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This program is presented in partnership with the Maryland Philanthropy Network. As the number of organizations in funder portfolios who are undergoing a leadership transition grows, many common practices of funders, including a “Wait and see” approach, are failing organizations just when they need extra support. Given the deeply destabilizing impact of transitions and the steep increase in volume of transitions, it is more important than ever that funders embrace transitions as a normal yet fragile part of the organizational life cycle. Further, funders can develop better strategies for supporting leadership transitions involving BIPOC leaders.

Join this values-driven and action-oriented session with Leading Forward to learn from social sector professionals who are leaning into trust - and leaning into the change - with new strategies to support leaders who are leaving, leaders who are entering, and the board and staff who manage the change from old to new.

Session take-aways:
A framework and set of principles to rely on when building out grantmaking programs and cohorts related to leadership transitions for your grantees.
Deeper understanding of the unique challenges of BIPOC leadership transitions as well as the current context (large number of transitions, shorter tenures for leaders, etc.).
Practical considerations for how to approach conversations about leadership transitions with your grant partners.
Strategies and tactics for supporting organizations before, during, and after leadership transitions, particularly transitions involving BIPOC leadership.

Speakers
Amalia Brindis Delgado, Chief Strategy Officer for the Panta Rhea Foundation
Ai Lun Ku, Principal of AiLun Ku Consulting, LLC
Sabrina Thornton, Program Officer, Creativity and Innovation for the T. Rowe Price Foundation
Lisa Kane, President of Firefly Advisors

COST: Free for CNJG Members and Non Member Grantmakers

This program is presented in partnership with the following philanthropy-serving organizations: Maryland Philanthropy Network, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, Florida Philanthropic Network, Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, Wisconsin Philanthropy Network, and North Carolina Grantmakers.

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) in collaboration with National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), present a briefing that features a panel of speakers representing nonprofit organizations working on the front lines to strengthen our democracy and advance immigrant rights in their communities. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear what groups need as we move into 2025 and beyond, directly from movement leaders.

According to a report from National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, since 2012 there has been an 11 percent shrinkage in philanthropic funding towards immigrant movement groups. While there was an uptick in rapid response funding between 2017-2018, this has not created the conditions for the long term sustainability of immigrant serving organizations.

In a critical election year, over 60 anti-immigrant bills have been introduced in state legislatures nationwide. Immigrant advocacy groups – already facing a myriad of historically systemic challenges such as burnout, unlivable wages, and hostile state level political environments – are facing this wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, often at the sacrifice of their own safety and well being. And while philanthropic interest has focused on the national elections and scenario planning, movement groups are already planning for 2025 and an uncertain future regardless of presidential election outcomes. Philanthropy must not only meet this moment but also invest in the critical infrastructure needs of organizations and movements, particularly at the local and state levels.

As right wing movements seek to undermine our democracy on all fronts, immigrant communities cannot be left behind and must be included in any political, social, or philanthropic efforts that seek to build a multi-racial democracy. Built through the collaborative efforts of GCIR and NCRP, this briefing will feature a panel of speakers representing nonprofit organizations working on the front lines to strengthen our democracy and advance immigrant rights in their communities. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear what groups need as we move into 2025 and beyond, directly from movement leaders.

Cost: Free for Funders
Must log in or create an account to register on GCIR’s website.

What CNJG Can Do for You

Foundations of all types and sizes are engaging in grantmaking efforts with a complexity that often calls for input from colleagues. CNJG is the go-to center for information, connection, and leadership among a growing network of grantmakers throughout New Jersey.

We are connectors, conveners, knowledge brokers, facilitators and collaborators. We are a network serving Family Foundations, Private Foundations, Corporate Grantmakers, Public/Government Grantmakers, Giving Circles, Federated Funds, Trusts, and Family Office Advisors. CNJG's membership works toward the shared goals of improved practice, expanded impact through collective action, and most importantly, stronger communities.

98% of CNJG members with an opinion say CNJG 

• Provides access to programming they wouldn’t find elsewhere
• Makes them better philanthropy practioners
• Has high quality programming
• Provides access to relationships and collaborations they wouldn’t have established otherwise.
• Meets or exceeds their expectations for membership 

Corporate Foundations

Corporate Foundations and Giving programs work smarter and extend the reach of their philanthropic dollars through CNJG. We provide:

• Benchmarking tools and data to help you set goals and measure impact.
• Broad access to peer funders, influential leaders and legislative decision-makers throughout New Jersey.
• Cost-effective, local, high-quality knowledge-building programs that will boost your operational effectiveness – available online and in person.
• The latest news and information that impacts and drives corporate philanthropy locally and around the world.
• Affinity groups that deepen your understanding of needs and opportunities in areas that align with your corporate giving mission, including our newest affinity group – the New Jersey Corporate Network.
• Listserves that enable you to connect to not only other corporate funders, but other grantmaking colleagues on different issues and/or geographic areas.

