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The rising cost of housing, a limitation on supply of affordable housing stock, and economic shocks and disruptions have led to an increase in homelessness across the United States. Over this time period, the City of Newark has made strides in fostering collaborative and innovative approaches to housing the unhoused. In December, the City released a strategic plan to end chronic homelessness, the first plan of its kind in some time. Specifically, its vision states that “Newark will strive to end chronic homelessness for all individuals over the next three years through collaboration, prevention, and housing.” The vision goes on to state that when it [homelessness] cannot be prevented, it will be a rare, brief, and nonrecurring experience.”
We hope that you will join us as we hear from leaders of this collaborative effort as they discuss how they are working toward their shared vision.
Panelists:
Luis Ulerio, Newark Homelessness Czar, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services
Jim Pelliccio, Chair of the City of Newark Commission on the Homeless and President and CEO of Port Newark
Evan Weiss, President and CEO, Newark Alliance
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $50 for Non Member Grantmakers.
By now you’ve heard the sad news. One of New Jersey’s most recognized, accomplished, and beloved leaders in the philanthropic sector passed away on Sunday, January 28.
Jeffrey Vega, President and CEO, Princeton Area Community Foundation, CNJG Board Chair from 2021 to 2023, and Board Trustee from 2016 to 2023, succumbed to an especially rare and aggressive form of cancer.
Jeff joined the CNJG Board of Trustees in 2016. As Board Chair, he led and guided CNJG through the pandemic years, a leadership transition, and strategic planning process. His legacy of leadership includes the 2023 - 2025 Strategic Plan, the creation of a Racial Equity Taskforce, now a committee of the Board, strengthening and improving our governance practices and policies, our first policy agenda, and adoption of the New Jersey Principles for Philanthropy, our equity principles.
It was with great pleasure that we celebrated Jeff at the Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering on December 14, as he rotated off the Board, and presented him with a framed gift highlighting and praising his leadership and work with the Council. Jeff shared with me that the event was one of the best days of his life. He told me how grateful he was for the love and friendship he felt in the room. Angie, his wife, accompanied him to the gathering, and recorded the business portion of the meeting. Jeff said, when he and Angie went home, they watched the event with Nico, his son. Jeff was truly happy and touched. It meant so much to him. I’m grateful that we were able to give him that special day.
The CNJG Board and team are discussing how we can honor Jeff. Once we have a better idea, we’ll share with you. In the meantime, the Princeton Area Community Foundation has created a beautiful tribute – Remembering Jeffrey M. Vega.
On a more personal note, it was an absolute joy to work so closely with Jeff in his role as Board Chair. When Jeff and I were planning the Board agendas and Board discussions, he always wanted to focus on the positive. He always wanted Board members to walk away feeling uplifted, valued, and inspired. He spoke many times about how much he appreciated his Board colleagues, and all the CNJG members. There was a certain kind of harmony that surrounded Jeff. One felt enveloped in that harmony in talking and sharing space with Jeff.
Like all of us, I can’t believe he’s gone, and I miss him. We all miss him. Rest in peace, dear friend, and colleague. Thank you for inspiring us, Jeff. You truly made a difference in the lives of so many. I can truly say that I am a better person for just knowing you. I’ve heard countless others say the same. Your legacy lives on.
Warmly,
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
The 2020 Census is coming and it counts — in more ways than one.
The Census isn’t just a population tally. State and local governments, businesses, nonprofits and foundations, rely on Census data to allocate funding, define where services are delivered, and promote economic development. The information is valuable for health care, education, housing, transportation, and business. It helps determine congressional representation, political participation, and other fundamentals of community wellbeing and American democracy.
A full, fair count is crucial, but it isn’t guaranteed.
The Census disproportionately misses people of color, young children, and the rural and urban poor. Our state and nation have too much at stake for the social sector to stay on the sidelines.
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers’ 2019 Spring Conference brought together foundation and nonprofit leaders throughout the state to learn what their organizations can do to make sure New Jersey is counted.
