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This publication from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations offers a framework for thinking about how to measure progress and results in place-based and community change initiatives.
President Obama's Hurricane Sandy Task Force released this rebuilding strategy to serve as a model for communities across the nation facing greater risks from extreme weather and to continue helping the Sandy-affected region rebuild. The Rebuilding Strategy contains 69 policy recommendations, many of which have already been adopted, that will help homeowners stay in and repair their homes, strengthen small businesses and revitalize local economies and ensure entire communities are better able to withstand and recover from future storms.
Two different CNJG members queried the CEO listserve on how/when/how to return to the office following the COVID-19 pandemic. CNJG staff compiled the answers from the responding members removing identifying information of the respondents.
This advocacy and civic engagement toolkit is designed for private foundations that want to educate and encourage their grantees about getting involved in civic and policy activities to increase organizational capacity and impact. While its primary focus is on the grantmaking activity of foundations, the toolkit also addresses rules and guidance for policy involvement by foundation officials acting on behalf of their foundations.
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers’ 2023 – 2027 Strategic Plan reimagines the future for CNJG. As a result of the extensive strategy development process, the plan includes a renewed vision, mission, core values, and goals. The work is informed by previous efforts, and current issues and trends impacting philanthropy and society.
The 2023 - 2027 Strategic Plan is a roadmap for the next five years, built upon CNJG's past strategic plans and learnings. We look forward to executing this plan, the additional learnings and opportunities it will bring, and delivering on these goals to move us into the future.
This resource guide includes various virtual volunteer opportunities, additional resources, and best practices for corporate volunteer programs during the coronavirus pandemic.
This resource will be updated, as CNJG and corporate members collect new information and opportunities to share with colleagues.
Foundations Facilitate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Partnering with Community and Nonprofits, a new report by the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning, confirms that foundations can, in fact, facilitate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) through their grantmaking processes and their partnerships with nonprofits—and identifies eight specific practices for foundations to emulate.
The report takes a deep dive into the work of nine foundations that represent a diverse cross-section of types and sizes, and offers useful lessons about how foundations can better partner with nonprofits to be more effective in their work.
This weekly conference call series welcomed New Jersey-based grantmakers along with national funders and provided an opportunity for grantmakers to hear from a wide range of experts in the field of disaster philanthropy. This series started on September 9, 2013 and concluded on November 4, 2013. The written summaries of each recording are listed below.
These articles have a philanthropic focus. We encourage grantmakers to read, share, and use strategies detailed here.
5/13/22 - ABC News: Two New Jersey towns illustrate the race gap in the COVID pandemic
NJTV: LIVE UPDATES: Tracking the Coronavirus in New Jersey
3/16/21 – Denver Post: On Philanthropy: Pandemic puts nonprofits in peril – what donors can do
8/26 – Center for Disaster Philanthropy: $12 Billion Pledged Worldwide to Fight COVID-19 through June 2020
8/25 – Generocity: Changing Metrics for Impact: The Emergence of a New Donor-Grantee Business Model
8/19 – Good News Network: Generous American Are Giving More to Charities Through The Pandemic, Survey Says
6/8 – Chronicle of Philanthropy: How Foundations Can Make Covid Research Grants More Equitable
6/5 – Governing Magazine: The America Ethos and the Betrayal of Expertise
5/19 – Nonprofit Quarterly: COVID-19 Calls for Philanthropy to Redefine Urgency
5/13 – Nonprofit Quarterly: Will Philanthropy Stand Up for Black America?
5/11 – Nonprofit Quarterly: Deer Eyes, Circle Mind: Reflections on Pandemic & Philanthropy
5/8 – Inside Philanthropy: Pandemic Philanthropy: Moving From Relief to Power
5/5 – NY Times: In Philanthropy, Race Is Still a Factor in Who Gets What, Study Shows
5/5 – Funders Together to End Homelessness: COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Recommendations for Philanthropy to Support Immediate Needs and Long-Term Solutions to End Homelessness
5/5 – Chronicle of Philanthropy: Op-Ed: Flexibility for Grantees Is Not Enough. Let Them Decide Where the Money Goes
5/5 – Chronicle of Philanthropy: Op-Ed: Change Is Too Rapid in Covid-19 Era to Tie Nonprofits’ Hands With Old Rules
5/4 – Bridgespan Group: Racial Equity and Philanthropy: Disparities in Funding for Leaders of Color Leave Impact on the Table
5/4 – Stanford Social Innovation Review: Overcoming the Racial Bias in Philanthropic Funding
5/1 – Stanford Social Innovation Review: For a More Equitable America, Understand Race and Racism as Actions We Do and Can Undo
4/30 – National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy: Large Funder Quadruples its giving in response to COVID-19
4/30 – Chronicle of Philanthropy: How the 25 Biggest Grantmakers are Responding to the COVID Crisis
4/30 – Chronicle of Philanthropy: In Covid-19 Crisis, Philanthropy’s Attention Must Focus on People With Disabilities
4/30 – Inside Philanthropy: A Time for Reform: Philanthropy and the Push for Better State Policymaking
4/28 – Newsweek: Why the Coronavirus Pandemic is Philanthropy's Big Moment
4/23 – Bridgespan Group: Want to Support Your Community’s Equitable Recovery from COVID-19? Invest in Child Care
4/21 – Center for Effective Philanthropy: Essential Questions for Foundation Boards in a Time of Crisis
4/20 – LA Times: Charity is off the charts amid the coronavirus. Is that a sign of America’s strength or weakness?
