Site Search
- resource provided by the Forum Network Knowledgebase.
Search Tip: Search with " " to find exact matches.
A sample document detailing the core values of the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation including restrictions on participation on nonprofit/grantee boards.
This piece captures five key insights to guide organizations as they develop ongoing Measurement, Learning, and Evaluation plans to achieve greater social impact:
- Theory of Change amplifies your impact—helping you focus on the linkages between, and assumptions underlying, your strategies and outcomes.
- Progress toward long-term goals is observable in interim measures.
- Setting targets along the way forecasts your trajectory and provides feedback that tells you if you’re moving in the right direction.
- Impactful measurement needs to align with the rhythm of your work and provide the right data at the right times.
- The payoff of measurement is in the practice, and putting that practice to use greatly increases your odds of success.
When confronted with measurement and evaluation, some turn first to the expensive and time-consuming practice of “gold standard” experimental designs requiring comparison groups to definitively prove whether an intervention delivers the expected results. While measurements of this type are reasonable in certain situations, they are often a stretch for the real world of social innovation and are limited in their timeliness, strategic value, cultural applicability, and validity for measuring the changes sought.
You can get more for less—by deploying measurement based on social science rigor and valuing adaptability and learning. In other words, social innovation is best measured in real time and in ways that can be seamlessly woven into the rhythm of the business cycle and the daily practices of those responsible for funding, managing, and implementing social change.
Newark is one step closer to its highly anticipated Guaranteed Income Pilot Program following the release of a report by the city, the Jain Family Institute and the Economic Security Project outlining findings and recommendations that would put more cash into residents’ hands.
Mayor Ras Baraka first broached the idea of a universal basic income pilot program at a 2019 State of the City address, saying it would be a welcome experiment in Newark, where more than a third of residents live below the poverty line. Universal basic income is a government benefit that aims to reduce income inequality through direct cash infusion.
More than a year later, the report completed by the city’s special task force is positioning Newark to join a national body of research on guaranteed income. The pilot program would focus specifically on residents struggling with housing insecurity, according to the city.
“What we really want to do is add to the national body of research and put Newark on a national stage,” said Kevin Callaghan, Newark’s philanthropic liaison. “This is Mayor Baraka entering a conversation and saying this is something that we support, and the top recommendation of the report is that there should be a federal guaranteed income policy.”
With the support of JFI and ESP, two internationally recognized research groups, Newark will begin to cast a line to national foundations and donors to fund the pilot. The report estimates anywhere between $4.5 million to $12 million based on three studies, but Callghan put the sweet spot around $5 million for meaningful results.
Estimates say that a Newark family would need $63,000 a year to meet its basic needs, according to United Way of Greater Newark.
Strengthening its ongoing commitment to addressing the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic while advancing its core mission to raise awareness of the state’s unique and diverse historical legacy, the New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) has approved approximately $4.9 million in Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 22) grant funding to over 100 historical organizations, museums, historic sites, archives, libraries, individuals, and county re-grant agencies across the state.
The $4.9 million in FY 22 funding will support the New Jersey Historical Commission’s General Operating Support (GOS) program, which covers an array of operational expenses for qualified history organizations; Projects and Co-Sponsored Projects, which includes New Jersey-based historical research, exhibits, programs, and archival work; and the County History Partnership Program (CHPP), which provides all 21 counties with funding for local history groups statewide. FY 22 funding will also be dedicated to planning, coordinating, and implementing initiatives to promote best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion ahead of the NJHC’s new, three-year funding cycle in FY 2023.
“This marks another chapter in the Department of State’s continuing efforts to aid New Jersey’s history community in navigating the unprecedented financial challenges brought about by the pandemic,” noted Secretary of State Tahesha Way. “Funding for history organizations has increased considerably over the past two years, support that will not only secure the future of essential jobs, civics education, and programming across diverse disciplines, but serve to maximize the sector’s growth in the years to come.”
The New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) is pleased to announce that we have awarded $402,514 in grant funding to 33 organizations across the state for Spring 2022. These awards cap off a banner grant cycle which saw the largest-ever response to an NJCH call for applications, with 83 Letters of Intent submitted earlier this year. The high demand for funding reflects both the robust activity of the cultural sector and the need for ongoing support in that sector, as we emerge from the COVID-related challenges of the last few years.
The grantees’ projects reflect the creativity, excellence, and lifelong learning that public humanities programming contributes to New Jersey’s cultural and civic life. NJCH’s awards include Incubation Grants, which help organizations plan, research, develop, and prototype public humanities projects and events; Action Grants, which help organizations implement a wide array of humanities-based projects, including public programs, exhibitions, installations, tours, and discussion groups; and Seed Funding, a brand-new award type that recognizes promising applicants from the Action and Incubation award pools and supports them in building greater capacity to do high-impact public humanities projects.