The Conference featured national and state experts who shared information and tools to meet the many challenges communities across the state will face to be counted. We heard serious concerns regarding access to the Census, hard-to-count people, and potential funding cuts and changes in the process that could hamper participation.
Speakers offered a number of opportunities for action and partnership, from spreading awareness about the importance of 2020 Census in your communities and networks to funding outreach efforts from grass-roots organizations. The Conference raised and answered the most important questions about the Census and what needs to be done for a complete and accurate count. Now, the social sector must build the capacity to meet this once-in-a-decade obligation to engage at the deepest level.
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers looks forward to continuing conversations, partnerships, and action around the 2020 Census. Please explore our resources from the conference below and visit our webpage Philanthropy’s Role in the 2020 Census to learn more.
AGENDA
Opening Plenary: Census 101
A comprehensive update on all things census, including how the Census Bureau is getting the word out, what is guiding the planning for 2020, and what still needs to be done before Census Day.
Presenter: Jeff T. Behler, Regional Director, US Census Bureau - New York
What Philanthropy Can Do for the 2020 Census
Explore ways in which the philanthropic sector can leverage resources to ensure the most accurate census information, so the voices of undercounted groups and regions are heard in the decade to come.
Presenters: Gary D. Bass, Ph.D., Executive Director, Bauman Foundation
Vanita Gupta, President and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Moderator: Maria Vizcarrondo, President and CEO, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
Session 1: Challenges to a Fair Count
Two experts in civil and voting rights law will walk us through what the citizenship question really means for the census count, and the potential impact it will have on already hard-to-count communities.
Presenters:
Ryan P. Haygood, Esq., President & CEO, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
Ezra Rosenberg, Co-director of the Voting Rights Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Facilitator: Bob Atkins, Director, New Jersey Health Initiatives--Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Session 2: Where are the Kids? The Undercount of Children
Children are one of the largest undercounted populations in the Census. In this session, we will learn what your organization can do to prevent an undercount in 2020, and why an accurate count is essential for our children’s futures.
Presenters:
Peter Chen, Policy Counsel, Advocates for Children of New Jersey
Alana Vega, Kids Count Coordinator, Advocates for Children of New Jersey
Facilitator: Melissa Litwin, Early Childhood Program Director, The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation
Panel Discussion: Opportunities for Action
Nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders invite your organization to step up for the 2020 Census count. Panelists will provide concrete examples and resources to get involved now.
Panelists:
Kiki Jamieson, President, The Fund for New Jersey
Betsy Plum, Vice President of Policy, New York Immigration Coalition
Inge Spungen, Executive Director, Paterson Alliance
The Honorable Tahesha Way, New Jersey’s 34th Secretary of State, Department of State
Moderator: Linda M. Czipo, President & CEO, Center for Non-Profits
Luncheon Plenary: Call to Action for the 2020 Census: A Once-in-a-Decade Opportunity to be Counted
Another undercount for 2020 means another ten years of relying on inaccurate data to inform our state’s political representation and funding for vital resources. For too long, the census has missed disproportionate numbers of people of color, young children and the rural and urban poor, and with new challenges in 2020, participation of hard-to-count populations may be hindered further. With the count only a year away, now is the time for the philanthropic sector to step up and get New Jersey counted.
Speaker: Arturo Vargas, Chief Executive Officer, NALEO Educational Fund
CNJG thanks our conference sponsors and supporters: Signature Sponsor – PSEG; Collaborator Sponsors – The Fund for New Jersey and JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Connector Sponsors – New Jersey Natural Gas and Wells Fargo; Colleague Sponsors – FirstEnergy Foundation and Subaru of America Foundation; Exhibitor Sponsors – Glenmede and PKF O’Connor Davies; and Venue Sponsor – The Palace at Somerset Park.
Conference Photos
Additional resources, articles, and videos about the Census may be found on our webpage - Philanthropy's Role in the 2020 Census.
Novartis benchmarked Employee Crisis Programs, and asked fellow corporate funders via the corporate funders listserve to answer the questions below.
