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Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, through its philanthropic arm, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, issued $555,000 in grants to 15 non-profit organizations for health, cultural programs and disaster relief throughout New Jersey during the third quarter of 2021.

The Foundation’s mission is to support organizations that make New Jersey healthier.

A total of $50,000 in disaster relief grants was awarded to the following organizations to support designated FEMA disaster areas and fill the gaps in the response effort:

• $25,000 to Community FoodBank of New Jersey
• $25,000 to ReNew Jersey: Ida Relief

Other grants issued in the third quarter include:

AtlantiCare Foundation, through the Community Foundation of New Jersey, in Morristown, received a $50,000 grant to support the Atlantic City Patient Transportation project, which provides free, easily accessible and reliable transportation for low-income patients in Atlantic City, using the health system’s services.

Diabetes Foundation, in Hackensack, received a $30,000 grant to support Improving Health Outcomes through Education and Guidance, a prevention and education program provided in English and Spanish, for patients with pre-diabetes and diabetes.

Food Bank of South Jersey, in Pennsauken, received a $25,000 grant to support Prevent T2, an evidence-based intervention for seniors designed to delay and/or prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

Garden State Equality Education Fund, in Asbury Park, received a $25,000 grant to support the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Self-Healing Community Model, which addresses the impact of trauma and ACEs on mental and physical health among LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities in Camden.

George Street Playhouse, in New Brunswick, received a $75,000 grant to support the production of Anytown, a musical drama for students in grades 7-12, focusing on the challenges and consequences of opioid abuse and its impact on teens and families.

Greater Newark Health Care Coalition, in West Orange, received a $50,000 grant to support the Greater Newark Community Health Worker (CHW) Learning Collaborative, a project that promotes the growth, leadership and interconnections of CHWs in the Greater Newark region through monthly meetings, resource sharing and training.

Hopeworks ‘N Camden, in Camden, received a $20,000 grant to support Returning Stronger, which is focused on the development of a youth-built, youth-focused, easy-to-access website, to help young people find relevant mental health resources.

Mercer Council on Alcoholism & Drug Addiction, in Trenton, received a $20,000 grant to support the Community Oriented Recovery Effort (CORE), a pilot project to create and promote a larger, more inclusive space for those in the recovery community in Trenton and the surrounding area.

Millhill Child and Family Development Corporation, in Trenton, received a $20,000 grant to support Eat Right, Keep Moving, an obesity education and prevention program that aims to build a Culture of Health within the communities that Millhill serves.

Newark Boys Chorus School, in Newark, received a $40,000 grant to support the school’s music and concert touring programs, as well as academic initiatives.

The Newark Museum of Art, in Newark, received a $100,000 grant to support The Horizon Foundation Community Days, which occur once a month and provide free diverse programming for all ages.

Saint Vincent Academy, in Newark, received a $25,000 grant to support the Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Leadership Promise Scholarship, which provides one four-year scholarship to a Greater Newark-area student.

St. Benedict’s Preparatory School, in Newark, received a $25,000 grant to support the Steven Grossman Student Counseling Center, which provides students with mental health education, resources and services.

Culture Workers often face inconsistent income and undervaluation of their work. Traditional budgeting models leave many without (or lack adequate support of) fair compensation using the belief that mission-motivation and passion for the work replaces the need for competitive salaries. The Solidarity Economy is an innovative and inclusive economic framework that prioritizes social justice, environmental sustainability, and community well-being. Join us for a compelling conversation about funding practices that use a solidarity-based approach and find out what New Jersey funders are learning about local compensation trends from the ArtsPay NJ report. Together we will explore ways to advocate and take action around worker pay equity and beyond.

Panelists:
John McEwen, Executive Director – New Jersey Theatre Alliance
Erica Nagel, Deputy Director – New Jersey Theatre Alliance
Eddie Torres, President & CEO – Grantmakers in the Arts

Moderator:
Diane Felcyn, Program Officer – New Jersey State Council on the Arts

Webinar Video

Resources
Solidarity Not Charity: Arts & Culture Grantmaking in the Solidarity Economy - Grantmakers in the Arts
Solidarity Economy Resources - Grantmakers in the Arts
Grants to Worker Cooperatives & Small Businesses — The Reader - Grantmakers in the Arts
Grantmakers’ Changes in Practice 2023  — The Reader - Grantmakers in the Arts
Support for Individual Artists’ Committee - Grantmakers in the Arts
ArtsPay NJ - New Jersey Theatre Alliance
ArtsPay NJ - Information, Reports, and Dashboard
ArtsPay NJ - Interactive Dashboard
ArtsPay NJ - Full Report
ArtsPay NJ - Summary Report