“From telling underrepresented stories to exploring new modes of audience engagement as we emerge from the pandemic, the new grantees’ projects speak to the astonishing breadth and depth of public humanities work in the state,” said NJCH Executive Director Carin Berkowitz. “NJCH’s grantmaking not only highlights those who are already doing exemplary work in the field, but also supports those organizations and communities that traditionally have less access to the public humanities. This approach ensures that New Jersey’s cultural sector will continue to thrive—now and well into the future.”
The New Jersey Historical Commission board has approved $5.2 million in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 26) grant funding benefitting 93 historical organizations, museums, historic sites, archives, libraries, individuals, and county re-grant agencies across the state.
The $5.2 million in FY 26 funding will support the New Jersey Historical Commission’s General Operating Support (GOS) program, which covers an array of operational expenses for qualified history organizations; Projects and Co-Sponsored Projects, which includes New Jersey-based historical research, exhibits, programs, and archival work; and the County History Partnership Program (CHPP), which provides all 21 counties with funding for local history groups statewide.
The funding for FY 26 takes on even greater importance as the state’s history community plans and prepares programming for the upcoming America 250th commemoration in 2026.
“From promoting civic engagement, expanding economic vitality, and broadening the knowledge of the state’s exceptional cultural resources, this funding strengthens that commitment by providing critical support to advance awareness of New Jersey’s past,” noted Lt. Governor Tahesha Way, who oversees the NJHC in her role as Secretary of State. “The result will be a strong, inclusive, and proactive history community ready to maximize its programmatic impacts for the 250th in 2026.”
In their 2017 book The New Localism, Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak make the case that we're at the beginning of a new era: one in which cities and counties must take the lead on new strategies to address pressing social and economic challenges.
But if they hope to be successful, city leaders cannot take on this burden alone: they need to unleash the collective power of their communities. The good news is that a growing number of cities are finding that supporting communities in small ways — for instance, with microgrants — can deliver outsized impact.
Consider the case of the Denver Foundation, which has kept its Strengthening Neighborhoods initiative going for nearly two decades. The initiative provides grants ranging from $100 to $5,000 to fund community-driven solutions that take advantage of the skills and resources already present in a community. Similarly, the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation's Spark Grants program relies on a grassroots leadership model to bring diverse groups together to strengthen local neighborhoods.
The power of small grants to drive change has not been lost on city leaders, many of whom are embracing the potential of micro-philanthropy — and pairing it with a citizen-led ecosystem that supports the effective implementation of those grants. In Newark, we've taken these lessons to heart and are eager to share some of what we've learned about how small grants can help lay a foundation for improved social and economic mobility.
This guide was designed to help the state’s philanthropic community understand their ethical, legal, and fiduciary requirements and obligations.
As we witness the initial impact of Hurricane Dorian, we are reminded that many of our communities are still targets for further devastation from this storm over the next few days.
While we recognize that many of us have survived recent hurricanes like Sandy and Maria, we also know that the struggle continues, and we need to do our best to help meet the needs of current victims caught in the wake of the storm.
In light of this situation, we are providing our membership with the latest information to help you determine how your organization might engage in response and recovery efforts.
Resources
- The Center for Disaster Philanthropy has created a Hurricane Dorian disaster profile, which provides updates on the storm as well as information on the areas of greatest need
- The Center for Disaster Philanthropy has also launched the CDP 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund to support communities that will be affected by Hurricane Dorian. This fund focuses on medium- and long-term recovery, with the understanding that individuals and communities will need the support of private philanthropy for months and years to come as they navigate the road to recovery.
- The Disaster Philanthropy Playbook is a comprehensive handbook outlining best practices and innovative approaches that the philanthropic community can adopt in addressing recovery after natural disasters. CNJG’s lessons learned in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy helped lead the creation of this Playbook.
- Locally in Florida, the Miami Foundation for a Greater Miami created a Hurricane Dorian resource page.
- The Jessie Ball duPont Fund resource Creating Order from Chaos: Roles for Philanthropy in Disaster Planning and Response provides a framework for steps that can be taken for philanthropy to respond to disasters.
- The New York Times has released an article sharing multiple ways to help Hurricane Dorian survivors in the Bahamas.
- Charity Navigator has created a list of high-rated organizations providing aid and relief for Hurricane Dorian for both short-term and long-term relief.
- Sadly, CNJG’s post Sandy work and the briefings hosted and compiled by CNJG still hold lessons for today. You can review the briefings from Series 1 and Series 2 in either audio or written format. The briefings provide timely, relevant information about how grantmakers can help in the aftermath of a major storm.
Finally, if you think it would be useful, we’ll convene an open-forum conference call for CNJG members to share how your organization might be thinking about your own response efforts. If you’re interested in connecting with your colleagues for this kind of discussion, please contact me, and we will set up a call.
Yours in solidarity,
Maria Vizcarrondo, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers