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Joint Statement from CNJG and the Center for Non-Profits

This statement also appeared on NJ Spotlight.

Linda-Czipo-and-Maria-Vizcarrondo.jpg

A conversation between two customers in line at a New Jersey supermarket turned ugly when one man denigrated the other with a racial slur and blamed the fellow shopper for the coronavirus pandemic.

With so much else going on these days, it would be so easy to react to such a seemingly minor incident by saying, oh well, these things happen. Times are tough; tempers are short.

But shrugging our shoulders is not an option. Doing so is complicity in a wrongful acts that too often are repeated, over and over. Our silence merely emboldens those who would tear apart the fabric of our society, whether through hate or ignorance – or the extremely volatile mix of the two.

It’s not difficult to connect the dots between “little” incidents and the systemic racism that leads to tragedies like the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. When we ignore or accept any examples of people being demeaned over what they look like or where they (or their ancestors) came from, we only open the door for massive abuses and the wrenching reckoning that follows them.

We mustn’t be cowed by fear of being seen as overly sensitive or labeled “politically correct.” This is about being morally and ethically correct in the face of bias and hatred – and that shouldn’t be too much to ask of Americans, regardless of their political party or ideology.

As state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said recently, “COVID-19 is no excuse for racism, xenophobia, or hate. Discrimination and harassment in violation of New Jersey law remains illegal even if it occurs against the backdrop of a global pandemic." It’s gratifying to live in a state where the top law enforcement officer speaks out this way.

Unfortunately, it also is a state where reported hate crimes are up in recent years. We can’t tolerate such behavior, whether by police, elected officials or “average people.” There is too much at stake for bias to become the new normal.

As the leaders of the major philanthropic and non-profit membership organizations in New Jersey, representing both the wide range of non-profit groups and the multi-faceted funders of those groups, we feel compelled to speak out against the hateful responses we and our members have witnessed in reaction to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Our country has seen countless examples of selfless sacrifice and good works over the past weeks, both on individual and institutional levels. We are proud that the members our organizations have been leaders in responding to the needs of our community.

But to our distress, some individuals are using the pandemic to put forward their bias and hatred toward their fellow citizens.

Times of crisis bring to the surface, on the part of some people, the need to scapegoat. Often, this takes the form of lashing out at particular groups, stirred up by inflamed rhetoric or more subtle code words or phrases, having no relationship to facts. In this time, there have been verbal and physical attacks against people of Asian and Pacific Islander background, as there were against Muslims after September 11 and against African-Americans and Latinos in countless other instances. This hatred and these attacks must stop.

The non-profit sector is the backbone of our communities, providing assistance and education to a wide range of people, in good times and especially in challenging times. Many of these services are a lifeline to people of all backgrounds, religions, ethnicities and statuses in life.

Non-profit organizations are the vehicle through which people can work together to selflessly assist others. People around the world view the United States as being unique in the breadth and depth of its charitable and philanthropic work, engaging the talents of all individuals, regardless of their economic or social status.

We call upon all people of good conscience in their good work to be alert for hateful words and actions and – always -- to speak out against them, both as individuals and as organizations.

Our language and our actions do matter.

Everyone, and especially people in positions of public trust or prominence, has the obligation to use our works and our lives to assist all in need and to honor the dignity and potential of all those we meet.

We call on not only our own members, but everyone who serves and volunteers in our sector to join us in this effort to speak out against racism and hatred and to exemplify all the best that we know our country is.

Maria Vizcarrondo
CNJG CEO and President

Linda Czipo
Center for Non-Profits CEO and President

William V. Engel
CNJG Board Chair

Gina M. Plotino
Center for Non-Profits Board Chair

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

This program delves into the latest federal policies introduced at the national level and their specific implications for the state of New Jersey. This series will unpack how these policies affect various sectors such as immigration, healthcare, environment, education, housing, media and journalism, and arts and culture within New Jersey. Kevin Douglas, Senior Director of National Programs, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), Amy Torres, Executive Director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ), Johanna Calle, Director at the Office of New Americans (ONA) at the New Jersey Department of Human Services, and Stephanie Greenwood, Senior Strategy Officer for Victoria Foundation will share how the latest federal policies are affecting immigration.

Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $75 for Non Member Grantmakers
This program is only open to staff and trustees from grantmaking organizations.

