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Bank of America announced Wednesday that it has made more than $1.5 million in grants to 28 New Jersey nonprofits to help drive economic opportunity for individuals and families.
The grants focus on workforce development and education to help individuals chart a path to employment and better economic futures, as well as basic needs fundamental to building lifelong stability, such as access to food.
While New Jersey’s economy is recovering from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state still trails the nation in terms of employment and job creation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, New Jersey’s unemployment rate is 4.1%, compared with the national average of 3.6%.
Employment is a key driver of economic mobility in New Jersey.
Bank of America New Jersey President Alberto Garofalo said that is why the bank is focused on building pathways to employment by supporting a range of workforce development and educational opportunities that will help vulnerable individuals and families stabilize and advance.
“We’ve chosen to partner with nonprofits that address the most critical issues facing New Jersey, including workforce development, food insecurity and economic and social progress,” he said. “Our philanthropic investment in these organizations helps us deploy capital locally, where it will have the most impact and build sustainable communities.”
A sample document detailing the core values of the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation including restrictions on participation on nonprofit/grantee boards.
Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ), has awarded a fifth round of grants from its COVID-19 Response Fund. Sixteen grants totaling $155,000 were awarded to South Jersey nonprofits meeting the needs of communities in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem Counties. Over the past year, CFSJ has distributed more than $848,000 to more than 110 organizations negatively impacted by the pandemic and related economic downturn.
“This pandemic has created challenges for families across South Jersey, including food insecurity, housing instability, and a lack of childcare. These grants build on the Foundation’s efforts to help those on the front line provide access to these essential services and more,” said CFSJ Executive Director Andy Fraizer. “We applaud the efforts of those who are working tirelessly to serve individuals and families.”
The New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) recently awarded $199,637 in Incubation and Action Grant funding to sixteen organizations. Incubation Grants help organizations plan, research, develop, and prototype public humanities projects and events. Action Grants help organizations implement a wide array of humanities-based projects, including public programs, exhibitions, installations, tours, and discussion groups.<BR><BR>
Public humanities programming allows individuals to engage in lifelong learning and share in the exploration of history, values, cultures, and beliefs. NJCH supports and acts as a resource for cultural and service-oriented nonprofit partners as they bring the public humanities to the residents of New Jersey, harnessing the power of the humanities to strengthen communities.
Prudential Financial has awarded “microgrants” to 54 nonprofits and individuals throughout the city to help them continue their effort to address community issues and improve quality of life for people and families.
Prudential, headquartered in Newark, recently distributed $280,000 from a $500,000 Community Grants Program, launched in March. Prudential partnered with the Community Foundation of New Jersey to administer and distribute the microgrants.
“We know a strong city is built on strong neighborhoods and we understand that those closest to the challenges in our community are best positioned to solve them,” said Lata Reddy, senior vice president with Prudential Financial and chair of The Prudential Foundation.
Approximately 45 million foreign-born individuals from all over the world reside in the United States, more than in any other country, comprising nearly 14 percent of the U.S. population.
A 2021 poll from the Cato Institute shows 72 percent of respondents consider immigration to be good for the nation. Yet, many people continue to have complicated and conflicting opinions on the issue, often based on a lack of understanding of how the immigration system operates and exacerbated by disinformation campaigns.
Research helps identify what inspires people to act, while cultural interventions and organizing affect perceptions and how we relate to one another. In this webinar, we will explore the strategies and tactics organizations are deploying to move hearts and minds in support of immigration.
COST: Free for members and nonmembers
The Westfield Foundation proudly announces its 2025 Q1 grants, awarding over $120,000 to local organizations that exemplify our commitment to accessibility, equity and strategic partnerships. As we celebrate 50 years of service, we remain dedicated to fostering positive change and strengthening our community through impactful collaborations.
"For five decades, The Westfield Foundation has worked hand-in-hand with local organizations to remove barriers and create opportunities for all," said Katie Darcy, executivedDirector of The Westfield Foundation. "This quarter’s grantees reflect our deep commitment to equity and accessibility, ensuring that individuals of all ages and backgrounds have the resources they need to thrive. We are especially proud to see past grantees collaborating, reinforcing the power of partnership in driving meaningful change."
