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The New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) recently awarded $202,840 in Incubation and Action Grant funding to fifteen organizations. Incubation Grants help organizations plan, research, develop, and prototype public humanities projects and events. Action Grants help organizations implement a wide array of humanities-based projects, including public programs, exhibitions, installations, tours, and discussion groups.
Public humanities programming allows individuals to engage in lifelong learning and share in the exploration of history, values, cultures, and beliefs. NJCH supports and acts as a resource for cultural and service-oriented nonprofit partners as they bring the public humanities to the residents of New Jersey, harnessing the power of the humanities to strengthen communities.
The F. M. Kirby Foundation Board of Directors announced 248 grants totaling $13.8 million were made in 2020 to nonprofit organizations working to foster self-reliance and create strong, healthy communities in a year of unprecedented challenges.
The Foundation’s 2020 grantmaking included grants in support of COVID-19 relief, as well as increased contributions to nonprofit organizations in the arts and humanities, education, environment, health and medicine, human services, public policy, and religion. Some 102 grants totaling over $5.5 million were awarded to New Jersey-based nonprofit organizations working to make a direct impact on people’s lives throughout the state, 65 of which, totaling $3.6 million, supported work in Morris County, the Foundation’s home county. Additional grants totaling $8.3 million supported organizations in upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, regions connected to Kirby family members, as well as national nonprofits largely based in Washington D.C. and New York City.
“In a sense, the vast majority of our grantmaking this year was providing COVID-related relief to our grantee partners in response to a most difficult year. We stuck to our principles of general operating support, recognizing the necessity of flexible grants, especially as grantees were facing difficulty meeting payroll and paying for personal protective equipment. However, the exceptional circumstances provided exceptional opportunities, so we were excited to support some new initiatives for us, including COVID-related research at the American Lung Association, the Morristown Partnership Grant Relief Fund, rapid relief funds in North Carolina at both the Triangle Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Triangle, and the New Jersey Arts and Culture Pandemic Relief Fund,” stated Justin Kiczek, Executive Vice President.
The Burke Foundation awarded $2 million in the fourth quarter of 2020 to non-profit organizations in New Jersey working to improve prenatal and child health.
New Jersey has one of the country’s worst records for child health and wellbeing, especially among under-resourced communities, despite being one of the wealthiest states in terms of per capita income.
The Burke Foundation seeks to improve this situation by funding the most promising and transformative programs and policies that foster the health, well-being and resilience of children and families in the state.
New Jersey ranks 47th among the 50 U.S. states for maternal mortality, and its rate of more than 46 deaths per every 100,000 live births is nearly 50 percent greater than the national average. The situation is even more dire for Black women and babies: A Black mother in New Jersey is seven times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than a white mother, and the preterm birth rate for Black infants in New Jersey is 13.3%, which is 51% higher than the rate for white infants in the state. New Jersey also ranks in the bottom third of states for children being up to date on immunizations at age two (35th out of 50), with stark disparities across socio-economic and racial lines.
The Burke Foundation believes that addressing these disparities requires investment in high-quality, scalable programming that prioritizes young children and families. Investments in the earliest years promote better health outcomes in the short term and provide significant social and economic returns in the long term. These new grants reflect the Foundation’s deep commitment to supporting nurturing, responsive relationships between caregivers and young children to foster health, well-being, and resilience for a lifetime.
Dr. David Willis, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, applauded these new investments. “As a pediatrician and policymaker, I am pleased to see the Burke Foundation’s emphasis on early relational health,” he said. “Having supportive, nurturing relationships early in life has been shown to bolster a child’s resilience and lead to better social, emotional and physical health outcomes.”
Citibank has announced a second round of investments through the Citi Impact Fund in Black-, women-, and veteran-led companies working to address pressing social problems.
Launched in 2020, the $200 million fund makes equity investments in "double bottom line" companies working to create impact in one of five areas: workforce development, financial capability, physical and social infrastructure, sustainability, and access to capital and economic opportunity.
"The Citi Impact Fund is broadening access to capital for founders like me," said MedHaul founder and CEO Erica Plybeah. "MedHaul is the first company receiving earlier-stage seed investment from the fund, and we're extremely excited to partner with Citi as we scale our company to support more people in need of quality, dependable medical transportation."
TD Bank has announced grants totaling $2.8 million in support of efforts to drive a faster, more equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in vulnerable communities across the United States.
Through the third annual TD Ready Challenge, the bank awarded grants to six U.S. nonprofits working to develop innovative solutions to inequities exacerbated by the pandemic in disproportionately impacted communities.
