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This paper explores community democracy as a cultural choice and a potential organizing system for philanthropy using stories that demonstrate its principles and practices, primarily growing from the experience of northern California communities.  This experience offers a framework of principles and a beginning set of conclusions about how philanthropy can develop productive partnerships from the perspective of a place-based, community democracy.

These articles have a philanthropic focus. We encourage grantmakers to read, share, and use strategies detailed here.

5/13/22 - ABC News: Two New Jersey towns illustrate the race gap in the COVID pandemic 

NJTV: LIVE UPDATES: Tracking the Coronavirus in New Jersey

3/16/21 – Denver Post: On Philanthropy: Pandemic puts nonprofits in peril – what donors can do

9/9 – NPR: NPR & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Poll: Financial Pain From Coronavirus Pandemic 'Much, Much Worse' Than Expected

8/26 – Center for Disaster Philanthropy: $12 Billion Pledged Worldwide to Fight COVID-19 through June 2020

8/25 – Generocity: Changing Metrics for Impact: The Emergence of a New Donor-Grantee Business Model

8/19 – Good News Network: Generous American Are Giving More to Charities Through The Pandemic, Survey Says

6/8 – Chronicle of Philanthropy: How Foundations Can Make Covid Research Grants More Equitable

6/5 – Governing Magazine: The America Ethos and the Betrayal of Expertise

5/19 – Nonprofit Quarterly: COVID-19 Calls for Philanthropy to Redefine Urgency

5/13 – Nonprofit Quarterly: Will Philanthropy Stand Up for Black America?

5/11 – Nonprofit Quarterly: Deer Eyes, Circle Mind: Reflections on Pandemic & Philanthropy

5/8 – Inside Philanthropy: Pandemic Philanthropy: Moving From Relief to Power

5/5 – NY Times: In Philanthropy, Race Is Still a Factor in Who Gets What, Study Shows

5/5 – Funders Together to End Homelessness: COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Recommendations for Philanthropy to Support Immediate Needs and Long-Term Solutions to End Homelessness

5/5 – Chronicle of Philanthropy: Op-Ed: Flexibility for Grantees Is Not Enough. Let Them Decide Where the Money Goes

5/5 – Chronicle of Philanthropy: Op-Ed: Change Is Too Rapid in Covid-19 Era to Tie Nonprofits’ Hands With Old Rules

5/4 – Bridgespan Group: Racial Equity and Philanthropy: Disparities in Funding for Leaders of Color Leave Impact on the Table

5/4 – Stanford Social Innovation Review: Overcoming the Racial Bias in Philanthropic Funding

5/1 – Stanford Social Innovation Review: For a More Equitable America, Understand Race and Racism as Actions We Do and Can Undo

4/30 – National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy: Large Funder Quadruples its giving in response to COVID-19

4/30 – Chronicle of Philanthropy: How the 25 Biggest Grantmakers are Responding to the COVID Crisis

4/30 – Chronicle of Philanthropy: In Covid-19 Crisis, Philanthropy’s Attention Must Focus on People With Disabilities

4/30 – Inside Philanthropy: A Time for Reform: Philanthropy and the Push for Better State Policymaking

4/28 – Newsweek: Why the Coronavirus Pandemic is Philanthropy's Big Moment

4/23 – Bridgespan Group: Want to Support Your Community’s Equitable Recovery from COVID-19? Invest in Child Care

4/21 – Center for Effective Philanthropy: Essential Questions for Foundation Boards in a Time of Crisis

4/20 – LA Times: Charity is off the charts amid the coronavirus. Is that a sign of America’s strength or weakness?

