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The 4^th goal of CNJG’s strategic plan calls for CNJG to expand partnerships and collaborations to create more value for our members. One of our long-standing partnerships is with the Council on Foundations to collect salary data, which we will include in our upcoming triennial 2023 New Jersey Philanthropy Benefits & Salary Summary report.

We are now partnering with YOU to collect your data on the benefits that your organization provides to your staff and/or trustees. The CNJG benefits survey is open for you to complete.
 
The New Jersey Philanthropy Benefits & Salary Summary report is often cited as one of the most valuable benefits of membership, and the more data we collect from a variety of philanthropic organizations, the more valuable the report becomes! As we did in 2020, we’re also pleased to ask demographic information about your board and staff within this survey. Even if you do not have any paid staff, you will be able to add your board demographic information to the survey.

We aim to publish the 2023 New Jersey Philanthropy Benefits & Salary Summary report in late 2023. The report is the premiere benchmarking tool for our members and the philanthropy sector in New Jersey. 

The survey closes on August 4, 2023. We encourage every CNJG member organization to complete the survey. While the survey is long – taking about 45 minutes to complete – it allows us to create a truly comprehensive report to inform your decision making. We encourage you to review the questions in advance to gather the information you will need to make it easier for you to complete the survey in one sitting. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Director of Member Services, Craig Weinrich. I hope that one person from your organization will complete the survey before August 4.

A couple more summer notes – we will not publish CNJG News in August, but will resume in September. And, to recognize and show appreciation for our hard-working staff, the CNJG office will be closed on Fridays throughout the summer. This is one benefit that we offer our staff. It will be fascinating to see how many others offer this same benefit, so please complete our survey before the end of the July!

Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers

The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers joins the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation’s Funders Census Initiative, the United Philanthropy Forum, and philanthropy-serving organizations around the country in asking our members to commit to supporting and encouraging a fair and accurate census.

“Census Day,” April 1, 2020, is here and the time to act is now.

More than $800 billion annually in federal assistance to states, localities and families is distributed based on census data; yet historically, the census has missed disproportionate numbers of people of color, young children and the rural and urban poor, leading to inequality in political power and inaccessibility to public funding and private investment for these communities. Going into 2020, additional communities, including immigrants, refugees, unmarried women and the LGBTQ community are at risk of being missed.

Of that $800 billion, $17.56 billion distributed to our state is based on census data. Furthermore, in the 2010 census, return rates for New Jersey’s cities were very low: 55% in Newark, 50% in Irvington, 55% in Orange, 55% in Atlantic City, 56% in New Brunswick, 59% in Trenton, 60% in Paterson, and 61% in Camden. These communities are among those labeled Hard-to-Count (HTC). Being hard-to-count can lead to unequal political representation and unequal access to vital public and private resources for these groups and their communities. Our state has so much at stake, and we need to ensure a full, fair and accurate census. Without accurate census data, the communities you care about could see less investment in their vital public and private resources.

The Fund for New Jersey has created a website, which includes interactive maps to find Hard to Count areas, resources, and news. The Fund reminds us that almost everything we know about our communities comes from information collected during the census and its related surveys. Read The Fund for New Jersey’s policy paper, Toward a Fair and Accurate Census 2020 and a Timeline for Philanthropy, and download their checklist for outlining a number of ways philanthropy can support Census 2020.

The 2020 Census is facing unprecedented challenges, including years of underfunding, a climate of fear, and the challenges of the first “high tech” census.

Ways to Help

1. Review the Funder Menu of Options created in partnership by United Philanthropy Forum and the Funders Census Initiative (FCI 2020) to help funders identify what they can to do.
2. Join the Funders Census Initiative Working Group. As a working group member, you’ll have access to the core listserv for funders to connect on their work at the national, state and local levels. There is no cost, and you don’t need to be a FCCP member to join.
3. Sign up to get ongoing updates from the Census Bureau, including America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers, the latest news, Tip sheets, and Stats for Stories. You can also partner with our Census Regional Office.
4. Talk to your grantees about the importance of a full and accurate 2020 Census, and what it means for their community and their work. Encourage them to get involved by sending them this message, and sharing this write up for use in their e-communications.
5. Advocate for a fair and accurate census, and for the resources to support a complete count in your community and statewide.
6. Share information on your website; via mailings, e-blasts and social media; and at your board and staff meetings to inform people why the census matters to your community and your grantees.
7. Join the Census 2020 NJ Coalition, a statewide outreach and awareness campaign to coordinate nonprofit and community-based efforts to ensure an accurate 2020 Census count in New Jersey. The Coalition is working together with the State of New Jersey Complete Count Commission and the U.S. Census Bureau to make sure the public has clear, accurate information about the importance of the upcoming Census.
8. Keep the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers up to date on what you are doing. Please contact Theresa Jacks, Deputy Director for more information.  