4/20 - Nonprofit Times: Foundations Paying Out, Expect Deep Recession (quotes from Community Foundation of New Jersey)
4/17 - Nonprofit Quarterly: Why Grantmakers Need to Break Their Restriction Habit—Permanently
4/16 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Philanthropy’s Stimulus Plan Must Bolster Democracy
4/16 - Nonprofit Quarterly: How Philanthropy Can Support Black Workers
4/15 - Candid.org: A Call for COVID-19 Grants Data
4/15 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: In This Crisis, Philanthropy Must Tackle 3 Existential Challenges All At Once
4/14 - Bridgespan Group: Four Ways for Community-Focused Philanthropy to Confront the Coronavirus Crisis
4/9 - Inside Philanthropy: COVID and the Count: Funders Confront New Challenges to the 2020 Census
4/9 - Forbes: COVID-19 And Aging: What Can Philanthropy Do?
4/7 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: The Coronavirus Crisis Has Changed How I View What Matters in Philanthropy
4/7 - App.com: Coronavirus: 10 ways to avoid becoming victim of a scam
4/7 - Washington Post: Coronavirus is a Totally Different Disaster for Philanthropies to Handle
4/6 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Small Nonprofits Struggle to Get Payroll Loans in New Federal Program
4/6 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Foundations and Nonprofits See Crisis as Opportunity to Advance Equity
4/3 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: What Philanthropy Can Do Now to Promote Education Equity After the Pandemic
4/2 - Inside Philanthropy: The Hardest Hit: Who is Supporting Communities of Color During COVID-19?
4/2 - Nonprofit Quarterly: Philanthropy, Meet Our Matrix Moment: Which Pill Will You Choose?
4/1 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Grant Maker Dilemma: Spend More Now or Protect Shrinking Endowments?
4/1 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Foundations Adopt Policies to Move More Money Faster, and With Fewer Restrictions
4/1 - NJ Spotlight: A Coronavirus Checklist to Help Keep NJ Residents Informed
3/30 - Nonprofit Quarterly: COVID-19: Using a Racial Justice Lens Now to Transform Our Future
3/26 - NJ.com: City of Newark Creates $6 million fund for Non-Profits, arts organizations, resident, businesses, and homeowners
3/23 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Federal Aid Plan for Nonprofits Needs More Input From Black-Led Organizations
3/20 - Nonprofit Quarterly: A Growing Group of Foundations Pledge ‘No Business as Usual’
3/20 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Senate Bill would create ‘Universal Deduction’ & Expand Loans for Nonprofits
3/20 - Asbury Park Press: Digital Divide in Schools Will Affect Web-Only Lessons
3/17 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Grantmaker Responses for Nonprofits in Need Vary Widely
3/17 - Trust-based Philanthropy Project: Philanthropy Needs To Trust Nonprofits Now More Than Ever
3/16 - Exponent Philanthropy: Market Volatility in the Face of COVID-19
3/16 - Philadelphia Inquirer: Free Wifi from Comcast
3/16 - Inside Philanthropy: Philanthropy Has a Duty to Respond Quickly to the COVID-19 Outbreak. Here’s How We Can Do It
3/16 - NJBiz.com: NJ Government recommendations on March 16, 2020
3/13 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: As Disasters Go, Coronavirus Impact on Philanthropy Unprecedented and ‘Crazy’
3/13 - Bloomberg: Nonprofits Prepare for Worst with Wealthy Losing Billions
3/12 - Forbes: Philanthropy: COVID19 Doesn’t Need to Slow You Down
3/12 - Inside Philanthropy: On the Frontlines of a Pandemic, Local Philanthropy Scrambles to Respond
3/12 - NorthJersey.com: Many seniors face coronavirus fears while cut off from activities and social networks
3/12 - Independent Sector/Chronicle of Philanthropy: A Novel Opportunity to Strengthen Public Trust in the Nonprofit World
3/12 - NJ Spotlight: Sick Leave in NJ, What the Law Provides
3/12 - NJ Spotlight: Experience with Virtual Snow Days Helps NJ School Prepare for COVID-19 Closures
3/12 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Coronavirus ‘Rapid Response’ Funds Proliferate as Threat Grows
3/11 - NJ.com: NJ schools feed 500K kids for free. What happens if coronavirus closes them?
