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Any and all staff and/or trustees from new CNJG members and any new staff and trustees of veteran CNJG members are invited to this Zoom meeting to meet fellow new members, hear about each other’s funding strategies, and learn about the programs and services CNJG offers. This is a great chance to meet fellow funders in a casual, yet professional setting, and build your network within the CNJG network.
There is no cost to attend for CNJG members.
If you have any questions about who can or should attend, please contact Craig Weinrich, Director of Member Services at 609-414-7110 x802.
We are pleased to share the Newark Philanthropic Liaison's latest Report to the Field. In 2023, we were proud of the multiple opportunities we had to spotlight the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers' leadership in starting and continuing this innovative model. Partners from across the country, from Philanthropy Serving Organizations (PSOs) to state and local governments, are considering the creation of a role similar to the Newark Liaison. Now more than ever, it is through partnerships that we will achieve our biggest collective goals in our sector.
Please join us to share our work, brainstorm solutions, and discuss areas of common interest. Up to four funders can present a five-minute grant problem or opportunity to be workshopped. Bring your summary slide and get advice or feedback from your peers. Everyone will get a chance to share, opine, advise, and connect. Enrollment is limited to facilitate dialogue.
To reserve one of the four mini-workshop spots, please email Chanika Svetvilas by June 18.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $50 for Non Member Grantmakers
This program is only open to Education Funders.
Looking to improve the collection and sharing of philanthropic data, the Foundation Center and the United Philanthropy Forum (of which CNJG is a member) have entered into a partnership. The partnership will establish platforms and systems for collecting data contributed by CNJG members and other foundations throughout the country to aggregate and report on the philanthropic sector. Plans include ways to standardize and centralize giving data, reporting on funding patterns, and data visualization tools to better communication the sector’s impact. This partnership will give us better ways of illustrating the value of philanthropy in our regions and help us to inform funding decisions and track trends.
For more information, please visit the United Philanthropy Forum website.
Our Report to the Field for 2024 showcases an array of examples of public private partnerships launched in Newark with the collaboration of multiple partners. The Liaison led efforts to secure new funds for innovative solutions to homelessness, new approaches to economic security, increased access to programs for residents, and enhanced equity and access in our educational system. The Newark funding community took advantage of our Newark Funder Affinity Group meetings to structure an exciting new program to support Newark nonprofits through the lens of trust-based philanthropy. We remain fortunate to work in an environment of collaboration and alignment in Newark.
Recent federal government actions such as funding interruptions and cancellations, proposed budget cuts, threats to programs and tax-exempt status, and a volatile economy are creating existential challenges to nonprofit organizations and the people and communities they serve.
How can philanthropy best support and work in solidarity with nonprofits, now and in the future?
Join us for an important discussion of the current landscape and a walk through the Doing Good Better framework of practical actions philanthropy can take now for greater impact and meaningful change.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members and Non Member Grantmakers
Presenters: New Jersey Center for Nonprofits and Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
A CNJG member queried our listserves with the question "Does anyone have templates that can be used and/or shared related to grant approval letters and terms and conditions related to COVID-19 grants?" CNJG compiled the answers from responding members.
Food is essential. But how often do you consider where your food comes from?This issue of What Funders Need to Know from the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers explores the stages of the food system, from production all the way to disposal. Why is this important to philanthropy?
Because hunger, food insecurity, nutrition-related chronic disease, the health of resource lands and waterways, wages, and equal opportunity in the food economy all converge in our regional food system.
For 20 years, The Nicholson Foundation worked to advance meaningful change in safety net service systems in New Jersey. Its grantmaking journey is described in Changing Systems, Changing Lives: Reflecting on 20 Years. Through stories and related text, the book showed how a small family foundation could take six guiding themes and put them into action through grants and partner support. In the process, the Foundation collaborated to spur real systems change that benefitted individuals, families, and communities. A recent scholarly paper built on that work, helping to make the Foundation’s approach broadly accessible to researchers, academics, and philanthropists. “A Framework for Creating Systems Change,” by Drs. William Brown and Wynn Rosser published in The Foundation Review, presents a new model for systems change. Five of the model’s seven components reflect themes in Changing Systems, Changing Lives. The sixth component slightly shifts the emphasis of the Foundation’s “Engaging with Government” theme, and the seventh highlights the Foundation’s overall approach by including performance measurement as a distinct and separate component of the model.
Download or order a free hard copy of The Nicholson Foundation book, "Changing Systems, Changing Lives"
Read Brown W, Rosser W. "A Framework for Creating Systems Change". The Foundation Review, 2023;15(4):50-6.