Webinars
Upcoming: Wednesday, October 23
Move the Money: Nuts & Bolts: Making Grants to Cooperatively Owned Small Businesses

Previous
Move the Money: Grantmakers in the Arts & Art.Coop Solidarity Economy Discussion Series
Move the Money Series: Guaranteed Income
Move the Money: The Richness of Southern Soils: Supporting Black Farming and Food

New Jersey Organizations and Resources

• American Red Cross – Chapters covering the State of New Jersey
• State of New Jersey Catholic Charities - Diocese of Camden - Diocese of Trenton
• Community Emergency Response Teams provides opportunity for citizen volunteers to be involved in emergency management activities.
• Community Food Bank of New Jersey
• Goodwill NY NJ
• Jersey Cares recruits and engages volunteers in efforts that address community-identified needs.
• NJ 2-1-1 helps people find solutions to personal needs by informing them of resources in their community.
• NJ Department of Human Services: Disasters & Emergencies - Help & Information
• Pass It Along, an affiliate of the Hands on Network, recruits and engages volunteers.
• The Salvation Army - New Jersey Division
• Volunteer Center of Bergen County, Inc.
• Volunteer Lawyer’s for Justice - Provides legal support to New Jersey residents.
• United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey

Nationwide Organizations and Resources

• American Institute for Conservation—Collections Emergency Response Team (AIC-CERT)
  Offers free emergency response assistance to cultural organizations with collections. AIC-CERT is supported and managed by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC) and consists of a force of 107 “rapid responders” trained to assess damage and initiate salvage of cultural collections after a disaster has occurred.
• American Red Cross - Disaster Recovery Guides
• BBB Wise Giving Alliance
  The BBB Wise Giving Alliance helps donors make informed giving decisions and advances high standards of conduct among organizations that solicit contributions from the public.
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy
  The when, where, and how of informed disaster giving
• Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI)
  Provides individuals, groups, embassies and corporations with information and guidance in support of appropriate international disaster relief efforts.
• CERF+ Artists’ Relief Exchange along with its partners in the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response are committed to providing and connected people to emergency relief.
• FEMA
  Information from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
• FEMA Geo Portal
  This portal provides geospatial data and analytics in support of emergency management
• FEMA - National Disaster Recovery Framework
  This guide provides a flexible structure that enables disaster recovery managers to operate in a unified and collaborative manner to provide effective recovery support to disaster-impacted jurisdictions.
• Guide to Navigating FEMA and SBA Disaster Aid for Cultural Institutions
• The Tsunami Learning Project: Lessons for Grantmakers in Natural Disaster Response
  This guide, published by Grantmakers Without Borders, offers new tools for grantmakers when responding to natural disasters.
• IRS Disaster Relief Resources for Charities and Contributors
  In the aftermath of a disaster or in other emergency hardship situations, individuals, employers and corporations often are interested in providing assistance to victims through a charitable organization. The IRS provides a number of resources to help those involved in providing disaster relief through charities.
• Disaster Relief, Providing Assistance Through Charitable Organizations
  IRS Publication 3833 describes how members of the public can use charitable organizations to provide assistance to victims of disasters or other emergency hardship situations.
• Emergency Drying Procedures for Water Damaged Collections
  A guide from the Library of Congress
• Preparation & Response for Cultural Institutions
  A guide from the National Trust for Historical Preservation.
• Small Business Administration
  Learn about and apply for SBA Disaster Loans for business of all sizes – private and nonprofit

When any type of disaster strikes, philanthropy comes to the aid to those affected. CNJG, along with our philanthropy-serving organizations across the country through the United Philanthropy Forum, offers local and regional information pertaining to the relief efforts. Here, we offer resources, information, and updates on what is happening in New Jersey for larger disasters that have affected the lives of New Jerseyians, specifically, the water challenge in Newark and Hurricane Sandy, as well as COVID-19.

Disaster Response Listserve

Specifically for funders wanting to share information, news related to their own initiatives and/or NJ’s recovery and rebuilding process. If you are a funder (either in NJ or out-of-state) and are interested in joining this listserve, please send a request to Craig Weinrich.