"The COVID-19 pandemic created a healthcare crisis that exposed social, economic, and racial inequities, and we know it continues to disproportionately impact vulnerable populations across the U.S.," said TD Bank president and CEO Greg Braca. "This year, we focused the TD Ready Challenge competition on organizations that provide innovative solutions to the communities where we live and work."
The FirstEnergy Foundation has donated more than $3.4 million to nearly 100 organizations across its service territory as part of "Investing with Purpose," a company initiative focused on supporting organizations that advance health and safety, workforce development, educational and social justice initiatives. The grants, awarded in December 2020, represent the first round of approximately $7 million in charitable contributions the Foundation will award as part of the program.
"Investing with Purpose" was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which created health, financial and educational hardships for customers across FirstEnergy's six-state service territory, and in response to the events of 2020 that highlighted racial and social injustices impacting our nation. With those issues in mind, FirstEnergy leaders identified philanthropic opportunities through nonprofit organizations across its service territory that are responding to needs of vulnerable populations. "Investing with Purpose" represents an additional commitment on top of the company's annual charitable giving, which averages approximately $10 million per year.
"In light of the formidable challenges presented by the ongoing coronavirus health emergency and critical social justice work that remains at the forefront, the Foundation wanted to focus contributions in areas that would drive meaningful change in the communities we serve," said Lorna Wisham, president of the FirstEnergy Foundation and vice president of corporate affairs and community involvement for FirstEnergy. "These awards benefit new and existing nonprofit partners on the frontline of our current health and economic crisis and whose missions also reflect FirstEnergy's core values."
Join Deborah Cornavaca, Deputy Chief of Staff of Outreach to Governor Murphy for a general information session on the vaccine rollout in New Jersey, and to provide you with comprehensive updates and answer questions. The rollout is in constant motion, but Ms. Cornavaca and her team will provide the most up-to-date information, as well as hear your suggestions and thoughts.
The timely knowledge and resources shared during this briefing will be essential as foundations support nonprofit, community, and government partners in making sure all New Jerseyans are informed about the vaccine, how and where to get vaccinated, and where to go for questions or concerns. For additional information visit the New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub.
Register today to learn about the state’s plan to get vaccines to New Jersey communities, and what role philanthropy can play in ongoing efforts.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $50 for Non Member Grantmakers
Community Catalyst, Community Change, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities have announced a $9 million commitment from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in support of an initiative focused on grassroots efforts to improve healthcare access, affordability, and dignity in care.
The Voices for Health Justice project will fund twenty-five state- and community-based organizations over two and a half years working to build grassroots power and effect policy change at the federal, state, and community levels. Grantees include local and statewide organizations working with Black and brown communities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and low-income and rural communities to protect and expand access to Medicaid coverage, encourage states to provide comprehensive coverage regardless of immigration status, mobilize and engage alternative care providers in health policy reform, and narrow health inequities.
"The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is thrilled to launch this initiative with Community Catalyst, Community Change, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities," said RWJF senior program officer Andrea Ducas. "We are excited to support community-led efforts to advance policies that promote equity in health and health care. Now is the time for foundations in the health justice movement to focus on providing deeper investments in state- and community-based advocacy to address the root causes of America's health inequities because everyone deserves the opportunity to be healthy and thrive."
The Atlantic City Community Fund awarded $50,000 to 11 organizations in its efforts to strengthen the city’s community.
This is the Atlantic City Community Fund’s third round of grant funding. The mission of the fund is to foster private giving, strengthen service providers and improve the conditions of the city of Atlantic City.
The round of grantees are the Atlantic City Arts Foundation, Boys and Girls Club, Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation, Covenant House, Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces, Jewish Family Services, Leadership Studio, Mighty Writers, MudGirls Studios, Light Shooters and the Spanish Community Center.
TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®, awarded 32 local organizations from Maine to Florida nearly $5 million through its 15th Annual Housing for Everyone grant competition. The Housing for Everyone program has awarded more than $32 million in grants to over 500 community organizations since 2005.
The 2020 competition focused on supporting organizations that provide direct rent relief and supportive services to individuals hit hardest by the pandemic. To commemorate the 15th anniversary of Housing for Everyone, the TD Charitable Foundation increased the total amount of grants to be awarded by 30%, from $3.75 million to $4.9 million. Grants ranging from $125,000 - $250,000 were awarded to organizations working to help COVID-impacted households remain in safe, affordable rental units.
"The economic instability created by the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges faced by many renters, a large percentage of whom have experienced job loss and lack healthcare insurance," said Paige Carlson-Heim, Director of the TD Charitable Foundation. "It's estimated that up to 34 million people who rent are at risk of losing their homes when eviction moratoriums and other renter protections expire. The TD Charitable Foundation is proud to support this year's Housing for Everyone grant recipients as they play a key role in helping to combat this statistic in their local communities."