ValuesAdvisor, a nonprofit online platform, helps you find the financial expertise needed to implement a mission-aligned investment strategy. Access to ValuesAdvisor is provided at no cost as a benefit of your membership in CNJG.
ValuesAdvisor offers a searchable database of values-oriented investment advisors, who have been suggested by other trusted affinity groups and philanthropy-supporting organizations. The platform offers a simple and dynamic interface that allows you to filter advisor information on data points such as minimum account size, amount of values-aligned AUM, impact themes, service offerings, asset classes, diversity, and other key information. Note: the platform does not collect user data and is committed to preserving the anonymity of the asset owners who use the platform.
To join, visit the ValuesAdvisor website and enter 'CNJG' at checkout to claim your free access.
To Get Started/Questions:
Kate Simpson, Head of Outreach, ValuesAdvisor
Email: [email protected]
If you have an advisor you’ve worked with who has helped your foundation align your investments with your mission, and believe your peers would benefit from working with, you can suggest them for the ValuesAdvisor platform in their short, “Suggest an Advisor Form.”
For more information, please watch this video or download the infographic below.
As New Jersey enters its 9th week of sheltering in place and the close of businesses deemed non-essential, we have already seen the impact of policy decisions and the immense and growing need in our communities. The sheer number of people stricken with COVID-19, heartbreak of families and loved ones as they respond, widespread unemployment, difficulty accessing services, a lack of resources for immigrant and undocumented populations, financial uncertainty of nonprofits and small businesses, and a steep decline in physical and mental health, are some of the devastating challenges facing our country and state at this time.
Named to Gov. Murphy’s Restart and Recovery Advisory Council, Brandon McKoy, President of New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) will present an overview of federal and state policy implemented in response to the COVID-19 crisis, with a special focus on how these policies impact nonprofits, vulnerable communities, and the state budget. A new NJPP report cautions, “Without proper funding, state government cannot fully serve the needs of the public, especially during a time of crisis when the demand for services is at an all-time high.” Brandon will share challenges in implementing these policies, policy recommendations to strengthen New Jersey’s response and recovery to the pandemic, and proposed systems change beyond resilience.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members and Nonmember Grantmakers
This program is only open to staff and trustees from grantmaking organizations.
Webinar Video
We are pleased to share CNJG’s 2021 Newark Philanthropic Liaison Report to the Field. First established in 2007, the Liaison office represents one of the nation’s first formal partnerships between a city and the philanthropic community. The initiative began as a partnership between the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers in collaboration with then Mayor Cory A. Booker. We are proud this unique partnership has continued with Mayor Ras J. Baraka and his administration.
This report provides a brief summary of the substantial activities and impact the Office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison facilitated throughout 2021. The strategy of collective impact is thriving throughout Newark thanks in large part to the work of the Liaison, and the funding community’s support of and robust engagement with the Office of the Mayor and anchor institutions across the city continue to reap positive outcomes. The Office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison is supported by: Bank of America, Burke Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Maher Charitable Foundation, The Prudential Foundation, Schumann Foundation for New Jersey, Turrell Fund, Victoria Foundation, and the longtime support of the Nicholson Foundation which sunset in late 2021.
As we know, COVID-19 had a significant impact on student academic achievement. School districts across the state and country are working to accelerate student learning with a particular focus on literacy. Join us for our next Newark Education Funder meeting as we explore how funders can support a community approach to literacy, including the recently released Ten Point Literacy Plan. We will hone in on statewide and local data with the support of a recent study published by JerseyCAN, and then discuss how we can collaborate with grantees on systems that complement the traditional K-12 school day, particularly early literacy and support for reading at home, after-school and community programs, and collaborations with institutions like the Newark Public Library.
Panelists:
Paula White, Executive Director, JerseyCAN
Christian Zabriskie, Director, Newark Public Library
Nayibe Capellan, CEO, Programs for Parents
Catherine Wilson, President and CEO, United Way of Greater Newark
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $50 for Non Member Grantmakers.
The Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN) and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) invite you to join an informal conversation to learn from funder peers who are practicing participatory grantmaking (PG). We’ll begin with a brief overview of PG, and how this practice can be used to center equity and justice as we shift away from extractive grantmaking practices. We’ll then hear from a few HEFN and SAFSF members who are implementing different models of PG in their grantmaking.