- If you have an Employee Crisis Program, what is the name
- Do you manage the program internally or thru a 3rd party? If you use a 3rd party, can you share their name/website and any good/bad experiences.
- Do you only support disasters or other hardships as well?
- What is the average percentage of your employees that apply for aid?
- What is your minimum and maximum funding?
- What is the average amount of aid?
- Do you provide aid directly to the employee and/or vendors?
- Do you allow employees to donate to your fund? If so, how do you promote awareness and what is the employee donation participation rate? Do you match these donations?
- Where does the program reside (CSR, Foundation, HR)?
- Please share guidelines and applications, if possible.
- Please share any other insights.
A CNJG member queried the Health & Aging listserves asking for sample letters of inquiry. This document includes a few responses from fellow members. If you would like to add yours to this list, please email us.
As we settle into the festive spirit of the holiday season, it's the perfect time to take a step back and reflect on the impact we've made - and the exciting possibilities ahead. I'm reaching out once again to remind you about the CNJG Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering - our key year-end event where we gather to reflect, learn, and most importantly, strengthen the connections that make our work in philanthropy so impactful.
This year's theme, Inspiring Change through Leadership: Maximizing Philanthropic Impact, is about how we can use leadership to drive meaningful and lasting change. I'm excited to share that this year's gathering will offer an inspiring mix of learning, reflection, and connection - an opportunity to think about where we've been and where we want to go next.
Here's what to look forward to:
- Leadership in Action Workshop: We'll be diving into the New Jersey Principles for Philanthropy with a panel of CNJG members who have led the efforts for CNJG to adopt the principles. The panelists will discuss how they are aligning their work with the principles, where some challenges lie ahead, and how we can promote these principles within our organizations to engage in further work. It will be an excellent opportunity to learn, discuss, and brainstorm how you, too, can apply these guiding principles to your own work and further strengthen your organization's impact.
- Keynote Address by Amalia Brindis Delgado: I'm especially excited about our keynote speaker, Amalia Brindis Delgado, Chief Strategy Officer, Panta Rhea Foundation. Amalia will speak on leadership and leadership transitions as well as share insights from her work with Leading Forward and Resilience & Renewal Grantmaking. Her talk will offer valuable lessons on navigating change and building organizational resilience - something that's more important than ever as we look towards the future of philanthropy.
A Special Announcement:
I'm also pleased to share that we have a new face joining the 
CNJG team. Please join me in welcoming Fortunata Cuomo as our new Development Associate. Fortunata brings a wealth of experience in nonprofit fundraising, and we're excited for you to meet her at the Annual Meeting. Her role will focus on improving and expanding our sponsorship and Resource Marketplace programs, managing all aspects of our grant funding, and spearheading efforts to build new revenue streams. This position is a critical investment in CNJG to help us expand our business model and create new opportunities to generate revenue.
With just a few days to go, I encourage you to take a moment to register for the Annual Meeting (if you haven't already) and join us for what promises to be an inspiring, energizing day of conversation and connection. We are truly looking forward to seeing you on December 11 at APA Hotel Woodbridge in Iselin.
A big thank you to our sponsors to date - we couldn't do this without you! Special thanks to Signature Sponsor – Prudential; Contributing Sponsors – Campbell’s, Devils Youth Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Victoria Foundation; Supporting Sponsors – Grunin Foundation, LISC NJ, Pincus Family Foundation, and WSFS Bank; and Colleague Sponsor – Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.
Warmly,
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
Summer always brings to mind those great “summer reads.” This has been an “occasional series” of CNJG eNews during the summer, over the years. In addition to this year’s curated list – I’m thrilled to share recommendations from a few CNJG Board members and the CNJG team!
CNJG Board of Trustees’ Secretary, Maisha Simmons, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, recommends Heather McGhee’s The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How we can Prosper Together. There’s also a podcast series, and the book has been adapted for young readers.
