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In March 2024, Governor Murphy signed into law significant reforms to the ways that New Jersey enforces municipal affordable housing obligations under the state Supreme Court Mount Laurel doctrine. The new law creates enhanced affordable housing opportunities for New Jersey’s low-and moderate-income households, while seeking to streamline the affordable housing development process by setting clear guidelines for determining housing obligations. It is expected to reduce legal costs and judicial involvement. Join Adam Gordon, Executive Director and Emily Devenney, Grants and Development Manager of the Fair Share Housing Center for a conversation about what this new legislation means for philanthropy.
Since the revival and improved enforcement of the Mount Laurel Doctrine in 2015, New Jersey has seen a considerable increase in affordable housing production. However, there remains a substantial shortage of affordable homes in the state, particularly for very low-income residents. The legislation aims to address this gap by ensuring that every municipality contributes its fair share of affordable housing.
Key features of the legislation include a streamlined process for determining affordable housing obligations, codification of methodology for calculating these obligations, increased transparency in the housing development process, and the repeal of the state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH). Additionally, the legislation prohibits wealthy towns from avoiding their housing obligations through regional contribution agreements.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $50 for Non Member Grantmakers
Adam Gordon is the Executive Director of FSHC and leads FSHC’s coordinated strategy of organizing, litigation, and policy development to advance racial, economic, and social integration throughout New Jersey and the United States. Since joining the organization in 2006, he has worked to implement the Mount Laurel Doctrine which has created over 70,000 affordable homes in historically exclusionary NJ communities, litigated the largest federal fair housing case in American history, and worked to make federal disaster recovery policy more equitable. Under his leadership FSHC has secured the passage of the first statewide Fair Chance in Housing Act to limit discriminatory tenant screening policies and a landmark $305 million fund to accelerate affordable housing development. Gordon holds a B.A. and J.D. from Yale University.
Emily Devenney joined Fair Share Housing Center as the Grants & Development Manager in January 2024. She comes with experience in fundraising and community organizing, and strong connections to South Jersey, where she was born and raised (and likely will never leave). Emily has a B.A. in Economics and a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Certificate in Fundraising from Villanova University.
Webinar Video
CNJG joined over 350 delegates from across the country for Foundations on the Hill on February 23-26. The event included a policy conference followed by meetings on Capitol Hill. Our delegation was a nice mix of newcomers to FOTH and those with years of experience.
Joining me this year were Board Chair Craig Drinkard; Sharnita Johnson, Victoria Foundation; Board Secretary Kortney Swanson Davis, Forman Acton Foundation; Board members, Jeremy Grunin, Grunin Foundation, and Lucy Vandenberg, Schumann Fund for New Jersey; Bill Engel, The Union Foundation; Carrie Bersak and Jessica Nugent, The Burke Foundation; Sharif Braxton, EQUIP NJ; Naeema Campbell, The Fund for New Jersey; Alma Garcia and Hellen Zamora-Bustos, Equity Ahora (formerly New Jersey Health Initiatives); Jessica Johansen and Shelley Skinner, The Tepper Foundation; Sharese York, Smith Family Foundation; Nelida Valentin, Princeton Area Community Foundation; and Renee Woodside, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey.
For the last few years, we’ve also been joined by Linda Czipo, President and CEO, New Jersey Center for Nonprofits. Linda’s voice elevates our conversations and helps ground them in the work nonprofits do every day.
Speaking with one voice, we urged our legislators to sign on to the bipartisan Charitable Act (H.R.801/S.317). Congressman Kean co-signed the bill on March 3, 2025. We also took the opportunity to share with our Congressional delegation how changes in federal policy and various executive actions are impacting nonprofits and the communities we collectively serve.
In advance of FOTH, the Center surveyed NJ nonprofits for the New Jersey Nonprofits Trends and Outlook 2025 Report – just released this morning! As part of their survey, they also asked for on-the-ground stories of impact in the face of federal funding freezes and actions from the executive branch. Here’s a sampling of what they heard and what we shared at FOTH:
“As of 2/12/25 our agency had not received over $1.5 million owed on federal contracts for work performed in December and January, and on 2/11/25 we furloughed 46 employees … There are currently 1,000 children in NJ who need services in the database for unaccompanied minors where our program staff are assigned cases…If staff are furloughed or laid off these children will not receive services.”
“It was terrifying--a payroll week. We were afraid that we would not be able to pay contractors for work they had already done. Our refugee assistance programs, which had just expanded, lost funding. We were afraid that we would not be reimbursed for $100,000 in disbursements … we had to let go 2 brand new staff members.”
“[Organization] receives federal funding administered by the state and counties (Aging funds and Ryan White funds). If we lose those funds, we will not be able to serve seniors in Ocean and Union County or people living with HIV in 8 counties in NJ.”
“Our federal grants comprise of about $900,000 in total. These funds are our main lifeline for our mental health counseling and sexual violence programming. Especially those who are already marginalized, underserved and/or at risk are more vulnerable to the funding uncertainties than any other groups…”
FOTH is always an opportunity for us to discuss issues of interest to philanthropy, advocate for policy and legislation that strengthen the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors and build relationships with legislators.