Kevin Douglas (he/him/his) joined GCIR in 2019 and is the Senior Director of National Programs. He leads GCIR’s public policy work, manages the Advancing Economic Justice Community of Practice, and shapes strategic programming and funder resources. Previously, he served as Co-Director of Policy and Advocacy for United Neighborhood Houses of New York, where he led campaigns securing hundreds of millions of dollars in public investment for community services. He was recognized as one of New York Nonprofit Media’s 40 Under 40 and a Next Generation Leader by the Human Services Council. He also co-founded the giving circle 100 New Yorkers Who Care and has served on several boards, including the New York Immigration Coalition. Kevin holds an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania.

Amy Torres (they/them or she/her) leads the charge for immigrant rights as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ). Since 2021, Torres has deepened NJAIJ's policy advocacy and grown its movement building programming. NJAIJ is now the largest immigration coalition in the state. Notable achievements include winning the East Coast's first statewide ban on immigration detention, New Jersey's inaugural language access law, and NJAIJ’s Advocacy Academy, a first of its kind training program that leverages case studies from successful New Jersey racial justice campaigns to empower the next generation of emerging organizers and activists. Prior to their role at NJAIJ, Torres led policy and advocacy efforts for the nation's largest AAPI social services organization. They have held positions from grasstops to grassroots in executive boards, academia, and local organizing. Torres credits their relentless pursuit of fairness, justice, and inclusion to their upbringing in a tight-knit immigrant family in West Texas. As a leader, Torres is anchored by the Filipinx value of 'kapwa' - a sense of self through others, and an unbreakable interconnection and responsibility to one’s community.

Johanna Calle is the Director at the Office of New Americans (ONA) at the New Jersey Department of Human Services. In this role, Ms. Calle works on identifying, developing, and executing policies and strategies to advance efforts to welcome and empower immigrant communities in the state. She will go over the work of the ONA and the work they are doing to support immigrant populations in our state, including overseeing programs around language access, refugee resettlement, and legal services.

Stephanie Greenwood serves as the Senior Strategy Officer for Victoria Foundation’s Economic Justice portfolio in Newark, NJ.  She combines over twenty years of experience in public policy, advocacy, coalition-building, project management, and grants administration in the nonprofit, public, and philanthropic sectors. She brings a background in policy and resource mobilization for housing and environmental justice and a deep personal commitment to place-based, intersectional equity and justice to her work. She has the most fun working in big coalitions that are accountable to social movements and that push toward a healthy, just, regenerative economy that works for all of us. Before joining Victoria, she worked for the City of Newark for eight years with leadership roles in both housing and sustainability. Stephanie holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a Masters of Public Affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. 

Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $75 for Non Member Grantmakers
This program is only open to staff and trustees from grantmaking organizations.

Webinar Video

Programs in this Series:
March 13: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Immigration
March 20: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Health
March 27: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Environment
April 3: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Education
April 10: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Housing
April 17: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Media & Journalism
April 24: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Arts

Resources
GRIC: Fighting for our Future: Immigrant Rights and our Multiracial Democracy Recommendations for Philanthropy in 2025

In this briefing on housing and homeless, you will hear about the changes of federal policy on housing and their impact in New Jersey, you will hear from a panel who will discuss the potential effects of state policy changes on homelessness and housing, including the administration of housing choice vouchers. Potential funding cuts can lead to staffing reductions on housing and homeless services. The uncertainty faced by agencies regarding their funding and the need for legal support can create fear and confusion among agencies in New Jersey. Panelists will discuss what funding strategies and ways to support grantees. At the state and local levels, there is also a need for funders to support policy advocacy and legal assistance.

Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $75 for Non Member Grantmakers
This program is only open to staff and trustees from grantmaking organizations.

Adam Gordon, Executive Director, Fair Share Housing Center, coordinated strategy of organizing, litigation, and policy development to advance racial, economic, and social integration throughout New Jersey and the United States. Since joining the organization in 2006, he has worked to implement New Jersey’s Mount Laurel Doctrine, which has created over 70,000 affordable homes in historically exclusionary communities. He also litigated the largest federal fair housing case in U.S. history and has worked to make federal disaster recovery policy more equitable. Under Gordon’s leadership, FSHC secured passage of the first statewide Fair Chance in Housing Act to limit discriminatory tenant screening policies, a landmark $305 million fund to accelerate affordable housing development, and major legislation to strengthen enforcement of the Mount Laurel Doctrine. Gordon is a co-founder and former Board Chair of Next City.