The Work: My Search for a Life that Matters by Wes Moore is the top pick from Board member, Jasmyne Beckford, The Prudential Foundation. Jasmyne reflects, this book helped her think about how she can live a life that creates impact for generations both personally and professionally.
CNJG Board member Justin Kiczek, F. M. Kirby Foundation, recently read Getting Beyond Better: How Social Entrepreneurship Works. “As our foundation holds both stewardship and entrepreneurship as core values, it helps me understand how social entrepreneurs start their journey and scale their solutions.”
In honor of Black Philanthropy Month this August, I’m excited to feature a few great reads created to inspire and inform your philanthropic journey. Thank you to Manager of Communications Shakirat Odunsi for curating this list:
- Madam C. J. Walker's Gospel of Giving: Black Women's Philanthropy during Jim Crow highlights Walker’s visionary approach to philanthropy and community-building, emphasizing the vital role of Black women’s giving in advancing social justice. Freeman’s work sheds light on how Walker’s philanthropy was an extension of her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to racial and gender equality.
- Ford Foundation’s Darren Walker reimagines Andrew Carnegie’s vision of philanthropy for the modern era in From Generosity to Justice: A New Gospel of Wealth, urging philanthropists to go beyond charity and address systemic inequalities to foster justice and lasting change.
- Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds encourages readers to embrace adaptability and resilience by using emergent strategies – small-scale actions that create large-scale impact. Author adrienne maree brown challenges traditional models of organizing and invites us to envision a more just and equitable world through collaboration, creativity, and deep connections with others. It’s a guidebook for those seeking to shape the future and navigate the complexities of change.
- Isabel Wilkerson explores how entrenched hierarchies based on race and class impact every aspect of our lives in Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Through compelling narratives and meticulous research, she reveals how this hidden system continues to perpetuate inequality and injustice, challenging us to confront these deeply rooted structures and work toward true equality.
From the CNJG team, Director of Member Services Craig Weinrich is currently reading How We Give Now: A Philanthropic Guide for the Rest of Us by Lucy Bernholz. This book demonstrates that philanthropy is about much more than money. Bernholz posits that even giving our data willingly to companies is an act of philanthropy. This is a great intersection to the Spring Colloquium conversation around AI, and ongoing discussions about how we can expand our definition of philanthropy as guided by our Strategic Plan.
Chanika Svetvilas, Manager of Programs and Learning recommends Against Technoableism by Ashley Shew and Imagination A Manifesto by Ruha Benjamin. Not too long ago I read Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, which prompted me to really consider what each of us should focus on in our day-to-day work, and what we need to let go. It’s a practical, insightful guide that led to several “aha” moments. All three books challenge us to think very differently about our world and what’s possible.
And finally, a recently discovered read I’ve gifted to family and friends, All the Colors of Life by renowned artist Lisa Aisato; this will lift your spirits as you find yourself paging through it and experiencing it over and over again.
Happy Summer Reading!
On a different note, I hope you will join us at the Summer Joint Policy Forum – Nonprofit and Philanthropic Champions for New Jersey on August 13, at The Heldrich in New Brunswick. I look forward to seeing you there, and hearing what’s on your summer reading list!
Sincerely,
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
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
The COVID-19 public health and economic crisis has changed our world as we know it. As employers moved to remote work, schools shifted to distance learning, and businesses closed completely, it became clear that the impact on residents, nonprofits, and businesses was far greater than anyone could have ever imagined.
In response to the growing and evolving needs of our region, the Greater Washington Community Foundation established the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to raise and rapidly deploy funding to local nonprofits providing food, shelter, educational supports, and other critical services.
From the beginning our goal was clear: to address the immediate needs and reach adversely affected communities, particularly low-income households and communities of color. We know all too well that in a crisis like this, these marginalized communities are hit the hardest, and often take the longest to recover.
In times of crises, The Community Foundation is our region’s philanthropic first responder, bringing together individuals and families, philanthropic peers, corporate partners, and local government advisors to address community issues. Building on our rich history of emergency response work, we grounded our COVID-19 response efforts in a similar coordinated approach.
