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United Philanthropy Forum is committed to advancing racial equity in philanthropy. We provide space for our members to connect, learn and share together on how to effectively address racial equity in their work as philanthropy-serving organizations (PSOs), and works to share our members’ learnings with the broader philanthropy field. As part of these efforts, we are pleased to share case stories from our members about their racial equity work.

Case Story

Funders Together to End Homelessness: A Racial Equity Learning Journey

Funders Together to End Homelessness began its racial equity journey in 2016. Its case story explains how the PSO named racial equity in its strategic plan and embarked on a learning journey together with its board, staff, and members to normalize the conversation about structural and historic racism and how it contributes to disparities in the homelessness system. The story also describes how Funders Together created a two-year community of practice, called Foundations for Racial Equity (FRE), that has been a critical part of its journey, and how its codified its racial equity work through the creation of its Commitment to Racial Equity. 

Read Funders Together’s Case Story

Listen to Funders Together’s CEO Amanda Misiko Andere talk about her organization’s racial equity journey on an episode of the ForumNation podcast. 

Case Story

Southeastern Council of Foundations: An Experiential Racial Equity Journey

In early 2018, the Southeastern Council of Foundations (SECF) along with its board undertook a racial equity learning journey in order to develop an Equity Framework that would describe and define SECF’s character, what it stood for, and what its leaders were willing to fight for. The decision to develop the Equity Framework was the culmination of years of work. SECF’s case story explains how the organization used data to inform the development of its Equity Framework, created an Equity Task Force to lead the effort of developing a Framework, and engaged board, staff and Task Force members in a racial equity learning journey. 

Read SECF’s Case Story

Listen to SECF’s President & CEO Janine talk about her organization’s racial equity journey on an episode of the ForumNation podcast. 

We are pleased to share Strengthening Philanthropy in Newark - Report to the Field 2015 from the Office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison. 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 continues with Mayor Ras Baraka and his new administration.

This report provides a brief summary of some of the substantial activities and impact the Office of the Newark Philanthropic Liaison facilitated throughout 2015. 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, The Foundation for Newark’s Future, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The MCJ Amelior Foundation, The Nicholson Foundation, Panasonic Corporation of North America, The Prudential Foundation, Schumann Foundation for New Jersey, Turrell Fund, Victoria Foundation, and PSEG Foundation providing in-kind support and meeting space.

Public policy is a vital aspect of the work of many of New Jersey's grantmaking organizations and is an integral component of CNJG's programs and member services. CNJG's Policy Committee advise and assist CNJG in identifying issues for potential action.

In late 2023, CNJG’s Board of Trustees approved our first-ever Policy Agenda. The Policy Agenda aligns with CNJG’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, specifically Goal #3, Amplify Our Collective Voice. This agenda includes our approach to the work, followed by five policy priorities. Read or download the agenda.

Resource Websites

• United Philanthropy Forum Public Policy Focus
• Center for Non-Profits: Public Policy
• Council on Foundations’ Public-Philanthropic Partnership Initiative
• Council on Foundations’ Advocacy Resources
• Independent Sector: Policy and Advocacy

To learn more about what CNJG is doing to foster deeper relationships between New Jersey grantmakers and public and elected officials in Trenton and Washington, D.C., contact Theresa Jacks.

Collaboration. Partnership. Alliance. Joint effort. Collective.

Whatever we call it - every one of us has been involved in a collaboration of some kind at some point in our lives. At the same time, both simple and complex, the definition of collaboration – the act of working together with other people or organizations to create or achieve something – means we collaborate nearly every day. To be human is to collaborate.

We’ll explore the constructs of more complex collaborations at the CNJG 2023 Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering on December 14. Following the pre-meeting workshop, Tools for Funder Collaboration, the business meeting to elect new trustees, and the networking luncheon, the fireside chat, Sustainable, Effective, and Equitable Collaboration – A Conversation that Centers Community, will feature Nidhi Sahni, Partner and Head of US Advisory Group, Bridgespan, and Lucy Vandenberg, Executive Director, the Schumann Fund for New Jersey, to explore what makes a successful collaboration, and how collaboration strengthens the impact of funding initiatives across sectors.

The Annual Meeting is the place where the seeds of collaboration are often first sown. Consider the collaborations you’re involved with now or have engaged in previously – where did those ideas first take shape – possibly in a conversation with another funder that, like you, wanted to have impact on a particular issue, solve an entrenched problem, or explore an untried solution.

Council members collaborate in a number of ways with other funders and nonprofit organizations. As a prelude to the Annual Meeting, on November 16, we’ll learn about the Morris County Funders Group and their Mental Health First Aid collaborative partnership. This first initiative of the funders group aims to address the growing mental health crisis in young people and adults.

Over 25 years ago, CNJG began its life as a collaboration – New Jersey foundations gathered together to form a collective to learn together, build relationships, and share resources. We have several resources to inform your collaborative journey as part of the Annual Meeting resource tab.

One of our core activities has always been to share resources. As we witness the conflict and heartbreaking devastation and sadness in Israel and Gaza following the October 7 attacks, some key resources to inform your work are available through the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, the go-to resource for disaster-related giving, and the Council on Foundations. You can connect quickly with your CNJG colleagues to share additional resources via our 25 listserves, including the Disaster Response Funders listserve. Contact Director of Member Services Craig Weinrich to join listserves that interest you.