4/20 - Nonprofit Times: Foundations Paying Out, Expect Deep Recession (quotes from Community Foundation of New Jersey)

4/17 - Nonprofit Quarterly: Why Grantmakers Need to Break Their Restriction Habit—Permanently

4/16 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Philanthropy’s Stimulus Plan Must Bolster Democracy

4/16 - Nonprofit Quarterly: How Philanthropy Can Support Black Workers

4/15 - Candid.org: A Call for COVID-19 Grants Data

4/15 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: In This Crisis, Philanthropy Must Tackle 3 Existential Challenges All At Once

4/14 - Bridgespan Group: Four Ways for Community-Focused Philanthropy to Confront the Coronavirus Crisis

4/9 - Inside Philanthropy: COVID and the Count: Funders Confront New Challenges to the 2020 Census

4/9 - Forbes: COVID-19 And Aging: What Can Philanthropy Do?

4/7 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: The Coronavirus Crisis Has Changed How I View What Matters in Philanthropy

4/7 - App.com: Coronavirus: 10 ways to avoid becoming victim of a scam

4/7 - Washington Post: Coronavirus is a Totally Different Disaster for Philanthropies to Handle

4/6 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Small Nonprofits Struggle to Get Payroll Loans in New Federal Program

4/6 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Foundations and Nonprofits See Crisis as Opportunity to Advance Equity

4/3 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: What Philanthropy Can Do Now to Promote Education Equity After the Pandemic

4/2 - Inside Philanthropy: The Hardest Hit: Who is Supporting Communities of Color During COVID-19?

4/2 - Nonprofit Quarterly: Philanthropy, Meet Our Matrix Moment: Which Pill Will You Choose?

4/1 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Grant Maker Dilemma: Spend More Now or Protect Shrinking Endowments?

4/1 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Foundations Adopt Policies to Move More Money Faster, and With Fewer Restrictions

4/1 - NJ Spotlight: A Coronavirus Checklist to Help Keep NJ Residents Informed

3/30 - Nonprofit Quarterly: COVID-19: Using a Racial Justice Lens Now to Transform Our Future

3/26 - NJ.com: City of Newark Creates $6 million fund for Non-Profits, arts organizations, resident, businesses, and homeowners

3/23 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Federal Aid Plan for Nonprofits Needs More Input From Black-Led Organizations

3/20 - Nonprofit Quarterly: A Growing Group of Foundations Pledge ‘No Business as Usual’

3/20 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Senate Bill would create ‘Universal Deduction’ & Expand Loans for Nonprofits

3/20 - Asbury Park Press: Digital Divide in Schools Will Affect Web-Only Lessons

3/17 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Grantmaker Responses for Nonprofits in Need Vary Widely

3/17 - Trust-based Philanthropy Project: Philanthropy Needs To Trust Nonprofits Now More Than Ever

3/16 - Exponent Philanthropy: Market Volatility in the Face of COVID-19

3/16 - Philadelphia Inquirer: Free Wifi from Comcast

3/16 - Inside Philanthropy: Philanthropy Has a Duty to Respond Quickly to the COVID-19 Outbreak. Here’s How We Can Do It

3/16 - NJBiz.com: NJ Government recommendations on March 16, 2020

3/13 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: As Disasters Go, Coronavirus Impact on Philanthropy Unprecedented and ‘Crazy’

3/13 - Bloomberg: Nonprofits Prepare for Worst with Wealthy Losing Billions

3/12 - Forbes: Philanthropy: COVID19 Doesn’t Need to Slow You Down

3/12 - Inside Philanthropy: On the Frontlines of a Pandemic, Local Philanthropy Scrambles to Respond

3/12 - NorthJersey.com: Many seniors face coronavirus fears while cut off from activities and social networks

3/12 - Independent Sector/Chronicle of Philanthropy: A Novel Opportunity to Strengthen Public Trust in the Nonprofit World

3/12 - NJ Spotlight: Sick Leave in NJ, What the Law Provides

3/12 - NJ Spotlight: Experience with Virtual Snow Days Helps NJ School Prepare for COVID-19 Closures

3/12 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Coronavirus ‘Rapid Response’ Funds Proliferate as Threat Grows

3/11 - NJ.com: NJ schools feed 500K kids for free. What happens if coronavirus closes them?

3/11 - Daily Beast: Will Coronavirus make America finally care about the homeless

3/11 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Coronavirus Is Hard on Nonprofits That Rely on Events

3/11 - Nonprofit Quarterly: Nonprofits Who Can’t Cancel: The Ones that Serve Those at Greater Risk of COVID-19

3/10 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: As Coronavirus Threat Continues, Experts Tell Nonprofits to Shore Up Reserves

3/9 - Nonprofit Times: Lessening the Risk of Coronavirus at Nonprofits

3/9 - Nonprofit Quarterly: Community Healthcare Centers Funding at Risk at Time of Health Peril

3/9 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: 6 Steps for Grant Makers to Take Now to Ensure Nonprofits Recover From Coronavirus Spread

3/8 - ROI-NJ: NJ Insurers Announce Coverage Related to Coronavirus

3/8 - Nonprofit AF: A few things for nonprofits and foundations to consider in light of the Coronavirus

3/5 - Washington Post: RWJF CEO Pens Opinion Piece on Coronavirus

3/5 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Coronavirus Giving Tops $1 Billion Worldwide

3/4 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Nonprofits Work to Protect Employees and Volunteers as Coronavirus Threat Grows

3/3 - Candid.org: Funders Respond to Coronavirus

3/3 - CDNet: Tech Tools Offered for Free During Outbreak

3/2 - FSG: COVID-19 – Seven Things Philanthropy Can Do by Lauren Smith, MD, MPH

3/2 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Nonprofit Conference Attendees Worry About Coronavirus

2/18 - Professional Convention Management Association: Is Your Event (if cancelled) Covered by Insurance?

CNJG provides this information free to the philanthropic community. If you are not a CNJG member, please join so you can take full advantage of the many benefits of membership and help underwrite the cost of services like this.

2026 CNJG Membership Renewal

Thank you for your membership investment with CNJG!

We continue using our contactless renewal process for the 2026 membership year. We no longer mail renewal notices. The “primary contact” for each member will receive the renewal notification by email in mid-October, 2025

“[CNJG has] done an amazing job of meeting people where they need to be in terms of providing additional resources and access to people in the know to help us navigate through very unchartered waters.”
-Margarethe Laurenzi, Maher Charitable Foundation

The dues investment for 2026 includes a Board-approved 3% increase. Members should base their 2026 dues on either:
   1.  Your 2025 giving or
   2.  An average of the past three years in giving (2023, 2024, 2025).

The chart of dues, based on your annual giving is below:

The membership period begins January 1, 2026 and runs through December 31, 2026.

Some members choose to make all or a portion of their dues in the form of a grant. For tax purposes, all dues in excess of $795 may be reasonably reported as a grant.

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Government agency dues are based on a percentage of your administrative budget.  The renewal form will help you calculate your dues.

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Dues for associate members (CDFI’s and philanthropic advisors) are a flat $1,680.

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For additional criteria for dues calculations (ie. sun-setting foundations, those headquartered outside the state, and other special circumstances), please visit the Membership Policies section of our join page.

Renewal notices are due annually by March 31 with payments due by June 30. You can complete the renewal form today and pay any time before June 30. If you need to pay after June 30, please note the alternate payment date on the renewal form. Please contact Craig Weinrich, Director of Member Services at 609-414-7110 x802 to make payment arrangements. CNJG prefers to receive membership payments by EFT. Checks are also acceptable, and please note our address. If you decide to pay via credit card, CNJG will add a 3% fee to the membership dues amount.

Leadership Gifts

“Engagement with other funds throughout the state as we think about how to be most strategic have been really helpful to understand what others are doing and the implications of how we do our grantmaking activities.”
-Andy Fraizer, Community Foundation of South Jersey

Some members include an additional gift to help cover the costs of CNJG’s operations. Membership dues cover about 40% of our operations. These welcomed and unrestricted funds help underwrite the many programs and services that CNJG provides to our members and the philanthropic sector.

Please indicate your additional leadership gift on the renewal form when you complete it.

2026 Renewal Timeline

• Mid-October 2025 – CNJG membership renewal notices are emailed to the designated “primary” contact;
• March 31, 2026 – CNJG membership renewal commitments due (payment can be received later)
• June 30, 2026 – Dues should be paid by this date. A few members pay in the second half of the year, and CNJG appreciates knowing before then that you are renewing. Members that have not paid by this date, or indicated to CNJG that payment is forthcoming by this date, will be considered lapsed and removed as members.
• Mid-October, 2026 – Renewals for 2027 will be emailed.

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2026 Member Renewal Process

1. The link to our online renewal notice will be emailed to your designated “primary contact” in mid-October. In subsequent reminders, the invoices will be emailed to both the "primary contact" and the "billing contacts" at the organization. If you have not received any renewal notice, please let Craig know. You can complete the renewal notice here.
2. Complete and return the renewal notice with either:
   The amount of dues you are paying (based on your giving outlined above) and when CNJG can anticipate the payment.
   or
   Your pledge to pay at a later point in the year. Payment should be received by CNJG before June 30. Please contact Craig if an alternate payment date is needed.
3. Submit the renewal notice/invoice with payment or your pledge to renew by March 31.
4. Update your contact information by having one of your “administrative contacts” update this information on the website. There are tutorials on our website about this process, or contact Craig with questions.

Looking Ahead to 2027

Our expectation is that for 2027, we’ll ask members to base their giving on your past three years average, or on your 2026 giving. We will also include the annual CNJG board-approved 3% increase in dues. CNJG has mapped out the dues rates for the next several years, so members can budget accordingly.

Thank you for being a part of the CNJG membership as we support and elevate New Jersey’s philanthropic community through shared learning, collaborative and trusting relationships, network building, and leadership.

Nonprofit Finance Fund's Annual Survey chronicles the challenges facing the nonprofit sector and calls out some of the targeted investments we can start to agree on as a society to salvage the investment we have collectively made in our social infrastructure. We believe that a coordinated intervention now will not only better prepare us for inevitable future economic crises; it can lead to a happier, healthier community for us all.

This new report from CNJG and partners examines the response of foundations, corporations, and other institutional donors to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Numbering nearly 600, these funders have so far committed more than $380 million for relief, recovery and building efforts. The hard data and reflective observations in the report contribute to the growing body of knowledge that helps foundations and corporations be strategic and effective with their giving when disaster strikes.

Two years after the historic storm, Philanthropy & Hurricane Sandy: A Report on the Foundation & Corporate Response breaks down the allocation of dollars contributed thus far and offers perspective on the role of private giving in disaster response and lessons to be taken from this one. The report was published by the Foundation Center in partnership with the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and Philanthropy New York, and with support from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

“Throughout the past two years, our exceptional nonprofit and funder community has taken on challenges they never imagined,” said Nina Stack, president of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers. “These organizations continue to develop innovative solutions that other communities will learn from and build upon in future disasters.”

In addition to the report’s numerous funders, CNJG wishes to thank the PSEG Foundation for supporting this project.

Strategic asset allocation is arguably one of the most important, yet least advanced, aspects of investing. The Investment Strategy Group (ISG) in the Goldman Sachs Investment Management Division has developed a new approach to strategic asset allocation, which leverages the idea that long-term investment returns derive from multiple distinct sources called “return-generating factors.” This multi-factor approach is designed to help investors better understand the key sources of long-term return across asset classes and to increase the precision of long-term risk and return estimates. It also provides investors with a new way to think about portfolio diversification, allowing them to focus not only on diversification across asset classes but also
on diversification across the underlying sources of return.

Developed in partnership with United Philanthropy Forum and Northern California Grantmakers, this guide shares seven practices and 12 tools for Philanthropy-Serving Organizations who seek effective ways to mobilize resources to sustain their organization’s work. The guide features perspectives from dozens of leaders of national and regional PSOs and examples from our work with these organizations. Much of the content is based on conversations and strategy work with PSO leaders, staff and board members.