It is difficult to overstate the importance of a fair census count. When census information is not accurate, it threatens to muffle the voices of undercounted groups and regions, and undermine the basic political equality that is central to our democracy. Institutions across the country, including local and state governments, businesses, nonprofits and foundations, routinely rely on data from the census to allocate funding, define where services are delivered, and promote economic development. Thank you for your commitment to making sure that everyone counts!

Websites to Visit

• The Census Project
  A broad-based network of national, state, and local organizations that supports a fair and accurate 2020 Census and comprehensive American Community Survey (ACS — the modern version of the census “long form”). Participating stakeholders represent a diverse range of American sectors that rely on objective data for decision-making and promote civic engagement: business and industry; civil rights advocates; state and local governments; social service agencies; researchers and scientific associations; planners; foundations; and nonprofits focused on housing, child and family welfare, education, transportation, and other vital services.
• Funders Census Initiative
  A project of the Funders Committee for Civic Participation, a philanthropy-serving organization spearheading Census-related work and information for funders.
• United Philanthropy Forum
  The largest network serving philanthropy in America, consisting of regional and national philanthropy-serving organizations (PSOs). Through the Census 2020 Project, the Forum is working with members to mobilize regional funders to advocate for policy improvements for the 2020 census, and to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of a fair and accurate census count to philanthropy. CNJG is a member of the Forum.
• United States Census Bureau
  The Bureau's mission is to serve as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy and is the federal government’s largest statistical agency. The Decennial Census is the once-a-decade population and housing count of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas as required by the U.S. Constitution. The results of the decennial census determine the number of seats for each state in the U.S. House of Representatives and are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts and to distribute more than $675 billion in federal funds each year.
• NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development
  NJ's governmental department that works with the Census Bureau to conduct the census in New Jersey.
• Advocates for Children of New Jersey – Census 2020 NJ
• The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights – 2020 Census

Resources to Use

• 2017 CNJG Conference – Luncheon Keynote: The Linchpin – Why the 2020 Census Matters
• Mapping Hard to Count (HTC) Communities for a Fair and Accurate 2020 Census
• The Census Project: Fact Sheets and Reports
• The Census Project: Monthly Updates
• The Census Project: Recent Media
• Census.gov: Community Outreach Toolkit
• NJ Complete Count Commission
• 2020 Census Operational Timeline
• Response Outreach Area Mapper
• Census Solutions Workshop Toolkit
• Map Showing Contact Strategies for Hard to Count Communities
• 2020 Census Complete Count Committees
• Get Out the Count Toolkit

Webinars to Watch

• What Funders Need to Know About Census 2020 Operations
• Johnson Center Podcast: This One Counts
• Brennan Center for Justice: The 2020 Census: What's at Stake
• Census Day 2019 Press Briefing (4/1/2019)
• FCI Briefing Series: Census 2020 Messaging Testing Results – presented by Color of Change
• FCI Briefing Series: Census 2020 Messaging Testing Results – presented by National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
• FCI Briefing Series: Census 2020 Messaging Testing Results – presented by Asian Americans Advancing Justice
• FCI Briefing Series: Census 2020 Messaging Testing Results – presented on Messaging Studies with the Census Bureau
• FCI Briefing Series: Census 2020 Messaging Testing Results – presented by National Congress of American Indians
• FCI Briefing Series: Census 2020 Messaging Testing Results – presented by the Arab American Institute and American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
• FCI Briefing Series: Census 2020 Messaging Testing Results – presented by San Joaquin Valley Health Fund: Census Research Project