CNJG’s community foundation services (through the United Philanthropy Forum) breakdown into three categories:
1. a national listserv for CEOs
2. two in-person boot camp trainings
3. discount on the On-Line CF Express Training
National Listserv for Community Foundation CEOs
CNJG’s listserve for Community Foundation CEOs connects to a national listserv for the CEOs of community foundations. This active listserve allows community foundation CEOs to communicate easily via email with community foundation CEOs from across the country, to pose questions, engage in conversations and more. The service is being made available to our community foundations members as a benefit of your membership with CNJG and is operated by the Untied Philanthropy Forum, which is CNJG’s national network.
If you are interested in participating in this national community foundation listserve, please contact Craig Weinrich.
Community Foundation Boot Camps
The United Philanthropy Forum offers two or more Community Foundation Boot Camps a year that are made available to CNJG members at the member rate as a benefit of CNJG membership. The two-day Community Foundation Boot Camp program offers a comprehensive overview of the structure and operations of a community foundation. The program is an ideal in-depth introduction to community foundations for new community foundation staff, community foundation board members, or more experienced community foundation staff looking for a good refresher.
On-Line CF Express Training
The Forum is partnering with Kansas Association of Community Foundations (KACF) to offer a $400 discount on KACF’s On-Line CF Express Training. The online training and certificate program focuses on core essentials over a 15-module series that covers nearly every aspect of community foundation work: from asset development and quality grants programs design to fiduciary and policy matters. Plus, enjoy 24-hour-access to the easy-to-navigate short (5-15 min) modules in any order from the comfort of a home or an office, in private, or as a group training.
Watch the CF Express Training Promo Video and view a sample module (password: mod15) to learn more. To take advantage of the discount, sign-up at https://cfexpresstraining.com and enter discount code: Forum2018. You can also reference the following attachments for more details.
This work is a joint project of Bridgespan Social Impact, the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), PolicyLink, and CapEQ.
Since the social unrest over racial injustice in the summer of 2020, philanthropists, corporations, and impact investors across the United States pledged to invest billions of dollars to advance racial equity. However, recent scrutiny of those commitments reveals that the majority of those dollars remain on the sidelines.
A common hypothesis for the shortfall is the lack of investable “shovel-ready” opportunities. But Bridgespan Social Impact has formally and informally advised organizations seeking to invest for racial equity over the years, and found that hypothesis to be patently untrue. To make the case, Bridgespan is publishing this list of racial-equity funds that emerged from our experience, at the request of multiple funds and potential investors, and alongside the launch of a new racial-equity theme in the IRIS+ family of impact measurement and management guides. It comprises more than 160 funds that explicitly seek to improve the livelihoods of individuals who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and their communities. And we’re not done yet.
What is racial-equity investing?
In putting together this list, we chose to characterize “racial-equity investing” as directing capital toward creating equitable opportunities for BIPOC individuals and communities. That often requires shifting decision-making power and redefining risk so that capital flows more freely in service of those opportunities.
Sourcing these funds, we uncovered dozens of creative financing vehicles aimed at building power, creating economic opportunity, and improving livelihoods for communities of color.
African Americans make up just 14% of New Jersey’s population, but they account for 21.3% of COVID-19 deaths, according to state fatality figures. This disparity is due to a number of factors which existed long before the coronavirus pandemic hit our state and our country. Discrimination in our health systems directly contributes to disproportionate rates of chronic disease and barriers to accessing health care for Black individuals. This web briefing will explore how philanthropy and our partners can help turn the tide and begin to address these complicated issues head on. Going back to normal is not good enough. The philanthropic community is in a unique position to bring these kinds of conversations to the forefront of our work.
