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Panasonic today announced the Panasonic Foundation, in partnership with the Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ), has allocated four $25,000 Challenge Grants to nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing STEAM education in Newark, NJ. The select recipients of this funding are After School All Stars, the Trust for Public Land, Students 2 Science, and Liberty Science Center.
With funding from the Challenge Grants, the select nonprofit partners will continue to advance and develop accessible STEAM education programs with the goal of improving education and workforce outcomes for Newark students.
“We are thrilled to award Challenge Grants to nonprofits dedicated to inspiring and preparing the next generation of leaders. These grants underscore our commitment to fostering accessible STEAM education, propelling Newark students toward brighter educational and workforce opportunities,” said Alejandra Ceja, Vice President of Social Impact and Inclusion at Panasonic.
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.
The F.M. Kirby Foundation in Morristown, New Jersey, has announced that it awarded 266 grants totaling more than $16.8 million in 2024, an increase of over 9 percent year-over-year.
Grants were awarded to organizations working in the areas of education ($4.4 million), human services ($4 million), health ($2.7 million), arts, culture, and humanities ($2.4 million), environment and animals ($1.7 million), public affairs ($1.2 million), and religion ($127,500). More than half the grants (56 percent) were provided as general operating support, and 108 grants (40.6 percent) were awarded to organizations that have been Kirby’s funding partners for more than 25 years. Grants awarded in New Jersey and North Carolina—the foundation’s primary geographic areas of interest—accounted for $10 million in support, nearly 60 percent of all funding
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts awarded more than $29 million in grants to support nearly 1,000 arts organizations, projects, and artists throughout the state. The grants were approved earlier today at the Council's 59th Annual Meeting in Trenton, which featured a special performance by Hadassah Broughton, the 2025 NJ Poetry Out Loud State Champion.
State funding for the Arts Council comes from a portion of the revenue generated through the State’s Hotel/Motel Occupancy Fee, and supports arts activity in all 21 counties. As the largest funder of the arts in New Jersey, Council funding supports critical operating grants for nonprofits, and key initiatives in arts education, creative aging, and economic and community development.
Liberation Ventures and the Blueprint Steering Committee released the Reparations Grantmaking Blueprint — a 10-year funding vision and strategy to make reparations common sense and common place in America. Co-created by movement leaders from across the country, this Blueprint represents the collective wisdom, dreams, and strategic insights of dozens of activists who have dedicated their lives to advancing racial repair in America.
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.
A new pilot study from The Conference Board and the Impact Genome Project® (IGP) introduces standardized social outcomes to help measure and compare the performance of societal investments. The standardized outcomes allow for benchmark metrics, including efficacy rates and cost per outcome. The study used data from 16 companies whose funding contributed to nearly 650 nonprofit programs. The benchmarks provide new insights into the effectiveness of corporate societal investments.
Attention to the role of gender is most useful with programs that seek to change unhealthy behaviors, such as reproductive health and teen pregnancy, gender-based violence, substance abuse and educational under-achievement. This guide suggests that funders can work to improve program outcomes by helping the funding community and grantees recognize how men and women are affected by disparities in social expectations, such as codes of manhood and womanhood.
In its most recent round of giving, the KearnyBank Foundation donated a total of $170,300 to five New Jersey-based charitable organizations.
“Our success enables us to help support those communities in which we conduct business, and we’re grateful for that,” says Craig Montanaro, Kearny Bank President and CEO. “And it’s gratifying that our contributions are made to a range of different organizations. I believe this variety ensures that a broader range of people will ultimately benefit from the funds we share.”
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.”
This position is responsible for developing programs that enhance and support the Corporate Social Responsibility team’s vision, strategic planning, financial management and funding operations that support the overall objectives of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. This positon will oversee the Horizon Cares programs, Horizon’s internal platform of benefits that support employees’ charitable interests, to encourage employee engagement and maximize partnership opportunities and company reputation.
The Westfield Foundation is proud to announce that at their recent Board meeting, the Trustees awarded over $150,000 in grants, a historic high in both the number of applicants and the total dollar amount requested. These grants showcase the Westfield Foundation's steadfast dedication to nurturing a dynamic, supportive, and inclusive community. Through funding a wide range of initiatives, the Foundation seeks to meet pressing needs and enhance the overall well-being of all local residents.
A Framework for Change
The Doing Good Better Steering Committee encourages funders to focus on and advocate for four (4) changes that can make an immediate difference in addressing power dynamics between nonprofits and funders and maximizing nonprofit impact. These goals are aligned with Trust Based Philanthropy, and are interdependent; when combined, they foster equity and a spirit of mutual trust between grantmakers and nonprofit partners. For more details about a specific goal, click on its individual goal link below.
• Goal 1: Center Equity
• Goal 2: Provide Flexible Funding
• Goal 3: Provide Reliable Funding
• Goal 4: Reduce Paperwork Burden
Self-Assessment/Reflection Tool for Funders
Philanthropy and Nonprofits for Greater Impact: The “Doing Good Better” Blueprint Video