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Feeding America estimates that an additional 17.1 million Americans may go hungry due to the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. Join us to explore how COVID-19 is exacerbating food insecurity in New Jersey and how philanthropy can support solutions that reduce hunger in the wake of this crisis. Cathy McCann, Chair Emeritus of NJ VOAD and former COO of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, will open up the program with an overview of the issue, what food insecurity looks like during this particular disaster, and long-term needs that will need to be addressed during recovery.
We’ll then hear from Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Carlos will present what he is seeing on the ground, challenges that local food banks and pantries are experiencing, and how philanthropy can help to combat food insecurity in the short, mid, and long-term phases of this crisis.
To close out the webinar, Adele LaTourette, Director of Hunger Free New Jersey, will outline state and federal responses to increased need during COVID-19, share advocacy efforts to address food insecurity issues, and offer solutions to help spur change.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members and NonMember Grantmakers
This program is only open to staff and trustees from grantmaking organizations.
Webinar Video
Joint Statement from CNJG and the Center for Non-Profits
This statement also appeared on NJ Spotlight.
A conversation between two customers in line at a New Jersey supermarket turned ugly when one man denigrated the other with a racial slur and blamed the fellow shopper for the coronavirus pandemic.
With so much else going on these days, it would be so easy to react to such a seemingly minor incident by saying, oh well, these things happen. Times are tough; tempers are short.
But shrugging our shoulders is not an option. Doing so is complicity in a wrongful acts that too often are repeated, over and over. Our silence merely emboldens those who would tear apart the fabric of our society, whether through hate or ignorance – or the extremely volatile mix of the two.
It’s not difficult to connect the dots between “little” incidents and the systemic racism that leads to tragedies like the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. When we ignore or accept any examples of people being demeaned over what they look like or where they (or their ancestors) came from, we only open the door for massive abuses and the wrenching reckoning that follows them.
We mustn’t be cowed by fear of being seen as overly sensitive or labeled “politically correct.” This is about being morally and ethically correct in the face of bias and hatred – and that shouldn’t be too much to ask of Americans, regardless of their political party or ideology.
As state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said recently, “COVID-19 is no excuse for racism, xenophobia, or hate. Discrimination and harassment in violation of New Jersey law remains illegal even if it occurs against the backdrop of a global pandemic." It’s gratifying to live in a state where the top law enforcement officer speaks out this way.
Unfortunately, it also is a state where reported hate crimes are up in recent years. We can’t tolerate such behavior, whether by police, elected officials or “average people.” There is too much at stake for bias to become the new normal.
As the leaders of the major philanthropic and non-profit membership organizations in New Jersey, representing both the wide range of non-profit groups and the multi-faceted funders of those groups, we feel compelled to speak out against the hateful responses we and our members have witnessed in reaction to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Our country has seen countless examples of selfless sacrifice and good works over the past weeks, both on individual and institutional levels. We are proud that the members our organizations have been leaders in responding to the needs of our community.
But to our distress, some individuals are using the pandemic to put forward their bias and hatred toward their fellow citizens.
Times of crisis bring to the surface, on the part of some people, the need to scapegoat. Often, this takes the form of lashing out at particular groups, stirred up by inflamed rhetoric or more subtle code words or phrases, having no relationship to facts. In this time, there have been verbal and physical attacks against people of Asian and Pacific Islander background, as there were against Muslims after September 11 and against African-Americans and Latinos in countless other instances. This hatred and these attacks must stop.
The non-profit sector is the backbone of our communities, providing assistance and education to a wide range of people, in good times and especially in challenging times. Many of these services are a lifeline to people of all backgrounds, religions, ethnicities and statuses in life.
Non-profit organizations are the vehicle through which people can work together to selflessly assist others. People around the world view the United States as being unique in the breadth and depth of its charitable and philanthropic work, engaging the talents of all individuals, regardless of their economic or social status.
We call upon all people of good conscience in their good work to be alert for hateful words and actions and – always -- to speak out against them, both as individuals and as organizations.
Our language and our actions do matter.
Everyone, and especially people in positions of public trust or prominence, has the obligation to use our works and our lives to assist all in need and to honor the dignity and potential of all those we meet.
We call on not only our own members, but everyone who serves and volunteers in our sector to join us in this effort to speak out against racism and hatred and to exemplify all the best that we know our country is.
Maria Vizcarrondo
CNJG CEO and President
Linda Czipo
Center for Non-Profits CEO and President
William V. Engel
CNJG Board Chair
Gina M. Plotino
Center for Non-Profits Board Chair
Multi-year Grants
Affirmation: Multi-year funds provided both reliability and breathing room for nonprofits.
Making fundamental and long-lasting change comes with the promise of reliable investments. Longer grant terms create an environment where collaborative partnerships can flourish, and trust and transparency break down power dynamics. The result is that nonprofits have the “breathing room” and financial stability to focus activities where they are most needed.
Although many funders award grants to the same nonprofits year after year, they often require submission of annual applications that request information they already have and are complex and needlessly lengthy. These processes can heighten mutual distrust. From a practical standpoint, multi-year awards reduce paperwork for both funder and nonprofit and open communication channels promoting shared goals, mutual trust, and increased overall impact.