3/11 - Daily Beast: Will Coronavirus make America finally care about the homeless
3/11 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Coronavirus Is Hard on Nonprofits That Rely on Events
3/11 - Nonprofit Quarterly: Nonprofits Who Can’t Cancel: The Ones that Serve Those at Greater Risk of COVID-19
3/10 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: As Coronavirus Threat Continues, Experts Tell Nonprofits to Shore Up Reserves
3/9 - Nonprofit Times: Lessening the Risk of Coronavirus at Nonprofits
3/9 - Nonprofit Quarterly: Community Healthcare Centers Funding at Risk at Time of Health Peril
3/9 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: 6 Steps for Grant Makers to Take Now to Ensure Nonprofits Recover From Coronavirus Spread
3/8 - ROI-NJ: NJ Insurers Announce Coverage Related to Coronavirus
3/8 - Nonprofit AF: A few things for nonprofits and foundations to consider in light of the Coronavirus
3/5 - Washington Post: RWJF CEO Pens Opinion Piece on Coronavirus
3/5 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Coronavirus Giving Tops $1 Billion Worldwide
3/4 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Nonprofits Work to Protect Employees and Volunteers as Coronavirus Threat Grows
3/3 - Candid.org: Funders Respond to Coronavirus
3/3 - CDNet: Tech Tools Offered for Free During Outbreak
3/2 - FSG: COVID-19 – Seven Things Philanthropy Can Do by Lauren Smith, MD, MPH
3/2 - Chronicle of Philanthropy: Nonprofit Conference Attendees Worry About Coronavirus
2/18 - Professional Convention Management Association: Is Your Event (if cancelled) Covered by Insurance?
CNJG provides this information free to the philanthropic community. If you are not a CNJG member, please join so you can take full advantage of the many benefits of membership and help underwrite the cost of services like this.
As we enter the spring months, I want to let you know that registration has now opened for CNJG’s 2025 Conference for the Social Sector —Stronger Together: Philanthropy & Civic Engagement!
This very special convening on June 18 will bring together funders and nonprofits for a full day of shared learning, exchange, and networking. Our conference features national and local thought leaders, and a range of experts, for a day of connection, not-to-be-missed discussion, and side-by-side learning with foundation and nonprofit colleagues.
We’re pleased to announce our keynote speaker, Dale R. Anglin, Director, Press Forward, a growing coalition of 88+ local and national funders committed to investing more than $500 million to strengthen communities through local news. Press Forward now includes 36 locally led chapters in 29 states, including one in our state — the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.
This is CNJG's largest event of the year and your chance to join us as we examine how funders and nonprofits can work together to address and increase civic engagement, focusing on several key areas, including advocacy, local media, participatory budgeting, guaranteed income, public-private partnerships, the arts, and youth education through the lens of civic participation. Special early bird rates are available until April 12 – so please register soon.
We’re thrilled to have PSEG as our Signature Sponsor, Sixers Youth Foundation as a Collaborator Sponsor, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a Connector Sponsor. We have several opportunities available to support this very special event, and I hope you will consider sponsorship. Please reach out to Development Associate Fortunata Cuomo for more information.
In case you missed it, we recently launched the Funder Briefing Series: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for New Jersey. This series provides an overview of key issues that directly impact philanthropy, and more broadly, the charitable sector. The next session, on April 3 at 4:00 p.m., will focus on Education. There’s still time to register for the program.
And for your planning, the next briefings in this series are:
- April 10: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Housing
- April 17: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Media & Journalism
- April 24: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Arts
We recorded the last three briefings in this series in case you missed them. We’re also creating a written summary for each briefing as another way for you to review the information. You must be logged in to access the recordings, summary documents, and resources.
- Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Immigration
- Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Health
- Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for NJ: Environment
We believe that active participation in CNJG programs is essential for all members, their staff and trustees. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to attend and to share our programs with your staff and trustees.