“The Council provides a network where I can tap into colleagues who may have valuable experience with an issue, grantee or vendor. In addition, Council research can prove extremely useful for any number of decisions, large or small.” -Etta Denk, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Bank of America

“The programs and seminars that CNJG produces are always substantive.  From a professional development point of view Council membership is extremely cost effective.“ –Marion O’Neill, Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, PSEG

Family Foundations

Family foundations represent approximately one-third of the membership of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers. Join CNJG and you will:

• Have the opportunity to participate in monthly  interactive webinars featuring presentations and Q&A sessions with nationally recognized experts in different areas of family philanthropy. Presented in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy, these webinars take place on the second Thursday of each month.
• Have complimentary access to Family Philanthropy Online — a web-based knowledge center that provides practical advice and knowledge on a variety of relevant topics. Continually updated, the site provides members with access to the latest resources to inform their philanthropic efforts. Logged in CNJG members may access Family Philanthropy Online directly from our website through our members-only portal.
• Participate in Affinity Groups that deepen your understanding of needs and opportunities in areas within your foundation’s giving mission.
• Connect to the experience, knowledge and best practices of other grantmakers throughout the country.
• Get access to discounts on board liability insurance, technology and industry publications.
• Take advantage of CNJG’s vast library of how-to resources.
• Attend cost-effective, local, high-quality knowledge-building programs that will boost your operational effectiveness – online, by phone and in person. 
• Save on CNJG’s signature events featuring national experts, workshops focused on skill-building and best practices, and networking opportunities.
• Meet influential leaders and legislative decision-makers throughout New Jersey.

“One of the greatest benefits has been the opportunity to meet people who are working in much larger foundations...people who are doing things on a different scale, and to be able to hear what they’re doing and learn from them.” -Sharon Karmazin, President, The Karma Foundation

“Our CNJG membership has helped us to be more effective and efficient grantmakers, and allows us to tap into the expertise of the broader philanthropic community.” -Bill Gibson, Trustee, Leavens Foundation

“Access to the Family Foundation teleconferences has been helpful. What we have listened to has been good, engaged  discussion germane to family foundations, in particular issues around multi-generational family philanthropy and the dynamics on such Boards.” - Dillard Kirby, President & Director, F.M. Kirby Foundation

Out of State Funders

Organizations and individuals (as defined on the Eligibility & Criteria page) headquartered outside of New Jersey that provide charitable funding in New Jersey can stay informed of the latest news and important information regarding New Jersey’s philanthropic community through membership in CNJG. As membership is organization-based, any of your representatives, including staff and trustees located in or near New Jersey, are welcome to attend our programs.

Please note that dues for out-of-state funders are based only on your giving in New Jersey.

Private Donors

Private donors who are unaffiliated with a private or family foundation, or whose giving assets might be held with a Community Foundation or other donor advised funds, may join CNJG and engage with other grantmakers to enhance their personal giving.

To learn more about CNJG membership, contact Craig Weinrich at (609) 414-7110 x802

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.

The Foundation Legal Help Desk is designed to provide community, private and family foundations with access to answers to legal questions related to the operations of a foundation. The foundation world is a complex field that requires specialized legal knowledge and many foundations do not have easy access to an attorney with expertise in this field. The Help Desk is operated by our colleagues at the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance (IPA).

How Does it Work?
The service operates through a website. Participants log in with a username and password and type in their question. The software will send it to the attorney “on-call” for their topic area. The attorney will respond either with a written answer or will make arrangements for a phone conversation.

The attorneys providing this service have specialized knowledge in grantmaking, scholarships, fund management, planned giving, nonprofit law, the Pension Protection Act, UPMIFA and other laws that specifically affect the operations of a foundation. 

The Details

• This service is designed to provide quick answers to questions and is limited to a maximum of one hour on any one question. The attorney will be able to advise the foundation if they need to engage counsel to assist them with a complex legal issue or gift. 
• The attorney will engage directly with foundation staff or board members, and will not work directly with donors or professional advisors. 
• The attorney can review documents but will not prepare any documents.
• This service is for legal questions that relate to the operation of a foundation, not legal issues facing a foundation’s grantees. 