Elisa Harrigan is the Policy Strategist for the Fund for Housing and Opportunity. She is a disrupter, change agent, and bridge-builder in the philanthropic space. She has an extensive track record centering impacted communities and applying an intersectional equity lens to her work. Elisa brings almost 20 years of experience and expertise to FHO as an influential voice for housing justice in governmental, philanthropic, and nonprofit arenas. The Fund for Housing and Opportunity is a nationwide collaborative working to protect renters and prevent homelessness. FHO brings funders together from across sectors and perspectives to support organizations on the frontlines of housing justice.

Taiisa Kelly, CEO, Monarch Housing Associates, has experience in housing development working with federal, state and local funding sources to secure financing for special needs housing projects. Mrs. Kelly is a dedicated advocate for social justice who has assisted Monarch in expanding services to include strategic planning, grant writing, system oversight, project monitoring, grant administration, innovative program development, and data analysis. Since becoming CEO in 2019, Ms. Kelly has worked to expand and innovate the housing development focus of the agency. Monarch is developing new partnerships to support the creation of housing for marginalized communities with an eye towards innovations in development. Under Ms. Kelly’s leadership Monarch is focused on integrating racial equity into all aspects of homeless planning and housing development with the intent of ending homelessness in New Jersey. Ms. Kelly was inducted into the NJ Housing and Economic Development Hall of Fame in 2023, and was named as one of the 2021 Best 50 Women in Business by NJBIZ Magazine. Mrs. Kelly serves on the Boards of Directors for Nourish.NJ and for the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey (HCDNNJ). She is a Member of United Black Agenda Committee and of the Enterprise Community Leadership Council and Enterprise Community Loan Fund Board, as well as a Commissioner on the Newark Commission on Homelessness. She additionally serves on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation JEGNA Council, the New Jersey State of Affordable Housing (NJSOARH) Advisory Committee.

Lucy Vandenberg is the Executive Director of the Schumann Fund for New Jersey. She leads the Fund’s mission to empower low-income children and families of color to thrive. Lucy ensures that Schumann Fund’s investments positively impact opportunities for affordable homes and healthy communities, early childhood and education, and child welfare and youth justice in Essex County and statewide. From 2013 through 2021, Lucy served as Senior Program Officer for The Fund for New Jersey and managed a $3 million grant portfolio that included lead poisoning prevention, public education, public media, racial justice, immigration, and the environment. Previously, Lucy served as Executive Director of the New Jersey State Council on Affordable Housing. She worked with municipalities to provide their fair share of affordable housing resulting from New Jersey’s landmark Mt. Laurel Supreme Court decisions. Earlier in her career, Lucy served as Senior Policy Advisor for Housing and Urban Revitalization in Governor James E. McGreevey’s administration, and as the Associate Director of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey.

Janel Winter, Assistant Commissioner leads the Division of Housing and Community Affairs, which includes the State’s public housing authority serving more than 40,000 households annually; home energy assistance programs serving more than 200,000 families annually; affordable housing production programs; the Office of Homelessness Prevention; the Office of Eviction Prevention; weatherization and lead remediation and abatement programs; neighborhood revitalization programs; and a variety of other community of other community development initiatives. She has managed the distribution of $2 Billion in federal Covid-related funds to address rental and utility arrears and community revitalization and development throughout the State. Prior to joining DCA, Janel led the Office of Housing at the NJ Department of Human Services and served as Associate Director at the Corporation for Supportive Housing/CSH. Before returning to her home state of NJ, Janel worked at various direct service homelessness and housing agencies in Chicago. 

Webinar Video

Programs in this Series:
March 13: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Immigration
March 20: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Health
March 27: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Environment
April 3: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Education
April 10: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Housing
April 17: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Media & Journalism
April 24: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Arts

This weekly conference call series welcomed New Jersey-based grantmakers along with national funders and provided an opportunity for grantmakers to hear from a wide range of experts in the field of disaster philanthropy. This series started on September 9, 2013 and concluded on November 4, 2013. The written summaries of each recording are listed below.

As we enter the spring months, I want to let you know that registration has now opened for CNJG’s 2025 Conference for the Social Sector —Stronger Together: Philanthropy & Civic Engagement!

This very special convening on June 18 will bring together funders and nonprofits for a full day of shared learning, exchange, and networking. Our conference features national and local thought leaders, and a range of experts, for a day of connection, not-to-be-missed discussion, and side-by-side learning with foundation and nonprofit colleagues. 