Playbook for Philanthropic Response When Disaster Hits

While there is no shortage of guides for philanthropies to reference when disaster strikes, there is no comprehensive repository of the innovative strategies and critical work funders have accomplished in response to disasters both nationwide and globally. A partnership with the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, in association with the United Philanthropy Forum, the Disaster Philanthropy Playbook website aims to bring together a meaningful compilation of early stage ideas, tested models and innovative strategies employed by funders throughout the world. Designed as a multimedia, interactive online magazine, the Playbook will be an “evergreen” resource designed for continued updates and knowledge-building. The Playbook addresses community planning, civic rebuilding, legal services, housing, vulnerable populations, working with local, state and federal government, mitigation and preparedness are some of the common issues faced by communities post disaster. Leadership support for the Playbook has been generously provided by The Rita Allen Foundation. Additional support for the Playbook has been provided by Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Contribution Fund, and PSEG Foundation.

State and National Disaster Relief Organizations and Resources

Disaster relief information and resources for funders or individuals who want to support organizations responding to disasters.

This self-assessment/reflection tool is intended for foundations and funders committed to or interested in Doing Good Better. Doing Good Better is inspired by, and builds on, years of nonprofit and community advocacy, the principles of “Trust Based Philanthropy,” and numerous other resources. We hope this tool will open up the opportunity for dialogue and reflection with your board, staff and funded agencies. Your response can serve as a baseline for future measurement of your organization’s progress towards Doing Good Better, stronger philanthropic/nonprofit partnerships, and heightened community impact.

This assessment is intended as a self-reflection tool, rather than a recommendation for any specific policy within a particular funding institution. It has four sections, one for each Doing Good Better goal. For most funders, a single individual in grantmaking or senior leadership will be able to complete the full assessment; others may need additional support from other departments to respond. While filling out the assessment, we encourage you to consider how self-reporting bias may show up in your answers. Also, notice where a question challenges you and get curious about why.

To make the most of this tool, we recommend that you first review and consider the Doing Good Better goals before starting this assessment. We also encourage your board and staff to go through the goals as you reflect on your responses.

• Goal 1: Center Equity
• Goal 2: Provide Flexible Funding
• Goal 3: Provide Reliable Funding
• Goal 4: Reduce Paperwork Burden

DOWNLOAD THE SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL

Get on the map and give smarter

Get on the Map is an exciting data-sharing initiative designed to dramatically improve the quality and availability of giving data for our region. Using this tool to put your grantmaking in context will provide valuable insights that can transform your giving.

Knowing how other foundations or corporations are funding in a certain geographic area or with a specific nonprofit can make everyone’s work more effective.

Imagine real-time answers to questions like:

• How are others serving at-risk youth?
• Are organizations in our region receiving enough capacity building support?
• Who else funds economic development in our rural communities?

Through a partnership with Candid (formerly the Foundation Center) and the United Philanthropy Forum, Get on the Map enables CNJG members to see the scope of their grantmaking, find natural funding partners, and gain deeper understanding of New Jersey’s philanthropic landscape.

Watch the short video below to learn how easy it is to Get on the Map! 

It starts with sharing your giving data

Your data will power valuable resources for your organization and our region, including access to the CNJG Foundation Funding Map, a special interactive searchable mapping platform, engineered by Candid.

When you share your data, you control your story. No one knows your grantmaking better than you. Tell your story, your way is good for the sector because better information benefits everyone. Join the community of funders sharing their data to ensure the field is acting on the best possible information. Share Now!

Self-Paced Training for Funders on Using Candid

Candid has also launched a new, free self-paced course for funders: Funding Smarter: Using Candid Tools to Inform and Share Your Foundation’s Work. The course is meant to help funders use Candid’s mapping, data, and knowledge tools to better identify funding peers, potential grantee partners, identify funding connections and gaps, and learn from knowledge other funders have already shared. It also highlights the value of sharing data with Candid.

Prorated dues for Grantmakers joining after July 1 and future dues investment amounts.

In 2004, a group of foundations came together to create a funder collaborative in support of Freedom to Marry’s state-by-state strategy to win marriage equality. Over the following 11 years, this unique collaborative and its funding partners invested a total of $153 million to support a wide range of activities across the country to change hearts and minds on a massive scale — and ultimately to deliver a historic win for equality and love.

A new case study and video tell the untold, behind-the-scenes story of this funder collaborative — how its members worked with movement leaders to develop a strategy for winning, how they persevered in their support despite enormous setbacks, and how they invested in the opinion research, state-by-state grassroots action and litigation that pushed marriage over the finish line from coast to coast. As the Civil Marriage Collaborative closes its doors in 2015, the case study and video also draw lessons from this historic victory for foundations supporting other social justice causes.