Activities
• For funders that historically award repeat annual grants to the same nonprofit partners, shift from an annual grant/proposal cycle to a long-term, multi-year commitment with an annual outcomes/progress report in lieu of a full application.
• Tailor grant terms to suit grantee timelines and needs (negotiated outcomes and milestones).
• If data collection is required solely to meet a funder’s compliance requirements, the funder should assume this responsibility or provide sufficient funding and/or capacity for the nonprofit to meet the requirement.
Short-term Outcomes
• The number of funders making multi-year grants increases by 50% over the previous years.
Long-term Outcomes
• More funders convert an annual application process for repeat grantee partners to a multi-year commitment with an annual outcomes report at the most, instead of full proposals each year.
• Funders assume responsibility for data collection or provide sufficient funding and/or capacity for the nonprofit to meet the requirement.
• Grant terms are suited to grantee timelines and needs (negotiated outcomes and milestones).
How to Begin Doing Good Better on Reliability
Learning opportunities
• What barriers keep funders from making long-term commitments to repeat grantee partners? Are any of these barriers legal?
• What are the minimum data requirements for funders to collect from repeat grantee partners?
Pre-Work
• Address the barriers to awarding multi-year grants through tested tools.
• Learn about how multi-year grants strengthen grantee partners and improve philanthropic, nonprofit, and community impact.
• Research mechanisms funders can use to meet legal compliance requirements while gaining trust in their grantee partners.
A sample conflict of interest form for independent private foundations.
Deepening Philanthropic and Nonprofit Partnerships in New Jersey
Doing Good Better, a partnership of the Council for New Jersey Grantmakers and the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits, is a community of funders and nonprofits taking action against the power imbalances and racial inequities in philanthropy, nonprofits and government. Accessible, equitable, and mutually accountable relationships are primary and indisputable building blocks for a stronger society and thriving communities. Our goal is to shift the culture of the New Jersey philanthropic and nonprofit ecosystem by encouraging funders, nonprofits, and government to create shared power rooted in collaboration, mutual trust, and respect.
Doing Good Better Goals: A Framework for Change
The Doing Good Better Steering Committee encourages funders to focus on and advocate for four changes that can make an immediate difference in addressing power dynamics between nonprofits and funders and maximizing nonprofit impact.
Why now?
For many years, but particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and the heightened outcry for racial equity and social justice, funders have been urged to embrace more flexibility and transparency in their grantmaking. Practices such as general operating support, simplified application and reporting procedures, multi-year funding and others have been shown to level the power imbalance, advance greater equity, strengthen partnerships between funders and their nonprofit partners, and thereby improve community impact.
Many grantmakers temporarily embraced flexible practices in the wake of Superstorm Sandy and during the height of the pandemic, and these structural changes empowered nonprofits to become more resilient and have a greater impact in their communities. But while some funders have retained the flexible practices, others have reinstated previous restrictions.
In New Jersey and across the country, there is a renewed urgency to NOT return to business as usual. It’s long past time.
Doing Good Better invites all of us to reflect on how power is distributed in our partnerships, learn from our peers, and make adjustments that position all community partners for transformative, equitable change in New Jersey.
How?
Guided and informed by 50+ advisors from New Jersey who represent a broad range of perspectives from nonprofits, philanthropy, and beyond, we are approaching this work through the lens of systems change – the recognition that transformative change can only occur after power structures have been addressed collectively. Specifically, Doing Good Better encourages funders to consider the power dynamics that underpin their policies, practices, and resource flows. To do this, we provide resources and a space for dialogue centered on changes in key practices and culture shifts.
Quick practice changes you can make now.
The road to systems change begins with changing practices that impede nonprofits’ pursuit of their missions, and implement practices that demonstrate respect for and trust in the expertise and experience of nonprofits and the communities they serve. Several key practices have consistently been shown to be particularly effective. Many of these have been requested by nonprofits for quite some time, and are reflected in the principles of Trust-Based Philanthropy and Community-Centric Fundraising, among others. Here are a few practice changes you can make now:
Type of Funding
● Give multiyear and unrestricted funding, especially for grantee partners with which you’ve had long term relationships.
Access to Funding
● Create alternative processes for organizations too small to submit audits to reduce barriers to obtaining grants.
● Set aside funding pools for BIPOC-led organizations that may not have access to traditional funding sources.
Simplifying the Process
● Simplify and streamline application and reporting processes.
● Eliminate annual requests for organizational information that does not change from year to year.
Learning
● Engage with the community through participatory grantmaking that aligns with the community’s goals.
● Open dialogues with nonprofits by soliciting and acting on feedback
How do we know?
We’ve asked the experts: nonprofits, foundations, and community members who are working directly in our community as well as peers from across the country who are eliminating power imbalances in their own communities.
● Feedback from over 50+ Advisors
● The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers survey
● The Center for New Jersey Nonprofit’s survey
● The Trust Based Philanthropy Project
● The Community-Centric Fundraising movement
● Thought leaders and advocates throughout the nonprofit community
● Case studies from across the US