If you’re new to the concept of participatory grantmaking, this webinar is a great opportunity to see examples of it in action. If you’re familiar with participatory grantmaking (or working to implement these practices in your own world), this is a chance to dive deeper into others’ practices for learnings and insight. Time will be reserved in the agenda for discussions in smaller groups and, as you might expect, the call will be participatory!
Speakers:
Amanda Tello, St. Louis Environmental Justice Fund
Shavaun Evans, Food and Farm Communications Fund
Mark Muller, Regenerative Agriculture Foundation
Resources
Zoom Recording
Webinar slides
Deciding Together Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking
Amanda Tello’s communal agreements
PG Learning Community Summary
This year, GivingTuesday, a global generosity movement, is Tuesday, November 28. While this annual traditional is best known for highlighting charitable organizations’ missions and elevating individual giving, how can corporate philanthropy leverage these types of giving days and partnerships to engage in and promote greater impact? We’ll hear from Woodrow Rosenbaum, Chief Data Officer, GivingTuesday, who will share the history and evolution of this special day, as well as giving trends from a national perspective.
As Chief Data Officer, Rosenbaum has been instrumental in shaping the global generosity movement and has spearheaded ground-breaking research and analysis of individual giving behaviors. He leads the GivingTuesday Data Commons, bringing together a coalition of more than 300 collaborators coordinated through eight working groups as well as data teams in 50 countries to understand the drivers and impacts of generosity to inspire more giving of all types. Woodrow brings expertise in moving markets and transforming audiences from passive participants to active and vocal ambassadors. He is founder and CEO of With Intent, an international consumer marketing agency, a member of the Generosity Commission Research Task Force, serves as board chair for Global Impact Canada, and is a Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School.
Following the presentation and Q & A, we’ll have dedicated time for corporate funders to hear from one another, share programs and projects, and learn from one another. We encourage every attendee to participate in this discussion.
Webinar Video
The Morris County Funders Group, a coalition of 10 grantmaking organizations, pooled $325,000 to support mental health in the region. With funding from this newly formed collaboration, the Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ) will facilitate mental health first aid training for up to 45 Morris County organizations. This first initiative of the funders group aims to address the growing mental health crisis in young people and adults.
Supporters of this initiative include the Community Foundation of New Jersey, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, Somerset Hills Community Health Foundation, Fannie E. Rippel Foundation, Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Six Talents Foundation, F. M. Kirby Foundation, MCJ Amelior Foundation, and the Mimi Washington Starrett Foundation.
Moderated by Justin Kiczek, F. M. Kirby Foundation, you’ll hear from panelists Bernie Moriarty, Hyde & Watson Foundation and Aaron Turner, Community Foundation of New Jersey, Bob Kley from MHANJ and a partner nonprofit. The panel will share how the funders came together to support this important and urgent issue, and how they worked in collaboration with MHANJ. Following the panel discussion, participants will have time for Q & A.
Webinar Video
Resources
Mental Health Association in New Jersey
Jersey Gives a Damn Podcast
Please join us as we kick-off our 2024 meetings with a discussion on the Vote 16 campaign. Last August, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice released Let Us Vote: Why 16-and-17-Year-Olds Should Be Allowed to Vote in Local Elections and Beyond, a policy brief arguing that New Jersey municipalities should lower the voting age to 16 for local and school board elections. Last month, the Newark City Council made Newark the first city in New Jersey to extend the vote to 16 and 17 year olds. With a year until implementation, the funding community has an opportunity to discuss how it can support youth serving and youth leadership organizations prepare youth to exercise their new right.
We will also spend the second half of our meeting updating each other on our current funding priorities and identifying possible areas of collaboration for this group. We would recommend that you scan Grantmakers for Education’s Trends in Education Philanthropy: Benchmarking 2023 ahead of the meeting to inform our conversation.
Guests
Ryan Haygood, President and CEO, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
Amanda Ebokosia, Executive Director, the GEM Project
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $50 for Non Member Grantmakers.
The Future of Work and the Role of Philanthropy
Date: This event has been postponed.
After much consideration and in light of the ongoing spread of coronavirus, CNJG has decided to postpone the 2020 Spring Colloquium, entitled The Future of Work and Philanthropy’s Role.
This was a difficult decision, but the health and safety of attendees and staff are of the utmost importance at this time. It is especially significant because our communities--and indeed our state--rely so heavily on the services and programs made possible by New Jersey’s foundations and charitable organizations. We do not want to do anything that could impede the good work being done by our philanthropic and nonprofit staff, leaders and stakeholders.
We are tremendously grateful to PSEG, our Signature Sponsor, for their continued support, and thank the CNJG Program Committee for their thoughtful guidance and ongoing assistance.