Hear Dr. Denise Rodgers, Vice Chancellor of Interprofessional Programs at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, discuss the social determinants underlaying long-standing racial health disparities, and how New Jersey can address health inequity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’ll also be joined by Bob Atkins, Director of the New Jersey Health Initiatives of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, who will share his perspective on how funders can help support better outcomes for Black individuals and communities during this pandemic. To end our session, he will facilitate a conversation for grantmakers to share how their organizations are addressing racial inequity amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Join us to explore how philanthropy can help reduce the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities in New Jersey.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members and NonMember Grantmakers
This program is only open to staff and trustees from grantmaking organizations.
Webinar Video
To influence systematic change in employment practices for individuals with disabilities, Kessler Foundation provided a $100,000 initial investment grant for the May launch of "Employing Abilities at Work Certificate" by SHRM Foundation, the 501c (3) philanthropic arm of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Developed in partnership with the St. Augustine, FL-based consulting firm Global Disability Inclusion, the free certificate program aims to educate human resource (HR) professionals, people managers, and business leaders about the benefits of providing a more equitable, diverse workplace for individuals with disabilities. The program will prepare human resource professionals to confidently attract, hire, and retain this population successfully in the workplace.
According to CDC data, more than one in four (26 percent) of the U.S. population identifies with a disability. This community provides a large, unrealized pool of candidates consisting of considerable skills and strengths.
"People with disabilities have the talent and ability to fill the many employment opportunities in today's job marketplace," said Elaine E. Katz, MS, CCC-SLP, Senior Vice President, of Grantmaking and Communications, Kessler Foundation. "The new SHRM Foundation certificate program provides a roadmap for HR professionals to enable authentic disability inclusion, which allows all employees to feel welcome, included, and respected," she says, adding, "more importantly, this certificate is free, enabling SHRM members and others to effect change and growth in companies looking to diversify their workforce."
In celebration of its one-year anniversary, the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund announced Thursday $16 million in new grant funding to 139 nonprofits throughout the state.
The grants, inspired by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s recognition of NJPRF’s impact and her transformational $20 million gift, include $10 million in grants to nonprofit organizations doing exemplary pandemic relief work at the state and local level.
NJPRF also allocated an additional $6 million in direct cash assistance for more than 18,000 of the state’s most vulnerable individuals and families, including higher education students, who will not benefit from government stimulus checks in the recently enacted American Rescue Plan.
The fund has now given $56 million in grants.
“Since the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund launched one year ago, we have worked every day to provide support to the millions of New Jerseyans struggling as a result of the pandemic and the crippling economic crisis left in its wake,” first lady Tammy Murphy, the founding chair of NJPRF, said.
“This round of grants goes directly to our nonprofits on the front lines delivering urgent aid to our most vulnerable residents.”
Newark Arts has announced the awardees of its annual ArtStart mini-grant program. Seventeen winning proposals were granted a total of $50,000 for the year 2021-2022. The ArtStart program supports organizations and individuals who create and curate music, dance, theatre, film, visual and/or literary art projects to benefit the residents and neighborhoods of Newark, New Jersey.
This year marks the 20th for ArtStart, which was designed to nurture arts and cultural activities throughout the city of Newark, especially for youth and underserved populations.
“Issuing $50,000 in ArtStart grants this year and nearly $600,000 over the years is a critical part of Newark Arts’ mission,” said Regina Barboza, Interim Executive Director, Newark Arts. “These investments help to provide in-community access to the arts in every ward, from music and dance programs to filmmaking and visual arts.”
The Fund for Women and Girls (FWG) at the Princeton Area Community Foundation has awarded $215,000 in grants, including support for five local nonprofits that are working to help new mothers, mothers in recovery, single parents, families with young children and children who have been removed from their homes.
More than 20 years ago, the FWG was created as a fund of the Community Foundation to focus its funding on organizations that work to improve the lives of vulnerable women and children in the region. With a philosophy of collective philanthropy, members donate to the Fund, and then meet annually to recommend grants to support nonprofits aligned with the fund’s goals.
“These nonprofits are doing incredibly important work in our communities, and this funding will make a meaningful difference in the lives of women and children,” said Carolyn Sanderson, Chair of The Fund. “Thanks to the generosity of our members, we have awarded more than $1 million in grants to more than two dozen nonprofits over the last six years. We can do so much more together than any of us can do individually.”