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Kevin Callaghan is Next Leader of Innovative Partnership

The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers (CNJG) and the City of Newark are pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Callaghan as the Council’s new Philanthropic Liaison to the City of Newark.   Based in Newark’s City Hall, Callaghan will lead the Office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison (ONPL) as it convenes, connects and leverages the resources of the state, regional and national philanthropic community for the benefit of Newark’s citizens and institutions.  For nearly five years Callaghan served as the Program Officer at the Foundation for Newark’s Future, the local arm of national philanthropic funding donated to the City of Newark to improve education opportunities for youth. Most recently, he served as Project Lead on the City’s Summer Youth Employment Program. He will formally undertake his new role on September 1.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and CNJG President Nina Stack hailed Callaghan’s appointment.  “In the time I’ve come to know Kevin I’ve seen the passion he has for the City of Newark and the thoughtful, inclusive way he approaches his work,” commented Mayor Baraka.  “We are glad to have him on our team.”   CNJG President Stack added, “Kevin brings an understanding of how foundations work and a real appreciation for the impact strategic philanthropy can have when it works collaboratively with other funders and government leaders. We are very excited to welcome Kevin in this role as leader of the ONPL and look forward to seeing how he builds on the Liaison Office’s achievements over the last eight years.”

Callaghan replaces former Newark Philanthropic Liaison Jeremy Johnson who helped define this innovative collaboration between the Council and the City of Newark in 2007 under former Mayor, now United States Senator, Cory Booker. It marked one of the nation’s first formal partnerships between a city and the philanthropic sector.  Since then, and with the subsequent election of Mayor Ras Baraka in 2014, the ONPL has continued to be a nationally acclaimed model for public - philanthropic alliances, leveraging more than $50 million in private support for City initiatives.  

Callaghan will work in partnership with Mayor Baraka’s Chief Policy Advisor Tai Cooper and cabinet to support public safety, summer youth employment, workforce development, economic development, health and wellness, education and literacy, immigration, and neighborhood and place-based initiatives. “The Office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison is a critical resource to our city. Having previously worked with Kevin, I know he will be very effective in his new role and I look forward to continued collaboration with him,” said Cooper.

“It is an honor to have been selected to lead the Office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison.  I know firsthand the value of collaboratively harnessing the power of philanthropic resources for the direct benefit of Newark’s communities.  Under the guiding principle of collective action, I look forward to working with the grantmaking community and the City of Newark to leverage every possible opportunity to unlock the endless potential of this city,” said Callaghan.

A non-partisan position, the ONPL is funded by a consortium of grantmakers including Bank of America, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Nicholson Foundation, The Prudential Foundation, Schumann Fund for New Jersey, Turrell Fund and the Victoria Foundation.  “Having served with my colleagues as an on-going funder of this unique initiative, I am delighted to know that the fine work that has been accomplished since its inception will continue under the able leadership of Kevin Callaghan,” said Dr. Irene Cooper- Basch, Executive Officer of the Victoria Foundation. 

Previously, Callaghan served for two years as a middle school classroom teacher in Philadelphia through Teach for America.  Earlier in his career, he worked for the federal government as a special assistant at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation in Washington D.C. where he supported development efforts for emerging markets.

Callaghan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and History from St. Peter’s University in Jersey City and a Masters’ Degree in Urban Education from the University of Pennsylvania.  Born and raised in New Jersey, he resides with his family in Essex County.

The United States Department of Labor, State of New Jersey, and City of Newark announced a $5 million grant to help provide jobs and support to hundreds of Newark residents returning home from prison over the next two years.

The grant includes $2 million in matching funds from the Bodman–Achelis Foundations, Joan Ganz Cooney, the Charles Edison Fund/Edison Innovation Foundation, the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, the Manhattan Institute, the Nicholson Foundation, and the Victoria Foundation.

“The City can’t do this alone. It takes strategic alliances with federal and state officials, community and faith-based organizations, and the leveraging arm of the philanthropic institutions,” said Mayor Cory Booker. “We established the office of the philanthropic liaison, underwritten by the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, to help create stronger connections with funders. The matching grants from the private sector show that these efforts are working.”

“The foundation community is delighted to partner with strong government leadership and the city’s philanthropic liaison in addressing the challenges faced by the growing numbers of men and women re-entering society,” said William H. Byrnes, Jr., program officer with the F.M. Kirby Foundation and trustee of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers.

Over the past three years, the United States Department of Labor has been the lead agency for implementing the federal government’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative. “This grant will enable Newark to build on the success of the President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative and provide over 1,200 ex-offenders with basic job skills and other assistance to help them succeed in developing new career paths,”  said U.S. Secretary of Labor, Eliane L. Chao.

The combined $5 million award will enable the City to strengthen and expand services via a network of partners working through a one-stop center, Opportunity Reconnect, at Essex County College.

The goal of the grant is keep people working, help employers find workers, and keep families safe by successfully integrating ex-prisoners back into their communities through a comprehensive system of services including case management, mentoring, skills assessment, and referrals to health care providers. 

State and local agencies will be coordinated to strengthen the city’s network and avoid duplication of efforts.

“We’ve managed to make funders more aware of the barriers that prevent ex-prisoners from being successful," said Jeremy Johnson, Newark’s philanthropic liaison. "Grantmakers have become increasingly involved as a result.”

CNJG invites members to attend this webinar to learn about the DAPP survey and report from CHANGE Philanthropy. This webinar is for United Philanthropy Forum members and its members’ members, meaning CNJG and its members are all eligible and invited to attend.

Now entering its 4th iteration, the Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals (DAPP) Survey and Report aims to help the philanthropic community better understand its workforce and leadership. In addition to featuring one of the most comprehensive demographic sections in the sector, the DAPP has several features designed to help institutions better understand the experiences of distinct communities and provide real data to participants on the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their home institutions. In this exciting session, representatives from CHANGE Philanthropy will present an in-depth overview of the DAPP, with emphasis on its history, core features, and examples of how PSOs can apply the DAPP data to their own knowledge building efforts. Our hope is that this session helps attendees think about how to use the DAPP to make changes in their own institutions.

Learning Outcomes:
• Explore possible ways of utilizing DAPP data to effect change in support of greater inclusion.
• Understand the features of the DAPP report and how to participate in future surveys.
• Connect with CHANGE partners for further resources to support diverse teams.

Process Questions:
• What is the DAPP?
• What special incentives exist to encourage participation?
• How have others used the DAPP to address workplace culture?
• How can CHANGE partners help you in promoting inclusive workplaces?

Presenters:
Tenaja Jordan, Research & Communications Director at CHANGE Philanthropy
Deborah Aubert Thomas, CEO, Philanthropy Ohio, and Forum Racial Equity Committee Chair

COST: Free for CNJG Members
(You will need to create an account on United Philanthropy Forum’s website in order to register for the program).