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One year from now the 2020 Census will be in full swing. This nationwide, constitutionally-mandated count, conducted once every ten years, is our opportunity to ensure that New Jersey residents are accurately counted to secure the resources needed to support our communities. Nationally, more than $800 billion in federal funding as well as fair, proportional voting representation are at stake. In New Jersey, allocations from 16 federal programs including Medicaid, education grants, and even highway planning and construction are allotted based on the census count. This totaled over $17 billion in 2015.
 
But the 2020 Census is facing unprecedented challenges, including years of underfunding, a climate of fear, the challenges of the first “high tech” census, and the potential addition of an untested citizenship question. That means we will all have to work together to overcome these challenges and help achieve a fair and accurate census to ensure that the hardest-to-count communities—like people of color, low-income folks, LGBTQ people, immigrant communities, rural communities, and young children—aren’t missed. Based on the latest census estimates, approximately 22% of New Jersey’s population lives in hard-to-count areas. 
 
CNJG joins the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation’s Funders Census Initiative, 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.

The Census is one of our nation’s most important and consequential civic obligations. Getting it right and counting everyone ensures people and communities can thrive.  

Please feel free to reach out to me or Deputy Director Theresa Jacks for information about the Council’s work on behalf of a full, fair and accurate 2020 Census.
 
Sincerely,

Maria Vizcarrondo, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers

As society grapples with the increasing prevalence of AI tools, the "Responsible AI Adoption in Philanthropy" guide provides pragmatic guidance and a holistic evaluation framework for grantmakers to adopt AI in alignment with their core values. The framework emphasizes the responsibility of philanthropic organizations to ensure that the usage of AI enables human flourishing, minimizes risk, and maximizes benefit.

The framework includes considerations for AI adoption in three key areas – Organizational, Ethical, and Technical – each essential for grantmakers considering the use of AI.

In the fifth session in WRAG's Putting Racism on the Table series (2016), Manuel Pastor, Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, discussed the experience of nonblack racial minorities in America, the implications of demographic change, and the urgent need to invest in equity.

Watch the video

Impact100 South Jersey, a local women’s collective giving initiative, awarded $200,000 in grants to three South Jersey nonprofits, the group said this week.

The grants come from the simple model that is Impact100: Around the world, individual members contribute $1,000 toward large, transformative grants for nonprofits in their communities.

In New Jersey, an estimated 762,530 people are facing hunger, according to Feeding America. As the pandemic continues, hunger relief organizations in New Jersey and across the country are facing ongoing challenges such as increased demand for their services and rising food prices.

To that end, Bank of America announced a $700,000 investment to Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Fulfill and Trenton Area Soup Kitchen to address food insecurity in the region. The investment is expected to provide approximately 1.75 million meals.

Earlier this year, Bank of America announced it would make a $100 donation to local hunger relief organizations and food banks for each employee in New Jersey who received a COVID-19 booster shot or vaccine and notified the bank before the end of January.

The company made an additional contribution to address the increased need experienced by hunger relief organizations across the country. Since the onset of the pandemic, Bank of America has provided $2.29 million in funding to Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Fulfill and TASK in support of local hunger relief efforts.

“As the pandemic continues to impact our New Jersey communities, food banks and hunger relief organizations are experiencing increased demand and higher costs to meet the needs of individuals and families,” said Alberto Garofalo, president, Bank of America New Jersey. “Our commitment to help strengthen the communities we live in and serve is unwavering, which is why we are investing in the health, safety and well-being of our teammates, while also providing funds to help our longtime nonprofit partners that are tirelessly working to fight food insecurity and ensure each of our neighbors has access to a meal.”

SparkNJ, a newly created New Jersey philanthropic organization whose mission is to support small, Black-led nonprofits, has announced the recipients of its six inaugural grants.

The six recipients are from three New Jersey counties and fulfill a variety of needs in their communities from education to food insecurity to maternal and childcare.

The Princeton Area Community Foundation has awarded a total of $250,000 in grants to local nonprofits for summer initiatives that reach children and teens, including many whose families would not otherwise have access to affordable, high-quality programs when school is not in session.

The grants, funded through the Community Foundation’s Community Impact program, will support 26 summer programs that provide a wide variety of ac

tivities for young people, including arts instruction, academic enrichment, social-emotional learning opportunities, swimming and sports lessons. Many programs also provide transportation and meals. Some initiatives include bilingual instruction. Some are geared toward populations that may be difficult to reach, such as tweens and teens.

For many families, summer programs serve as safety nets that help working parents. But for many families, the programs are often out of reach, because of affordability or accessibility.

“Summer programs help reduce learning loss and provide much needed support for many working families who otherwise would not be able to enroll their children in quality, summer activities during the summer months,” Nelida Valentin, Community Foundation vice president of grants and programs, said. “These grants help nonprofit partners sustain terrific initiatives that serve some of our most vulnerable children, particularly teens and tweens in this region. We also want to thank our generous donors, whose support of our Community Impact grants program helps make these grants possible.”

The Montclair Foundation (TMF) has awarded $65,000 in grant funding to 17 diverse nonprofits dedicated to making a positive difference in the Montclair community and its environs.

“We are proud to partner with these outstanding nonprofits to address the challenges and opportunities in our community,” said Peggy Deehan, Trustee and Grants Committee Chair. “We had over 30 applications, which was the most we’ve ever received. The grant review process was incredibly difficult because many worthy organizations applied.”

Eleven nonprofits have been awarded a total of $905,000 in grants by the trustees of The Fund for New Jersey, the organization announced Thursday.

The Fund for New Jersey is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the quality of decision-making related to public policy about the state's most pressing issues. For over 50 years, The Fund has supported organizations and initiatives advancing systemic and sustainable solutions to public problems through policy, advocacy, analysis, and organizing.