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I Am Trenton Community Foundation is proud to announce awarding $135,000 total through the recent “Making Trenton Even Better” grant program to community champions transforming vacant lots, encouraging art and artists, teaching new skills and providing compassionate support with respect and dignity.
“These community groups will make a real impact across our city and we are excited to support their work,” said IAT Co-President Marelyn Rivera. “Our community faces challenges together, and working together we make Trenton even better.”
Grant Committee Chair Regina Podhorin-Zilinski noted that more than 100 applications were received – and many worthwhile projects were not able to be funded. “This was our most generous grant round ever – with more funding and more applicants than ever before,” she said. “Our only regret is that many good ideas did not receive support – this time.”
Paterson One Square Mile is a hyper-local, place-based, cross-sector initiative with the goal of accelerating the revitalization of a concentrated area in Paterson, New Jersey. Utilizing strategically organized community engagement efforts focused on a bounded area within the city of Paterson, this community-led collective impact initiative aims to improve equitable outcomes in health, education, and economic opportunity for the residents of Paterson.
You will have the opportunity to hear from partners involved in shaping the Paterson One-Square Mile Project including: Jonathan GS Koppell, President, Montclair State University; Bryan Murdock, Montclair University; Malcolm McClain, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; Amanda Lopez, Transform Consulting Group; Richard Williams, St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation
Following the panel discussion, there will be a bus tour of the Paterson One-Square Mile Project that culminates with a stop to hear from nonprofit organizations that have benefited from this project. Program space is limited to twenty-five people.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $50 for Non Member Grantmakers
Continental breakfast and lunch provided.
Webinar Video
Join National Center for Family Philanthropy as we explore fundamental questions in the context of family philanthropy: “Who is considered family?” and “What is the role of family in family philanthropy?”
As family philanthropies evolve, choosing how to define family—whether it includes lineal descendants or extends to spouses, chosen family, or others—is essential. Families must also decide how and when to include community voices. We will examine the role family members play in shaping philanthropic goals, decision-making processes, and the long-term impact of their giving, while navigating personal relationships and maintaining a commitment to learning.
This session will provide valuable insights for families looking to build, refine, or sustain their philanthropy with shared values and vision.
Cost: This event is free for CNJG Members who are family foundations.
Other types of foundations are ineligible to join this webinar.
This program is a CNJG membership benefit for family foundation members, including staff and trustees, in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy.
The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of TD Bank, has announced grants totaling $7.2 million to 36 nonprofits in support of housing affordability and stability.
Awarded through the foundation’s annual Housing for Everyone program, grants of $200,000 each will boost solutions for low- to moderate-income (LMI) homeowners struggling to maintain homeownership. Recipients include Rebuilding Together Miami-Dade (Florida), Midcoast Habitat for Humanity (Rockport, Maine), Valley Community Development Corp. (Northampton, Massachusetts), Family Promise of Warren County (Phillipsburg, New Jersey), Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (Brooklyn, New York), and Greenville Housing Fund (Greenville, South Carolina).
“Amid rising housing costs, these organizations play a vital role in supporting homeowners in communities across TD’s footprint to afford critical repairs, avoid foreclosure, correct tangled titles, and so much more,” said TD Charitable Foundation director Paige Carlson-Heim. “The efforts of the Housing for Everyone grantees are so appreciated, as their work is essential to protecting homeowners and providing long-term stability in our neighborhoods. By supporting these nonprofits, we hope to help mitigate the threat of home loss while ensuring homeowners have the resources and resilience they need to sustain long-term homeownership.”
The Camden Funders Affinity Group serves as a vehicle for funders to connect, learn, and share updates about initiatives throughout the city. To help broaden the voices and perspectives in these conversations, we’re excited to begin dedicating a portion of each to hearing directly from leaders doing important work across Camden.
Join fellow CNJG members and the Camden Funders Affinity Group for a very special in-person and lively discussion with City of Camden Mayor, Victor Carstarphen. Serving the community long before becoming Mayor in 2021, Mayor Carstarphen looks forward to sharing his unique perspective on the tremendous progress taking place citywide, the opportunities that lie ahead, and to learn more about the impactful work you are leading throughout Camden.
In the first half of the meeting Mayor Carstarphen will share his insights on the city’s current priorities and opportunities, followed by a Q&A discussion with the Camden Funders. In the second half of the meeting, we’ll reflect on the mayor’s remarks, share updates on our current initiatives, and identify potential speakers & topics for future meetings. Light refreshments will be served.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $75 for Non Member Grantmakers
This program is only open to staff and trustees from grantmaking organizations.
What do the latest trends in family philanthropy tell us about effectiveness and impact?
Join us to dive into select findings from the Trends 2025 report. You will hear from family foundations about how these trends relate to their impact and effectiveness.
We’ll cover topics including relationships, accountability, and equity, and ask questions like:
- How are family relationships changing, especially when involving the next generation?
- How are funders being accountable to their communities? What perspectives are you including in your strategy and decision-making conversations?
- What changes have you implemented over the past five years, and what are you continuing to learn?
Cost: This event is free for CNJG Members who are family foundations.
Other types of foundations are ineligible to join this webinar.
This program is a CNJG membership benefit for family foundation members, including staff and trustees, in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy.
How can a place-based approach maximize philanthropic impact and drive meaningful, community-led progress?