We’re pleased to announce our keynote speaker, Dale R. Anglin, Director, Press Forward, a growing coalition of 88+ local and national funders committed to investing more than $500 million to strengthen communities through local news. Press Forward now includes 36 locally led chapters in 29 states, including one in our state — the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

This is CNJG's largest event of the year and your chance to join us as we examine how funders and nonprofits can work together to address and increase civic engagement, focusing on several key areas, including advocacy, local media, participatory budgeting, guaranteed income, public-private partnerships, the arts, and youth education through the lens of civic participation. Special early bird rates are available until April 12 – so please register soon.

We’re thrilled to have PSEG as our Signature Sponsor, Sixers Youth Foundation as a Collaborator Sponsor, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a Connector Sponsor. We have several opportunities available to support this very special event, and I hope you will consider sponsorship. Please reach out to Development Associate Fortunata Cuomo for more information. 

In case you missed it, we recently launched the Funder Briefing Series: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for New Jersey. This series provides an overview of key issues that directly impact philanthropy, and more broadly, the charitable sector. The next session, on April 3 at 4:00 p.m., will focus on Education. There’s still time to register for the program. 

And for your planning, the next briefings in this series are:

• April 10: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Housing
• April 17: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Media & Journalism
• April 24: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Arts

We recorded the last three briefings in this series in case you missed them. We’re also creating a written summary for each briefing as another way for you to review the information. You must be logged in to access the recordings, summary documents, and resources.

• Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Immigration
• Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Health
• Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Environment 

We believe that active participation in CNJG programs is essential for all members, their staff and trustees. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to attend and to share our programs with your staff and trustees. 

The federal funding rollbacks and executive actions continue to harm nonprofits and the work they’ve built across education, healthcare, science, the arts, public media, climate, immigration, gender and racial justice, and countless other issue areas that are at stake. Foundation leaders and funders are exploring ways to respond and step up. The Trust-Based Philanthropy project, along with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and the National Center for Family Philanthropy, coordinated a call-to-action for philanthropy to “meet the moment.”  While philanthropy can’t replace federal funding, funders can “work together to move in solidarity with nonprofits, mobilize money in trust-based ways, and nurture possibility and innovation.” I invite you to join our colleagues from across the county in signing this pledge to be part of the solution. 

In a recent NJ Spotlight News op-ed entitled “NJ nonprofits need your help,” Linda Czipo, President and CEO, New Jersey Center for Nonprofits, reminds us:

There is a good chance that your life has been made better because of a nonprofit… Perhaps you were born, gave birth, or received life-saving treatment at a nonprofit hospital. Maybe you learned from “Mister Rogers,” “Sesame Street” or other shows developed by nonprofits. You may have enrolled your children in childcare or after-school programs so you could go to work. You may have been uplifted, moved, or inspired by a performance at a nonprofit theater….It’s easy to take the helpers for granted; after all, they’ve always been there in our hour of need. But now it’s the helpers who need help.

It's clear we’re in a time of uncertainty, and we’re wading into deeply uncharted waters. Philanthropy has a role to play, and CNJG is here to help navigate and inform your work. In addition to the learning series, we are curating resources, information, webinars, and convenings, as well as sharing CNJG member actions, New Jersey-focused response funds, and more via the Executive Actions Response & Info tab. Please check back often. And please help us keep the information current and updated by sharing your actions and stories with Manager of Communications Shakirat Odunsi.

If you’re hearing of surveys to gather information from NJ nonprofits, please share that information with us as well. Having the latest information supports thoughtful collaboration and decision-making in times of change.

The bottom line is, we must stand together with our nonprofit partners, do our part, and take courageous action now.  

On your side,

Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers

Community foundations are beginning to deepen and shift how they work, adopting an anchor mission that seeks to fully deploy all resources to build community wealth. Moving into territory relatively uncharted for community foundations, they are taking up impact investing and economic development — some in advanced ways, others with small steps. This report offers an overview of how 30 representative community foundations — including The Seattle Foundation, the Vermont Community Foundation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation — are working toward adopting this new anchor mission.

This Democracy Collaborative report was written by Marjorie Kelly, Senior Fellow and Director of Special Projects and Violeta Duncan, Community Development Associate.

President Obama's Hurricane Sandy Task Force released this rebuilding strategy to serve as a model for communities across the nation facing greater risks from extreme weather and to continue helping the Sandy-affected region rebuild. The Rebuilding Strategy contains 69 policy recommendations, many of which have already been adopted, that will help homeowners stay in and repair their homes, strengthen small businesses and revitalize local economies and ensure entire communities are better able to withstand and recover from future storms.

This publication from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations offers a framework for thinking about how to measure progress and results in place-based and community change initiatives.