Another joint effort highlighting what happens when funders come together, this time to share their own data, is the 2023 New Jersey Philanthropy Benefits & Salary Summary Report. Thank you to CNJG members that completed the surveys to inform this report.

As part of your registration for the Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering, you’re asked if you have or are participating in a collaboration. I think it’s safe to say the answer is “YES!” for everyone. Maybe the question we should ask as we speed toward 2024, is where are the additional opportunities for collaborations? How can I build on past or current collaborations? Who else should I invite in?

I’m looking forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering to further explore these ideas and questions. 

Thank you to our Annual Meeting sponsors, Prudential, Victoria Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Devils Youth Foundation, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and the Princeton Area Community Foundation. There’s still time – I hope you will consider sponsorship for this special event – our annual “meeting of members.”

In Partnership,

Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers

The CNJG board is comprised of 20 leaders who come from CNJG member organizations and are elected by the CNJG membership. Each board member provides guidance and leadership to CNJG by serving up to two 3-year terms.

CNJG 2025 Board of Trustees.jpg

Back Row: Andy Fraizer, Christine Healey, Lucy Vandenberg, Patricia Hartpence, Aaron Turner, Craig Drinkard, Catherine Wilson, Margarethe Laurenzi, Tammy Rice Herman, and Paul DiLorenzo
Front Row: Priti Mehta, Melissa Litwin, Justin Kiczek, Kate Barrett, Theresa Jacks (CNJG), Marcy Felsenfeld, Jasmyne Beckford, and Jeremy Grunin
Not Pictured: Kortney Swanson Davis, Maisha Simmons, and Maria Spina.

CNJG Board Members  

Craig Drinkard, Chair, Victoria Foundation

Justin Kiczek, 1^st Vice Chair, F. M. Kirby Foundation

Christine Healey, 2^nd Vice Chair, The Healey Education Foundation, Inc.

Catherine Wilson, Treasurer, United Way of Greater Newark

Kortney Swanson Davis, Secretary, Forman S. Acton Educational Foundation

Kate Barrett, The Campbell’s Foundation

Jasmyne Beckford, The Prudential Foundation

Paul DiLorenzo, Salem Health and Wellness Foundation

Marcy Felsenfeld, The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey

Andy Fraizer, Community Foundation of South Jersey

Jeremy Grunin, Grunin Foundation

Patricia Hartpence, NJM Insurance Group

Tammy Rice Herman, New Jersey State Council on the Arts

Margarethe Laurenzi, Maher Charitable Foundation

Melissa Litwin, The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation

Priti Mehta, Investors Foundation

Maisha Simmons, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Maria Spina, PSEG Foundation

Aaron Turner, Community Foundation of New Jersey

Lucy Vandenberg, Schumann Fund for New Jersey

Theresa Jacks, President & CEO, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers – ex officio

The Board of Trustees are supported by the work of 8 different committees.

Dates & Times
Tuesday, November 9 - 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 10 - 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 16 - 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

CEOs, executive directors, CFOs, trustees, investment committee members, and finance managers of foundations and endowed nonprofits gathered together over three afternoons of learning and discussion during CNJG’s 2021 Investment Forum for Foundations and Endowments.

Attendees heard from leading asset managers, financial service institutions, professional advisors and practitioners who shared best practices and valuable insights focused on successful endowment management. Pointed, strategic, and masterful keynote speeches and educational workshop sessions explored a wide range of timely and useful topics, such as impact and ESG investing, gift acceptance policies, alternative investments, governance and due diligence, and so much more.

Sustainable philanthropy thrives on careful and skillful stewardship of the corpus. This signature event grew out of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers’ Finance and Investment Affinity Group convenings, which have long offered CFO’s, investment committee members, board chairs and others with oversight of their endowment, exposure to a wide range of representatives, as well as thoughtful expertise and perspectives from the investment community.

Access Whova until May 16, 2022!
Registrants can access all three plenary sessions and 11 concurrent sessions on Whova for six months after the event, until May 16, 2022. You can log in with the same email and password you used to access the event. Visit Whova.

For questions, please contact Anna D'Elia, Manager of Programs and Learning.

Shifting Narratives to Change Systems

Wednesday, December 14, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Luncheon & Keynote Presentation
Location: The Sheraton, Edison, 125 Raritan Center Parkway, Edison, NJ 08837

Friday, December 16, 11:00 – 12:15 pm
Virtual Workshop via Zoom

The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers thanks everyone who attended our 2022 Annual Meeting & Holiday Luncheon and the Virtual Workshop! We were delighted to see so many familiar faces, and meet many new staff and trustees of our members.

At the business meeting, members elected the new class of trustees, and heard reports about the state of the organization. After lunch and time to reconnect with each other, we heard from our keynote, Bridgit Antoinette Evans, who explained the narrative ocean in which philanthropy swims, and gave examples of how Pop Culture Collaborative is funding organizations to reframe their narratives in which they operate.

During the virtual workshop, members learned about the changemaker experience, how it affects the relationships between funders and their nonprofit partners and even grantseekers. Attendees were led through an exercise to create a journey map, and think through strategies how to examine the experiences that nonprofits have with their organizations.

CNJG members can view recordings and additional resources from the event on the resources tab, when logged in.

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