpstart Your Strategy Narrative
PART D: Bring It Together
Looking To What’s Next