This report chronicles the steps taken, under immense pressure, to develop a coordinated emergency response effort to support a broad range of needs across the region. Once again this effort has demonstrated that working in partnership and close collaboration with our philanthropic peers and local government advisors is an effective way to manage a response to both urgent and longer-term needs.
This includes insights and tips related to board governance, legal compliance, grantee communications, fiscal responsibility, public disclosure, and many other key areas of foundation governance and operations. It is intended to serve as a practical resource to assist foundations in their grantmaking.
CNJG's President's Reports
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers’ offers listserve services as a benefit of CNJG membership.
CNJG’s listserves facilitate ongoing group e-mail discussions among subscribed members. Members can share information and expertise, ask questions, and gather opinions of colleagues across the network. Listserves also enable members to get the most up-to-date information on related programs being offered throughout the field.
CNJG initially assigns new members to relevant listserves based on your submitted member profile. Contact Craig Weinrich to join any other listserve that interests you. You can unsubscribe from a listserve at any time by using the link found at the bottom of each email sent via the listserve.
In May 2024, our listserve provider updated its email engine, and now the automatic de-duping feature is no longer available, so sending an email to more than one listserve results in multiple emails to the recipient.
If you send an email to a listserve, and it bounces back to you, you are not on that listserve. Please contact Craig to add you to that listserve.
The listserves available are:
Camden Funders - [email protected]
Bergen Funders - [email protected]
Community Foundation CEO’s - [email protected]
CNJG Member CEO's - [email protected]
CNJG Member CFO’s and Finance Managers - [email protected]
CNJG Member Communications Staff - [email protected]
Corporate Funders - [email protected]
COVID-19 Funders - [email protected]
Culture Funders - [email protected]
Disaster Response Funders - [email protected]
Education Funders - [email protected]
Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy - [email protected]
Environmental Funders - [email protected]
Family Funders - [email protected]
Food Funders - [email protected]
Health Funders - [email protected]
Monmouth & Ocean Roundtable of Funders - [email protected]
Newark Funders - [email protected]
New Jersey Census Funders - [email protected]
Paterson Funders - [email protected]
Racial Equity Funders - [email protected]
STEAM Funders - [email protected]
South Jersey Funders - [email protected]
Strong & Thriving Communities - [email protected]
Trenton Area Funders - [email protected]
There are some restrictions for joining listserves:
· only CEOs (or equivalent) can join the CEO listserve;
· only CEOs (or equivalent) of a Community Foundation can join the Community Foundation CEO listserve;
· only CFOs (or equivalent) can join the Financial listserve
· only family foundation staff and trustees can join the Family Funders listserve;
· only corporate giving professionals can join the corporate listserve
Please refer to the Listserves’ Membership Policies below for information on using the listserves.
Sample bylaws for Community Foundations.
Community foundations are beginning to deepen and shift how they work, adopting an anchor mission that seeks to fully deploy all resources to build community wealth. Moving into territory relatively uncharted for community foundations, they are taking up impact investing and economic development — some in advanced ways, others with small steps. This report offers an overview of how 30 representative community foundations — including The Seattle Foundation, the Vermont Community Foundation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation — are working toward adopting this new anchor mission.
This Democracy Collaborative report was written by Marjorie Kelly, Senior Fellow and Director of Special Projects and Violeta Duncan, Community Development Associate.
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.
Strategic asset allocation is arguably one of the most important, yet least advanced, aspects of investing. The Investment Strategy Group (ISG) in the Goldman Sachs Investment Management Division has developed a new approach to strategic asset allocation, which leverages the idea that long-term investment returns derive from multiple distinct sources called “return-generating factors.” This multi-factor approach is designed to help investors better understand the key sources of long-term return across asset classes and to increase the precision of long-term risk and return estimates. It also provides investors with a new way to think about portfolio diversification, allowing them to focus not only on diversification across asset classes but also
on diversification across the underlying sources of return.