Articles to Read

• CityLab: Ex-Census Director: Citizenship Question Is 'a Tremendous Risk' (2/27/2018)
• ProPublica: The Trump Appointee Behind the Move to Add a Citizenship Question to the Census (3/7/2018)
• FiveThirtyEight: A Million Children Didn’t Show Up In The 2010 Census. How Many Will Be Missing In 2020? (3/19/2018)
• Governing: A Census Citizenship Question Wouldn't Just Impact Blue States (3/28/2018)
• ScienceMag: 2020 census gets huge budget boost, but addition of citizenship question worries critics (3/27/2018)
• Governing: A Census Citizenship Question Wouldn't Just Impact Blue States (3/28/2018)
• TheIntercept: COUNT DOWN: How the Trump Administration Is Botching Its Only Trial Run for the 2020 Census (3/31/2018)
• ScienceMag: Trump officials claim they can avoid 2020 census problems caused by controversial citizenship question (4/13/2018)
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Foundations Push Census Turnout in Worrisome Times (5/7/2018)
• ScienceMag: More money, more worries: 2020 census plans continue to generate controversy (5/15/2018)
• The Census Project: Senate Appropriators Strongly Urged to Support House Level of Funding for 2020 Census in FY19 Appropriations (6/5/2018)
• The NonpPofit Times: Nonprofits Already Eyeing 2020 Census, $800 Billion At Stake 6/6/2018)
• NPR: Documents Shed Light On Decision To Add Census Citizenship Question (6/10/2018)
• The Census Project: June 2018 Census Project Update (7/10/2018)
• City Lab: A Visual History of the U.S. Census (7/29/2018)
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Every Person Counts: Why the Census Must Be Rescued (7/31/2018) - Subscription access
• Inside Philanthropy: Census 2020: How Is Philanthropy Responding to the Citizenship Question? (8/2/2018)
• The New York Times: Why the Government Wants to Know Your Citizenship Status (8/4/2018)
• Insider NJ: Rice Bill to Create NJ Complete Count Commission for 2020 Census Signed into Law (8/25/2018)
• Pacific Standard Magazine: Census Bureau Economists Provide More Evidence Against the Citizenship Question (8/31/2018)
• NJ Spotlight: State's Complete Count Commission Knows NJ Can't Afford a Sloppy Census (9/6/2018)
• NorthJersey.com: Paterson looks to ease immigrants’ fears that could depress its Census count. (9/19/2018)
• Governing: With 2020 Census Looming, Governments Face Many Unknowns (11/2018)
• City Lab: Would Top Census Officials Hand Over Citizenship Status Data? (11/20/2018)
• The Washington Post: Senate confirms new Census Bureau director as 2020 survey approaches (1/3/2019)
• NPR: Senate Confirms Trump's Census Bureau Director Nominee Steven Dillingham (1/9/2019)
• Press of Atlantic City: Census Complete Count Commission holds first meeting (1/10/2019)
• NPR: Judge Orders Trump Administration To Remove 2020 Census Citizenship Question (1/15/2019)
• GW Institute of Public Policy: Counting for Dollars 2020: The Role of the Decennial Census in the Geographic Distribution of Federal Funds (2/13/2019)
• The Census Project: Census Experts Commend Updated Study Showing Almost $9 Trillion Next Decade from Feds to States Depends on 2020 Census (3/8/2019)
• Nonprofit Quarterly: 3rd Judge Rejects Census Citizenship Question as US Supreme Court Date Looms (3/8/2019)
• NJ TV Online: NJ commission works toward ‘complete count’ for 2020 census (3/22/2019)
• NPR: What You Need To Know About The 2020 Census (3/31/2019)
• NJ Spotlight: NJ Urged to Put More Money and Speed into 2020 Census Preparations (4/1/2019)
• Inside Philanthropy: Census 2020: Inside Efforts to Make Sure Rural Communities Count (4/4/2019)
• Governing: In the Trump Era, Muslim Immigrants Distrust the Census (4/8/2019)
• Brookings : A year before the 2020 census, experts share four key insights (4/23/2019)
• NextCity: How Cities Plan to Save the Census (4/26/2019)
• Nonprofit Quarterly: Who Will Be Counted in the US Census? (4/29/2019)
• NJ Spotlight: Is NJ Prepared to Spend $9M - $1 per Person - to Ensure Accurate Census Count? (4/30/2019)
• Nonprofit Quarterly: Legal Advocates Speak Out about the Dangers of Weaponizing the Census (5/1/2019)
• NJ Spotlight: Census 2020: Innovation Could Boost Participation - But it Won't Come Cheap (6/11/2019)
• Science: In killing citizenship question, Trump adopts Census Bureau’s preferred solution to a thorny problem (7/11/2019)
• Governing: Citizenship Question Permanently Blocked From 2020 Census (7/17/2019)
• Federal Times: Why the 2020 census will have fewer personnel and offices (7/19/2019)
• CNBC: Experts are worried the census will once again undercount kids younger than 5 (7/29/2019)
• American Library Association: Libraries and the 2020 Census (8/1/2019)
• NJ Spotlight: Relief that $125M for upgrades to NJ libraries finally on the horizon (8/6/2019)
• NJ.gov: The State of New Jersey announces a grant program to support efforts to make sure that everyone in New Jersey is counted (9/6/2019)
• Nextgov: Census is Asking the Public to Help Fight Misinformation Ahead of 2020 (9/11/2019)
• US News: How Cities Can Make the 2020 Census a Success (9/12/2019)
• Federal News Network: Census Bureau stands up ‘fusion center’ to combat misinformation during 2020 count (9/12/2019)
• NPR: Census Bureau Fights To Prevent Spread Of Misinformation (9/13/2019)
• Reddit: Everything you wanted to know about the 2020 census (but didn't know who to ask) (10/13/2019)
• NJ Spotlight: Efforts Underway to Maximize Census Count in New Jersey (10/18/2019)
• NJ Spotlight: Census Bureau Needs 45K Temporary Workers in NJ for 2020 Count (10/23/2019)
• NJ Spotlight: Working to Overcome Census Limitations to Make New Jersey’s Count Count (12/12/2019)