Foundations will contact IPA directly to subscribe to the service, and IPA will provide them with a subscription agreement. Once they send the agreement back to IPA with their payment, IPA will provide them with their login credentials. IPA will let you know when any of your members sign up for the service, and will provide each PSO with an annual report on usage by your members and the topic areas of questions handled. 

Service Levels and Costs

How to Subscribe
Email [email protected] to request a registration form and subscription agreement. Please indicate that you are a CNJG member.

This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers’ biennial Spring Colloquium – A Conversation for the Social Sector - being held on May 24 at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick. A CNJG signature event since 2006, the Colloquium brings together foundations and non-profits with national thought leaders to explore topics of critical interest to foundations and non-profits whose work impacts our state’s quality of life.

“The Colloquium is a natural outgrowth of our role as a central force in amplifying the voice of philanthropy in New Jersey,” said Nina Stack, President of the Council. “This special event gives foundation and non-profit leaders the benefit of hearing from our country’s leading social sector experts and the opportunity to apply what they learn to the important work they do to improve the lives of those they serve in New Jersey.”

The 2016 Spring Colloquium conversation will focus on how privatization and de-funding of many services once provided by the public sector has led to the expectation that grantmakers and their non-profit partners will increasingly assume responsibility for these services, despite dramatically diminished resources. The social sector is responding to this challenge with innovative funding initiatives. Detroit’s foundations, for example, devised the “Grand Bargain” to help solve that city’s pension crisis. Likewise, the use of social impact bonds is rising as a means of underwriting safety net programs. “This change in the ‘public contract’ necessitates thoughtful planning on the part of foundation and nonprofit leaders who must be prepared to meet this significant paradigm shift,” said Emily Tow Jackson, Executive Director and President of the Tow Foundation, and a 2016 Colloquium panelist.

Other panelists at this year’s Colloquium include moderator Robert S. Collier, the President and CEO of the Council of Michigan Foundations; Elizabeth T. Boris, Founding Director of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute; and Michael McAfee, Vice President for Programs at PolicyLink.

Over the years, the Colloquium has considered a diverse range of topics including philanthropy’s role in restoring civility to society; strategies to ensure community and nonprofit sustainability; philanthrocapitalism; and driving change by being fearless. The event has featured such prominent speakers as former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean; Idealist founder Ami Dar; U.S. editor of The Economist Matthew Bishop; and Philadelphia Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Jeremy Nowak, among many others.

In addition to serving New Jersey’s social sector, the Spring Colloquium will be viewed by CNJG regional philanthropy association members across the country via simulcast-hosted gatherings.

“PSE&G strongly believes in the power of the social sector’s collective impact and the leadership that CNJG has exhibited over the years by providing New Jersey’s foundations and non-profits with access to our counterparts from across the country,” said Ellen Lambert, Chief Diversity Officer, Senior Director Corporate Citizenship and President, PSEG Foundation, a sponsor of the 2016 CNJG Spring Colloquium. For more details about the Colloquium please visit www.cnjg.org/investmentforum.

The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers works to strengthen and promote effective philanthropy throughout New Jersey. The leading resource for networking and information for New Jersey's philanthropic community, CNJG provides representatives of all types of grantmaking organizations access to valuable services and meaningful activities to advance their work.

Government-Nonprofit Contracting Reform

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance is the biggest change in government grant guidelines in over 30 years. The rules require that federal grants and contracts—including those that pass through state and local governments—include a “reasonable amount” for indirect costs. A “reasonable amount”, according to the guidance, is at least 10 percent of direct costs and, in some cases, nonprofits can negotiate a higher amount. 

With the nonprofit sector earning nearly 33 percent of its revenue from government grants and contracts, this new requirement is a game changer. Nina Stack wrote a piece discussing these changes for the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation blog:

Excerpt from A Social Sector Game Changer:

“Nonprofits that are hired by the government to perform a service and paid through federal dollars are to use at least 10 percent of the direct costs of their grant or contract to pay indirect costs. BOOM! Just as John Madden would say. A mandate for funding that can be used for core operations. Never before has there been such a clear directive and recognition from the federal government.”