The federal funding rollbacks and executive actions continue to harm nonprofits and the work they’ve built across education, healthcare, science, the arts, public media, climate, immigration, gender and racial justice, and countless other issue areas that are at stake. Foundation leaders and funders are exploring ways to respond and step up. The Trust-Based Philanthropy project, along with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and the National Center for Family Philanthropy, coordinated a call-to-action for philanthropy to “meet the moment.” While philanthropy can’t replace federal funding, funders can “work together to move in solidarity with nonprofits, mobilize money in trust-based ways, and nurture possibility and innovation.” I invite you to join our colleagues from across the county in signing this pledge to be part of the solution.
In a recent NJ Spotlight News op-ed entitled “NJ nonprofits need your help,” Linda Czipo, President and CEO, New Jersey Center for Nonprofits, reminds us:
There is a good chance that your life has been made better because of a nonprofit… Perhaps you were born, gave birth, or received life-saving treatment at a nonprofit hospital. Maybe you learned from “Mister Rogers,” “Sesame Street” or other shows developed by nonprofits. You may have enrolled your children in childcare or after-school programs so you could go to work. You may have been uplifted, moved, or inspired by a performance at a nonprofit theater….It’s easy to take the helpers for granted; after all, they’ve always been there in our hour of need. But now it’s the helpers who need help.
It's clear we’re in a time of uncertainty, and we’re wading into deeply uncharted waters. Philanthropy has a role to play, and CNJG is here to help navigate and inform your work. In addition to the learning series, we are curating resources, information, webinars, and convenings, as well as sharing CNJG member actions, New Jersey-focused response funds, and more via the Executive Actions Response & Info tab. Please check back often. And please help us keep the information current and updated by sharing your actions and stories with Manager of Communications Shakirat Odunsi.
If you’re hearing of surveys to gather information from NJ nonprofits, please share that information with us as well. Having the latest information supports thoughtful collaboration and decision-making in times of change.
The bottom line is, we must stand together with our nonprofit partners, do our part, and take courageous action now.
On your side,
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
These articles are curated from news sources, philanthropic-focused publications, philanthropy serving organizations, and other places found on the internet. We encourage philanthropic organizations to read, share, and use the strategies suggested in these articles for your own diversity, equity, and inclusion learning journey. If there are others that you feel we should include, please contact us.
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Philanthropy Pours More Money Into Advancing Economic Wealth of Latinos (10/13/2022)
ABC News: Two New Jersey towns illustrate the race gap in the COVID pandemic (5/13/2022)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: General Operating Support Is Vital to Advancing Equity, Strengthening Nonprofits, Say Leaders (4/18/2022)
MacArthur Foundation: Movement to End Philanthropy’s Complicity in Anti-Blackness (4/18/2022)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Nearly 500 Foundation Leaders Unite to Push for More Support of Asian Americans (3/26/2021)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: As Violence Against Asian Americans Intensifies, the Moment for Philanthropy to Act Is Now (3/17/2021)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: How One Family Foundation is Evolving to Refocus on Racial Equity (3/16/2021)
HealthDay.com: Many Adults Do Not See Link Between Racism, Poorer Health (1/27/2021)
Stanford Social Innovation Review: How to Begin Considering a Gender Lens Investing Strategy (12/10/2020)
Nonprofit Quarterly: How to Welcome Native Leaders to the Philanthropic Sector (12/3/20)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Opinion Piece: Diversity Mandates from Foundations Maki It Harder for Nonprofits to Do Their Jobs Well (12/2/2020)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Invest in and Strengthen People of Color: A Corporate Grant Maker Explains How (11/17/2020)
Nonprofit Quarterly: White House Declares Ban on Federal Racial Equity Trainings (9/14/20)
Nonprofit Quarterly: White Supremacy: Call It By Name (9/14/2020)
Denver Post: How Donors Can Advance Racial Equity (9/14/2020)
ROI-NJ: NJ to recognize Juneteenth as official state holiday (9/11/2020)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: The 'Warping Effects' of Philanthropy (8/25/2020)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Companies Lead Philanthropic Response to Calls for Racial Justice, but Will It Last? (8/25/2020)
Exponent Philanthropy: Moving Towards Racial Equity in Philanthropy: Introducing an Anti-Racist Intersectional Frame (8/25/2020)
Inside Philanthropy: “A Moment of Reckoning.” How Can Funders Support an Equitable and Inclusive Arts Sector? (7/16/2020)
Generocity: Uprising in Philadelphia: A to-do list for the next six months (7/9/2020)
Boston Globe: The Problem is White Supremacy (6/29/2020)
Inside Philanthropy: Amid Demands for Change, Here’s How Philanthropy Can Back Underfunded Black-Led Group (6/18/2020)