A new nonpartisan resource, Foundation Funding for U.S. Democracy, provides data about foundations and their democracy-related grantmaking in a structured, contextualized, and visual format. Foundation Funding for U.S. Democracy was created through a partnership of eight funders in the field, including the Rita Allen Foundation, and is being developed by the Foundation Center.

The tool allows funders, nonprofits and other interested parties to sift through data on the $1.7 billion (and counting) granted by foundations to strengthen civic engagement in the United States since 2011. For the first time, we have an open tool for visualizing who gave how much to whom for what. While the tool and the data will continue to develop, it already gives a tremendously useful view of opportunities for greater partnerships and knowledge in the field—both for funders and for the organizations, small and large, established and emerging, working to strengthen our democracy. As Kelly Born of the Hewlett Foundation, another of the project partners, writes in a post introducing the tool: “As useful as this data set and visualization will be for foundations already working in the field or new funders considering entering it, the real killer app for this work will be to help grant seekers.”
 

When any type of disaster strikes, philanthropy comes to the aid to those affected. CNJG, along with our philanthropy-serving organizations across the country through the United Philanthropy Forum, offers local and regional information pertaining to the relief efforts. Here, we offer resources, information, and updates on what is happening in New Jersey for larger disasters that have affected the lives of New Jerseyians, specifically, the water challenge in Newark and Hurricane Sandy, as well as COVID-19.

Disaster Response Listserve

Specifically for funders wanting to share information, news related to their own initiatives and/or NJ’s recovery and rebuilding process. If you are a funder (either in NJ or out-of-state) and are interested in joining this listserve, please send a request to Craig Weinrich.

Playbook for Philanthropic Response When Disaster Hits

While there is no shortage of guides for philanthropies to reference when disaster strikes, there is no comprehensive repository of the innovative strategies and critical work funders have accomplished in response to disasters both nationwide and globally. A partnership with the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, in association with the United Philanthropy Forum, the Disaster Philanthropy Playbook website aims to bring together a meaningful compilation of early stage ideas, tested models and innovative strategies employed by funders throughout the world. Designed as a multimedia, interactive online magazine, the Playbook will be an “evergreen” resource designed for continued updates and knowledge-building. The Playbook addresses community planning, civic rebuilding, legal services, housing, vulnerable populations, working with local, state and federal government, mitigation and preparedness are some of the common issues faced by communities post disaster. Leadership support for the Playbook has been generously provided by The Rita Allen Foundation. Additional support for the Playbook has been provided by Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Contribution Fund, and PSEG Foundation.

State and National Disaster Relief Organizations and Resources

Disaster relief information and resources for funders or individuals who want to support organizations responding to disasters.

The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers’ 2023 – 2027 Strategic Plan reimagines the future for CNJG. As a result of the extensive strategy development process, the plan includes a renewed vision, mission, core values, and goals. The work is informed by previous efforts, and current issues and trends impacting philanthropy and society.

The 2023 - 2027 Strategic Plan is a roadmap for the next five years, built upon CNJG's past strategic plans and learnings. We look forward to executing this plan, the additional learnings and opportunities it will bring, and delivering on these goals to move us into the future.