To see this change however, industry-wide advocacy is essential to ensure that all nonprofits are aware of this monumental shift and that governments follow the new requirement. Without advocacy, it is very possible that, despite the requirement to add an additional 10 percent or more to pay for indirect costs, legislative bodies at the federal, state and city levels may further reduce project budgets to keep them flat. And this could mean that in order to maintain the same level of services, nonprofits will seek additional resources from the philanthropic sector to make up the difference. Therefore it is imperative that philanthropy remains active in the conversation between nonprofits and government to continue to maintain a balance in the critical services provided by all.

What this means for nonprofits:

• Government contracts are now required to reimburse nonprofits for reasonable indirect costs (administrative, “overhead”) as part of their service-delivery agreement.
• The OMB Uniform Guidance is only a promise of better treatment—nonprofits should know the rules and protect themselves.

What this means for foundations:

• Advocacy is needed! To ensure government partners do not underfund nonprofits due to the new rules, foundations need to help spread awareness and enforce the regulations.

In New Jersey, the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits has been teeing up advocacy, information sessions, and other assistance to help non-profits take advantage of the new rules. For questions and information about the new guidelines, please visit the resources below.

Resources

Federal Register: OMB Uniform Guidance

Kevin Callaghan is Next Leader of Innovative Partnership

The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers (CNJG) and the City of Newark are pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Callaghan as the Council’s new Philanthropic Liaison to the City of Newark.   Based in Newark’s City Hall, Callaghan will lead the Office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison (ONPL) as it convenes, connects and leverages the resources of the state, regional and national philanthropic community for the benefit of Newark’s citizens and institutions.  For nearly five years Callaghan served as the Program Officer at the Foundation for Newark’s Future, the local arm of national philanthropic funding donated to the City of Newark to improve education opportunities for youth. Most recently, he served as Project Lead on the City’s Summer Youth Employment Program. He will formally undertake his new role on September 1.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and CNJG President Nina Stack hailed Callaghan’s appointment.  “In the time I’ve come to know Kevin I’ve seen the passion he has for the City of Newark and the thoughtful, inclusive way he approaches his work,” commented Mayor Baraka.  “We are glad to have him on our team.”   CNJG President Stack added, “Kevin brings an understanding of how foundations work and a real appreciation for the impact strategic philanthropy can have when it works collaboratively with other funders and government leaders. We are very excited to welcome Kevin in this role as leader of the ONPL and look forward to seeing how he builds on the Liaison Office’s achievements over the last eight years.”

Callaghan replaces former Newark Philanthropic Liaison Jeremy Johnson who helped define this innovative collaboration between the Council and the City of Newark in 2007 under former Mayor, now United States Senator, Cory Booker. It marked one of the nation’s first formal partnerships between a city and the philanthropic sector.  Since then, and with the subsequent election of Mayor Ras Baraka in 2014, the ONPL has continued to be a nationally acclaimed model for public - philanthropic alliances, leveraging more than $50 million in private support for City initiatives.  

Callaghan will work in partnership with Mayor Baraka’s Chief Policy Advisor Tai Cooper and cabinet to support public safety, summer youth employment, workforce development, economic development, health and wellness, education and literacy, immigration, and neighborhood and place-based initiatives. “The Office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison is a critical resource to our city. Having previously worked with Kevin, I know he will be very effective in his new role and I look forward to continued collaboration with him,” said Cooper.

“It is an honor to have been selected to lead the Office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison.  I know firsthand the value of collaboratively harnessing the power of philanthropic resources for the direct benefit of Newark’s communities.  Under the guiding principle of collective action, I look forward to working with the grantmaking community and the City of Newark to leverage every possible opportunity to unlock the endless potential of this city,” said Callaghan.

A non-partisan position, the ONPL is funded by a consortium of grantmakers including Bank of America, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Nicholson Foundation, The Prudential Foundation, Schumann Fund for New Jersey, Turrell Fund and the Victoria Foundation.  “Having served with my colleagues as an on-going funder of this unique initiative, I am delighted to know that the fine work that has been accomplished since its inception will continue under the able leadership of Kevin Callaghan,” said Dr. Irene Cooper- Basch, Executive Officer of the Victoria Foundation. 

Previously, Callaghan served for two years as a middle school classroom teacher in Philadelphia through Teach for America.  Earlier in his career, he worked for the federal government as a special assistant at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation in Washington D.C. where he supported development efforts for emerging markets.

Callaghan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and History from St. Peter’s University in Jersey City and a Masters’ Degree in Urban Education from the University of Pennsylvania.  Born and raised in New Jersey, he resides with his family in Essex County.