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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.”
Philanthropists are increasingly willing to support direct cash assistance. Foundations and individual donors have supported a range of emergency cash relief for various crises throughout the years, and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the greater Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia region has been no exception. Private philanthropy is also working with the current wave of government-sponsored cash assistance pilots. This virtual convening highlighted Urban’s findings on philanthropic support and gathered speakers including Kevin Callaghan, our Newark Philanthropic Liaison, to reflect on the implications and future of philanthropic efforts aimed at transferring cash directly to individuals.
Welcome Remarks
Sarah Rosen Wartell, President, Urban Institute @swartell
Research Presentations
Benjamin Soskis, Senior Research Associate, Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Urban Institute @BenSoskis
Sonia Torres Rodríguez, Research Assistant, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, Urban Institute @urbaninstitute
Fay Walker, Research Analyst, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, Urban Institute @faycwalker
Panelists
Mary Bogle, Principal Research Associate, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, Urban Institute @MaryMBogle
Kevin Callaghan, Newark Philanthropic Liaison, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and Office of Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka @CNJG
Nisha G. Patel, Creative Catalyst, Powered by Shakti @heynisha
Paula Sammons, Program Officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation @WK_Kellogg_Fdn
Tonia Wellons, Chief Executive Officer, Greater Washington Community Foundation @ToniaWellons
Shena Ashley, Vice President, Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Urban Institute (moderator) @shenarashley
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).
Please join us for our next Newark Funder Affinity Group Meeting at a special location. We will meet at the Courage in Care: Community Doulas and Joyful Revolution in Birth exhibit at the new Newark ArtsSpace (more information below). Our discussion will focus on local implementing partners in Newark and Essex County committed to improving black maternal health. We will also use the second part of the meeting to update each other on the response to the federal funding environment.
Joining us will be these dynamic speakers representing philanthropy, direct service, systems change, and training backgrounds:
Jazmin Rivera, Vice President of Holistic Support, BRICK Education Network
Nastassia K. Harris, Founder & Executive Director, Perinatal Health Equity Initiative
Julie Blumenfeld, Program Director, Nurse-Midwifery and Dual Women's Health, Rutgers University School of Nursing
Lisa Block, Senior Prorgram Officer, Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey
Atiya Weiss, Executive Director, The Burke Foundation
Please plan to stay after the meeting to interact with the exhibit.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members and Nonprofits; $75 for Non Member Grantmakers
About Courage in Care
The Courage in Care was developed under the guidance and leadership of a statewide advisory council of community doulas and maternal health advocates across New Jersey. With support from Narrative Initiative and In Good Company, these birth workers shaped the stories, themes, and vision that bring The Courage in Care to life.
Supported by the Burke Foundation, Ascend at the Aspen Institute, MERCK for Mothers, Community Health Acceleration Partnership, Turrell Fund, MCJ Amelior Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Bristol Myers Squibb, The Courage in Care is part of a larger effort to reimagine maternal health in New Jersey and beyond. Events associated with the exhibit are produced by NJPAC Arts & Well-Being.
This session will unpack New Jersey’s just-enacted Fiscal Year 2026 state budget—totaling $58.1 billion—with a $6.3 billion surplus. We’ll explore key spending priorities, looming threats from federal funding cuts, and the implications for the transition to the next governor.
Peter Chen, Esq. (he/him), Senior Policy Analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective, serves as tax and budget lead, coordinating analysis of state and local fiscal policy. Peter has worked on child and family policy advocacy in New Jersey since 2014. Most recently, he spearheaded New Jersey’s creation of a state-level Child Tax Credit. Peter’s work has included coordination of the statewide nonprofit Census complete count campaign, advocacy to strengthen state and local laws to protect children from lead exposure, and reducing chronic absenteeism from school. Previously Peter served as Policy Counsel for Advocates for Children of New Jersey. Peter received his JD from Yale Law School and his Bachelors of Arts from Indiana University-Bloomington.
Tina M. Zappile is the Director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University where she is also Associate Professor of Political Science. She earned her Ph.D. in International Relations and M.A. in International Trade and Finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and her M.A. in Political Science and B.A. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her research interests include international organizations (IOs), international law, international trade and finance, the North-South divide, global economic development policy, and the role of developing countries in IOs and the global economy. She teaches classes in international law and organization, global politics of economic development, introduction to international relations, and international political economy.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $75 for Non Member Grantmakers
This program is only open to staff and trustees from grantmaking organizations.
Webinar Video
These news articles show our members responses to philanthropy's role in fighting against racism and injustice. If there items we've missed, please email us, and we'll add it.
Actions and Announcements
Johnson & Johnson: A Message from Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky About Recent Events in the United States
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Statement from Richard Besser, MD, on Racial Injustice, Violence, and Health In America
Adam Liebling, Director of Grants Management at RWJF, pens this article re-imagining the work of philanthropy
New Jersey Council for the Humanities: Our resolute commitment to equity and justice through the humanities
Overdeck Family Foundation: Standing in Solidarity, and Lifting Up Stories of Impact
Princeton Area Community Foundation: Eleanor Horne and Jeff Vega pen this opinion piece about how they are working towards racial equity and making their community “a better place for all children”
Smith Family Foundation: Protest and Planning Next Step - A Letter to our City and her Allies
TD Bank: A statement on recent events from Bharat Masrani, President & CEO, TD Bank Group
United Way of Ocean and Monmouth Counties: United We Stand
Victoria Foundation: Statement of Condemnation