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Under-resourced communities are going without because nonprofits can't meet demand. Americans —particularly those in low-income communities—are still struggling to secure jobs, affordable housing, and healthcare. Nonprofit Finance Fund’s 2015 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey focuses on the underlying causes of these dynamics by exploring the programmatic, financial, and operational issues facing nonprofits across the U.S.

NFF launched the Survey in 2008, when economic crisis threatened the viability of many organizations. Seven years later, results from 5,451 respondents show some indications of recovery, stabilization, and growth. Nonprofits are adding jobs, engaging in strategic conversations such as leadership succession planning, and looking to retain their workforce. Yet as they raise their sights from the focus on short-term crisis, many are confronting the troubling reality that current practices cannot sustain organizations in the long-term or meet the needs of the communities they serve now. Many organizations have stumbled out of crisis looking to make the necessary investments to secure their long-term future. And it is a hard road ahead. 

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on Tuesday announced the recipients of the 2022 Creative Catalyst Fund awards. A total of 114 grants will be awarded to individual artists and artists’ collectives, with an average award of $3,200; and 34 grants will be awarded to small and midsized arts organizations with an average award of $10,100.

Baraka created the fund in January 2020 as a multiyear initiative providing the local community of artists and small and midsized arts organizations up to $1 million annually for at least three years. The fund has awarded a total of $2.35 million in grants in its first three years. Grantees use the funds to help pay for operating costs, space rentals, staff, programming costs, supplies and equipment, and COVID-related expenses.

“Newark has a long history as a center of the arts, and our administration has supported the arts in word and deed, creating great works like the second-longest public mural on the East Coast. We are proud, privileged and humbled to write a new chapter by supporting this year’s grantees. Their works will define the voice and talent of a new generation of Newark artists for our present and future,” Baraka said.

As The Westfield Foundation marks its 50th anniversary, the organization is proud to announce the recipients of its Golden Impact Grants—an initiative that reflects five decades of commitment to building a stronger, more inclusive community through strategic philanthropy.

“It’s truly an honor to celebrate 50 years of service, partnership, and impact,” said Katie Darcy, executive director of The Westfield Foundation. “When the Foundation was established in 1975, it began with just $2,000 and a shared belief in building a better future through philanthropy. Today, we distribute over $1 million annually, thanks to the vision and generosity of the very community we serve.”

The Golden Impact Grants were created to mark this milestone by amplifying the Foundation’s investment in Westfield — the place where it all began. This special initiative invited a select group of local organizations to submit proposals for bold, visionary projects that address urgent community needs and will leave a lasting legacy.

The New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) will distribute $211,743 in funding to 18 organizations in its latest round of grant funding awards. Of these, 8 awards are Incubation Grants, which help organizations plan, research, prototype, experiment or expand existing programs. The 10 remaining awards are Action Grants, which help organizations implement humanities-based programs, which may be new or existing.

Notably, this round marks the first time since launching the Incubation and Action Grants in 2016 that NJCH received more applications and letters of intent for Incubation Grants than for Action Grants. NJCH received 42 total applications, of which 22 were for Incubation Grants, and 20 were for Action Grants.

“Incubation Grants serve the Council’s goal of increasing organizational capacity in the humanities sector by giving institutions the time and resources for program planning and development. We consider them a particular strength of our grants program since funders often do not provide this type of funding opportunity,” said Dr. Carin Berkowitz, NJCH executive director. “There’s real value in providing organizations the opportunity to spend more time thinking and planning programs, and we’re proud to provide that.”