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This one-hour webinar will offer a high-level overview of employment law trends and best practices for foundations. Attorneys from the Labor & Employment and Nonprofit & Tax-Exempt Organizations groups of Dentons, the world’s largest global law firm, will present practical tips for small and mid-size foundations with regard to employment and workplace issues. Drawing from both national trends in the industry and the impact of the pandemic and social change, topics will include:

1. social media policies;
2. remote and hybrid work considerations;
3. job descriptions and changes with hiring practices; and
4. independent contractor agreements.

Our speakers will hold time for Q&A at the end of the presentation. As part of the registration process, attendees may also submit questions or topic area suggestions for our speakers to address if time allows.

Speakers
Carsen Ruperto, Counsel, Dentons Cohen & Grigsby
Hayley Haldeman, Counsel, Dentons, Cohen & Grigsby

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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

Like many cities and towns across New Jersey, and America, Newark is plagued by aging infrastructure. This includes approximately 18,000 privately-owned lead service lines that connect city water into homes. In 2018, Newark received an official finding that the corrosion control introduced into the water to keep lead from flaking off of lead service lines was no longer effective in one of its reservoirs – the Pequannock. This impacts roughly 15,000 households in the City.

There is a short, mid, and long-term plan of action that the City has been following since 2018:

In the short-term, 38,000 Pur water filters were distributed free of charge to residents in October 2018. In August 2019, the City and the Department of Environmental Protection conducted testing and found that in two of three homes, the Pur water filters were not removing lead from the water. While this was too small of a sample size to make a definitive conclusion about whether or not the filters are effective, in an abundance of caution, the City started to provide all potentially impacted residents with bottled water and established four distribution sites.

In the mid-term, a new corrosion control treatment was introduced into the Pequannock in Spring 2019, and will take up to 8 months to fully optimize.

For the long-term, the City of Newark created a Lead Service Line Replacement Program in partnership with the State of New Jersey and the Essex County Improvement Authority that will replace every lead service line in the city at no charge to residents within three years.

The Newark community is working in collaboration to support impacted residents throughout this process.

Ways to Help

While there is a clear plan to fix this issue over time, and as the City works aggressively with State and Federal officials on our water quality, there are immediate needs. Here are some ways to help:

• Contribute money to support impacted residents – The City of Newark partnered with the United Way of Essex West Hudson (UWEWH) to create a Water Fund. 100% of funds raised from individuals, corporations, and foundations is being used to address community needs during Newark’s water challenge.


• Make a direct donation of water – The Community Food Bank of New Jersey is accepting direct contributions of water on behalf of the City.


• Volunteer time and resources – The City is creating opportunities for volunteers to support its outreach to residents. Access to wraparound resources like lead testing and healthy food are also needed.


• Support for communications – It is important that residents, small business owners, and the whole Newark stakeholder community have the right facts related to Newark water. Community education is important now and well into the future.

To support these efforts, please contact Kevin Callaghan, Office of Newark Philanthropic Liaison, a partnership between the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and the City of Newark.

To learn more about impacted households and the service line replacement program, please visit the City of Newark’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program website.

As a reminder for funders, CNJG and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy co-created the Disaster Philanthropy Playbook to help funders be more strategic in their investments helping with recovery for different aspects of your affected community.

Articles to Read

• NJ.com: Bottled water distribution continues in Newark (8/19/2010)
• NJ.com: Newark creates fund for donations to buy bottled water (8/19/2019)
• New York Amsterdam News: Newark water crisis prompts activists to step in, state of emergency requested (8/22/2019)
• Insider NJ: NJLOM: Taking Action to Solve Newark’s Drinking Water (8/26/2019)
• NJTV News: Officials announce $120M deal to speed up replacement of Newark’s lead service lines (8/26/2019)
• Insider NJ: AT&T Launches Text-To-Give Campaign to Support Newark Families with Lead Service Lines (8/29/2019)
• Patch: Newark Sees Outpouring Of Donations, Love During Water Crisis (8/30/2019)
• New York Amsterdam News: Donations pour in to help those impacted by Newark water crisis (9/12/2019)

Impact Investing Bootcamp: Fundamentals for Driving Sustainable Philanthropy in New Jersey is a 3-part series introducing CNJG members to impact investing. The series will take place from March to May 2024.

The Council on Foundation defines impact investing as “any investment activity that intends to generate positive social and financial returns. Whether called impact investing, mission investing, social investing, social-impact investing, mission-related investing, program-related investing, or sustainable and responsible investing, the practice focuses on activating new financial resources to solve social and environmental problems.”

Impact investing as a tool can generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside financial returns. By attending this series you will:

• Learn the fundamentals of how to create a more sustainable model of philanthropy through impact investing tools.
• Hear from experienced practitioners.
• Learn how to successfully integrate grantmaking and investment resources.
• Participate in interactive discussions with local peers.
• Hear examples of investments made in New Jersey and nationally.
• Attend a site visit to see impact investing in action.
• Receive a copy of the book “Impact Investing: The Practical Guide” by John Duong.

Session 3: This virtual session will focus on setting the groundwork for New Jersey philanthropy to explore additional shared learning and co-investment opportunities. The discussion will be led by John Duong, Kind Capital.

COST: Free for CNJG Members
Registrants must attend all three sessions of the series.
Space Limited. No more than two people per organization can register.

Additional Session Information:
Tuesday, March 12, 2024, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm - Session 1: In this full day workshop John Duong, founder and CEO of Kind Capital, will lead a dynamic and intensely focused full day of learning, knowledge-building, and exchange. The curriculum will include baseline information, the fundamentals of impact investment, methods and models, and opportunities for peer to peer and small group discussion and dialogue. A light breakfast and lunch is included.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm - Session 2: This session will feature a site visit to highlight a specific project and explore local case studies of NJ foundations implementing impact investment strategies. Grantmakers will have the opportunity to tour the project site, hear from nonprofit partners and participants, ask questions, and learn directly from those involved.

Speaker:
Mr. Duong has been an investment banker at JP Morgan Chase, was founding Managing Director of Lumina Impact Ventures with Luminia, and was Program and Portfolio Officer with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. John holds an executive MBA with a concentration in management and entrepreneurship from the Kellogg School of Management.

This CNJG program is sponsored by: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Victoria Foundation and presented by Kind Capital.

Resources
The Impact Principles website
Planet Tracker website - Reports for climate focused investors
Catalyzing Finance for Racial Equity
RPA Impact Investing Handbook
Impact Investing: A Primer for Family Foundaitons
What Can Foundations Do to Foster Community Investment?
The Role of Impact Capital in Advancing Racial Equity
Impact Capital for Racial Equity: Investing with Intention and Measuring Impact
Emerging Sources of Community Investment Capital and Strategies to Direct it at Scale
Mapping the Journey to Impact Investing
Roadmap for the Future of Impact Investing: Reshaping Financial Markets
Community Foundation Field Guide to Impact Investing
Essentials of Impact Investing
Endowments & Investing
Place-Based Impact Investing: Three Briefs for Practitioners

New Jersey Impact Investment Landscape Scan