This year, we also had a moral obligation to ring the alarm and make sure our representatives understood how communities are being impacted by a wave of reckless and destructive policy decisions.
Earlier this morning, the Center presented their webinar, "The State of NJ’s Nonprofit Sector", providing a high-level review of the related report. Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents reported that at least some of their funding comes from federal grants or contracts which account for more than 4,500 jobs. These findings tell us that people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake.
The webinar provided a concise list of what funders can do during these especially challenging times:
- Check in with nonprofit partners.
- Provide flexible funding.
- Simplify applications and reporting processes.
- Connect nonprofits to information/guidance (Start here with Resources to Navigate Uncertainty).
- Fund advocacy.
- If possible, please increase your payout.
These recommendations align with Doing Good Better and so much of what we’re hearing from CNJG members and the broader philanthropic sector.
As foundation leaders dedicated to our New Jersey communities, please consider the full range of strategies your organizations can employ during these truly unprecedented times. Manager of Communications Shakirat Odunsi will collect stories from you, our members, about how you are changing/adapting your grantmaking and work in the face of the dramatic policy shifts that are happening in the executive branch. I also encourage you to share those stories directly with your CNJG colleagues via the listservs.
My colleague Linda ended the webinar with, “We are not alone. We can do this together!” And I’ll add - in fact, we must do this together.
In solidarity,
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
Sample board committee descriptions, including roles and responsibilities of committee members
A working glossary of terms to help shape a common language for work in Community Capacity. This glossary is intended to help promote philanthropy's roles in building community capacity by defining core concepts and closely related terms.
An overview on the self-dealing law, including definitions, common problem areas, exceptions, penalties, and resources.
This session will unpack New Jersey’s just-enacted Fiscal Year 2026 state budget—totaling $58.1 billion—with a $6.3 billion surplus. We’ll explore key spending priorities, looming threats from federal funding cuts, and the implications for the transition to the next governor.
Peter Chen, Esq. (he/him), Senior Policy Analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective, serves as tax and budget lead, coordinating analysis of state and local fiscal policy. Peter has worked on child and family policy advocacy in New Jersey since 2014. Most recently, he spearheaded New Jersey’s creation of a state-level Child Tax Credit. Peter’s work has included coordination of the statewide nonprofit Census complete count campaign, advocacy to strengthen state and local laws to protect children from lead exposure, and reducing chronic absenteeism from school. Previously Peter served as Policy Counsel for Advocates for Children of New Jersey. Peter received his JD from Yale Law School and his Bachelors of Arts from Indiana University-Bloomington.
Tina M. Zappile is the Director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University where she is also Associate Professor of Political Science. She earned her Ph.D. in International Relations and M.A. in International Trade and Finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and her M.A. in Political Science and B.A. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her research interests include international organizations (IOs), international law, international trade and finance, the North-South divide, global economic development policy, and the role of developing countries in IOs and the global economy. She teaches classes in international law and organization, global politics of economic development, introduction to international relations, and international political economy.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $75 for Non Member Grantmakers
This program is only open to staff and trustees from grantmaking organizations.
Webinar Video
What can over a million teachers tell us about the needs of schools? This report digs into the data from 1.8 million teacher requests on the crowdfunding site DonorsChoose to tell the story from inside today's classrooms. We feel this data provides a roadmap for funders seeking to support students directly, but also for funders seeking broader reform of U.S. education policy and systems.
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.
CNJG is pleased to offer this series of webinars to our members, hosted by our partners at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.
With COVID-19 there seem to be more questions than answers, particularly for funders who want to respond effectively and efficiently. This series of seven webinars will bring expert panelists together to address some of the most pressing issues, including getting money out the door quickly, supporting vulnerable populations and managing other disasters in the midst of the pandemic.
Join the Center for Disaster Philanthropy for one or multiple webinars to gain a better perspective on the role of philanthropy in COVID-19 response and recovery.
Cost: Free for CNJG members and Nonmember Grantmakers
CNJG thanks the Center for Disaster Philanthropy for hosting this series.
Upcoming Webinars in this Series:
June 23: Managing a Global Response
July 14: How Funders Can Support Bereavement and Grief
Past Webinars in this Series:
April 14: Making Effective Rapid Response Grants
April 28: Managing Multiple Disasters Amid the Pandemic
May 12: Place-based Grantmakers and Investing in Local Communities
May 26: How Philanthropy Can Stand Up for Vulnerable Populations
The Grunin Foundation, in partnership with CNJG, invites you to join the next Monmouth & Ocean County funder roundtable. Join Monmouth and Ocean County funders for a virtual session to discuss the planning of a 2024 Spring PEEP (Party to Enhance Equity in Philanthropy) event. PEEP will be in-person casual gathering where nonprofit and philanthropy leaders get together to hang out and break down some of the pervasive power dynamics in our sector.
COST: Free for members and non-members
Please note: You do not need to be a member of CNJG to attend this event. However, this gathering is geared towards those who fund in Monmouth & Ocean Counties.