In this session we will consider the power of place-based funding and the unique opportunities it presents for achieving impact at scale in urban, rural, and Tribal communities. We will examine the commonalities that connect these diverse communities—such as shared challenges related to economic development, access to resources, and social equity—while also highlighting the distinct needs and opportunities within each context. You will learn how place-based philanthropy can create tailored, sustainable solutions that address the root causes of local and systemic issues, fostering long-term change.
Cost: This event is free for CNJG Members who are family foundations.
Other types of foundations are ineligible to join this webinar.
This program is a CNJG membership benefit for family foundation members, including staff and trustees, in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy.
CNJG is pleased to re-convene the South Jersey Funders Consortium for a lunch meeting at the Green Olive in Bridgeton. Join your fellow South Jersey funders for lunch and a round-robin discussion on what your organization is funding and any new initiatives you are introducing.
Any funder located in or funding in the eight southern counties of New Jersey is welcome to attend (Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, and Ocean). Although Camden city is located in South Jersey, and because we already have a Camden funders affinity group, the topics of discussion of the South Jersey Funders Consortium should focus on south Jersey, outside of the city of Camden.
Cost: $35 for CNJG Members; $75 for Non Member Grantmakers
This program is open to all funders.
Please note: As there is no sponsor for this lunch, we are charging a small registration fee to cover the costs of lunch. This way, at the restaurant, we will only need one check, and be considerate for our server(s).
We have a sponsor for the first meeting of 2026, and CNJG would welcome more sponsors for additional meetings of this group next year.
Please contact Craig if you are interested in underwriting the costs of the lunch.
New Jersey’s housing, land use, and education policies are at a turning point. Decisions made today will shape how we grow, where we live, and how we prepare the next generation. The Fund for New Jersey and the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs welcome policy experts, community leaders, policymakers, and residents to Princeton University for the fourth and final Crossroads NJ Conversation on these critical issues. The discussion will focus on how today’s challenges can be addressed through thoughtful policy and community-driven action.
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Peggy Bailey, Executive Vice President for Policy and Program Development, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Staci Berger, President and CEO, Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey
Dr. Jesselly De La Cruz, DSW, LCSW, Executive Director, Latino Action Network Foundation
Adam M. Gordon, Esq., Executive Director, Fair Share Housing Center
Robert Kim, Esq., Executive Director, Education Law Center
Cost: This event is free to attend and open to all, but space is limited.
On-site parking is available. Light refreshments will be served.
How can family philanthropies ensure their internal operations and grantmaking practices are disability- inclusive?
One in four US adults—61 million people—have some type of disability, but few people working in philanthropy self-identify as disabled. There is a growing recognition across the philanthropic sector that to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, it must approach its work through a disability lens. For funders, there are opportunities throughout their work to shift internal operations toward more equitable and values-aligned practices. In this interactive session, we focus on embedding disability and inclusion in operations and learn best practices to embed disability inclusion in their internal practices, processes, and policies.
Cost: This event is free for CNJG Members who are family foundations.
Other types of foundations are ineligible to join this webinar.
This program is a CNJG membership benefit for family foundation members, including staff and trustees, in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy.
How can funders reduce the burden on grantees when requesting demographic data? What information are funders collecting from their nonprofit partners, and what information is needed to make informed decisions and build trusting relationships?
Funders are increasingly requesting demographic data from nonprofits to better understand the types of organizations and leaders that they are—and are not—supporting. Due to the lack of comprehensive and public demographic data available, nonprofits experience a heavy burden to provide the information in a variety of ways and formats.
Join this webinar to learn how to reduce the administrative work for grantees throughout the due diligence and grantmaking processes and beyond. We’ll explore tools that can help streamline the process of collecting, evaluating, and sharing information for mutual benefit.
Cost: This event is free for CNJG Members who are family foundations.
Other types of foundations are ineligible to join this webinar.
This program is a CNJG membership benefit for family foundation members, including staff and trustees, in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy.
How can being more transparent about your philanthropy strengthen your relationships and build trust with grantees and partners?
The annual Trust in Nonprofits and Philanthropy Report showed that 57 percent of Americans trust the nonprofit sector—much higher than the government, media, or the business sector. Yet, only 33 percent have trust in the philanthropic sector (primarily private foundations and high net-worth individuals). Why is this and how can family philanthropy increase this trust?
By prioritizing transparency, families can grow trusting relationships with the communities and organizations that they support, be more accountable donors, and ultimately enhance the effectiveness of their philanthropic efforts.
Cost: This event is free for CNJG Members who are family foundations.
Other types of foundations are ineligible to join this webinar.
This program is a CNJG membership benefit for family foundation members, including staff and trustees, in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy.
The most constant factor in the world today – is change. Sometimes it seems like no matter how well prepared we think we are, unexpected factors keep shifting the road to success, causing roadblocks to constantly pop up to challenge us. And, with the onslaught of what seems like a “natural disaster a week” as well as other emergencies, how does corporate philanthropy respond in a meaningful and timely manner? This session will explore the tools needed to be successful in addressing the needs of our communities as we navigate the changing world. We invite you to join our next virtual meeting of the NJ Corporate Philanthropy Network where Chicago’s Lisa Dietlin, President and CEO of the Institute of Transformational Philanthropy, will provide us with practical tips on how to successfully handle unexpected challenges that seem to face us more regularly in today’s environment.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $75 for Non Member Grantmakers
This program is only open to staff and trustees from grantmaking organizations.
Webinar Video