Nonprofit Quarterly: This Moment Shows Us Why Philanthropy Should Reinvent Itself by Gislaine Ngounou, of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (6/17/2020)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Who Holds Philanthropy Accountable for Racial Justice? by Lisa Pilar Cowan, vice president of Robert Sterling Clark Foundation (6/16/2020)
Creative New Jersey: Summary and resources from their statewide conversation on Racial Justice (6/10/2020)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: 64 Black Foundation Leaders Tell Philanthropy to Go Big in Response to Pandemic and Police Killings (6/10/2020)
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Mass Decarceration, COVID-19, and Justice in America by Deanna Van Buren co-founder of Designing Justice + Designing Spaces and F. Javier Torres-Campos, Thriving Cultures Program Director at Surdna Foundation (6/9/2020)
Communications Network: Crowdsourced Anti-Racism Resources and Tools
NonprofitAF.com: Privilege, power, and personal conflicts: The forces preventing change in nonprofit and philanthropy by Vu Le (6/8/2020)
Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia: Articles and Resources from the webinar: The Crisis of White Supremacy in America: What’s Philanthropy’s Role (6/4/2020)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Dismantling Racism Might Require Philanthropy to Dismantle Itself by Lisa Pilar Cowan, vice president of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation (6/2/2020)
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Why All Grantmakers Should Seek to Fix Democracy by Suzette Brooks Masters, senior strategist at the Center for Inclusion and Belonging at the American Immigration Council (6/2/2020)
Southern Poverty Law Center: Authoritarian State or Inclusive Democracy? 21 Things We Can Do Right Now by Eric K. Ward, Senior Fellow (6/1/2020)
Nonprofit Quarterly: Dear Philanthropy: These Are the Fires of Anti-Black Racism by Will Cordery of Leverage Philanthropic Partners LLC & Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice (6/1/2020)
NonprofitAF.com: Have nonprofit and philanthropy become the "white moderate" that Dr. King warned us about? by Vu Le (6/1/2020)
Library Journal: Books on Anti-Racism (5/31/2020)
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Overcoming the Racial Bias in Philanthropic Funding by Cheryl Dorsey, Peter Kim, Cora Daniels, Lyell Sakaue, & Britt Savage (5/4/2020)
Stanford Social Innovation Review: For a More Equitable America, Understand Race and Racism as Actions We Do and Can Undo by MarYam Hamedani, Hazel Rose Markus & Jeanne Tsai (5/1/2020)
Jacobin Magazine: The Perils of Liberal Philanthropy by Karen Ferguson (11/2018)
Smithsonian Magazine: The 1968 Kerner Commisssion Got It Right, But Nobody Listened by Alice George (3/1/2018)
Continuum Chart on Becoming an Anti-Racist Multicultural Organization by Crossroads Ministry (2013)
The Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture from Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups (2001)
Resource Generation: Guidance for Giving to Black-led Organizations for Black Liberation (undated)
Prison Policy Initiative: Prison Gerrymandering Project how the Census Bureau counts people in prison (undated)
501(c)(3):
CNJG's President's Reports
Capacity building enables nonprofit leaders and organizations to develop the skills and resources they need to improve their work. Since each situation is unique and circumstances are always changing, effective capacity-building support is tailored to best suit the needs of grantees. This publication offers practical guidance and considerations to help grantmakers design an impactful approach.
As a follow-up to our Giving in Indiana study (released earlier this year), Indiana Philanthropy Alliance is pleased to share this snapshot of promising practices for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in Indiana philanthropy. Throughout our state, foundations are incorporating the values of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into their organizational cultures; engaging diverse populations as staff, board members, donors, and grantees; and working to make their communities more welcoming places. This report is an effort to capture a sampling of these endeavors.
The Ford Institute for Community Building, a program of The Ford Family Foundation, works to help community leaders learn how to implement local solutions based on principles of effective community building. This paper describes the development and work of the The Ford Institute for Community Building.
This advocacy and civic engagement toolkit is designed for community and public foundations that want to educate and encourage their grantees about getting involved in civic and policy activities to increase organizational capacity and impact. While its primary focus is on the grantmaking activity of these foundations, the toolkit also addresses rules and guidance for policy involvement by foundation officials acting on behalf of their foundations.
An overview on the self-dealing law, including definitions, common problem areas, exceptions, penalties, and resources.
The Newark Philanthropic Liaison is a unique partnership between the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and the City of Newark, supported by several foundations. Read more about the Liaison’s work In these reports. Due to several transitions, there were no written reports between 2015 and 2022.