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) today announced that it anticipates awarding $14 million in grants to 27 organizations through its Sustain & Serve NJ program. The NJEDA launched applications for Sustain & Serve NJ in late 2020 to support restaurants that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The NJEDA expects that the funding announced today will result in the purchase of 1.5 million meals from at least 160 New Jersey restaurants in at least 69 cities in 12 counties.
“New Jersey’s restaurants were hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the outpouring of interest in Sustain & Serve NJ underscores the community’s desire to help local restaurants and the neighborhoods they serve,” Governor Phil Murphy said. “The positive economic impact of this program for the restaurant industry, combined with the good it will do in the community, makes Sustain & Serve NJ a home run.”
Through Sustain & Serve NJ, the NJEDA anticipates providing $14 million in grant funding to entities throughout the Garden State to support expenses directly tied to bulk purchasing of meals from New Jersey-based restaurants. Each awardee will receive a grant of between $100,000 and $2 million to fund these purchases. The entities will then distribute the meals at no cost.
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts held its first public meeting of 2021 today, where nearly $1 million was awarded to 129 New Jersey artists through two grant programs.
The Individual Artist Fellowships are competitive awards to New Jersey artists in 12 rotating disciplines granted solely on independent peer panel assessment of work samples. The anonymous process is focused on artistic quality, and awards may be used to help artists produce new work and advance their careers. New Jersey artists applied for awards this year in the categories of crafts, interdisciplinary performance and interdisciplinary visual art, photography, and playwriting and screenwriting. This program is carried out in partnership with the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
"In this unprecedented time, people across the world have turned to the arts," said Secretary of State Tahesha Way. "It is the passion and creativity of artists like the ones honored today who have gotten us through some of our most difficult times. New Jersey is home to a wonderfully diverse and extremely talented artist community, and I’m proud to work with the Arts Council to ensure ongoing support for our state’s individual artists."
Impact100 Essex awarded its fourth annual grant to Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey (PCA-NJ). PCA-NJ's mission with the $100,000 grant is to implement a research-based, trauma-informed Children's Wellness Initiative in five Essex County schools or childcare centers, with the goal of reaching 1,500 students and their families.
"It's an amazing honor to be chosen by this remarkable group of women leaders in Essex County. This project will truly transform many schools in Essex County with new tools and information that teachers, principals, parents and students can use to better understand how "toxic" stressful events affect their ability to succeed in school. This program will provide the critical skills needed to strengthen the resilience needed to overcome the challenges in life. Our mission is to improve a broad array of critical outcomes, in school and in life, for hundreds of Essex County children and their families", said Rush Russell, Executive Director for PCA-NJ. PCA-NJ is in the process of identifying the first 5 schools in Essex County for this program. The Newark Educators Community Charter School is the first school to commit to the project.
Valley Bank has donated approximately $1 million to nearly 100 New Jersey-based organizations supporting relief efforts for COVID-19.
Through its Community Pledge Certificate of Deposit program, the bank has donated $2,183,000 to 264 organizations across its footprint. In New Jersey, approximately $953,000 was distributed to 97 organizations.
In 2020, Valley Bank offered a new, innovative Community Pledge CD designed to give back to organizations in the community that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CD offered a market rate and Valley matched the interest with a direct donation to community organizations that were providing relief in support of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bank of America has announced grants totaling more than $22 million in support of advancing racial equality and economic opportunities.
A total of $18.35 million was awarded in support of higher education and workforce development, with a focus on efforts to strengthen hiring pipelines and empower students to advance their academic and career opportunities, including a previously announced $10 million grant to Spelman and Morehouse colleges to establish the Center for Black Entrepreneurship. Workforce development awards include $300,000 to GRID Alternatives in support of the SolarCorps Fellowship Program, which enables individuals from diverse backgrounds to be trained and launch careers in the renewable energy field, as well as grants to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Posse Foundation, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and United National Indian Tribal Youth.
In addition, $1.3 million was awarded to assist minority and indigenous entrepreneurs and their small businesses through organizations such as the Latino Business Action Network, Echoing Green, and Our Native American Business Entrepreneurship Network (ONABEN), and $2.55 million was awarded in support of health and emergency needs, such as hunger relief and shelter focused on helping communities recover from the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus including Hispanic-Latino community-based health organizations that are part of the UnidosUS community health affiliate network and the Hispanic Federation.
"Workforce development, job creation, and access to health and housing services are some of the most pressing needs facing Black, Hispanic-Latino, and Native American individuals," said Ebony Thomas, Bank of America's racial equality and economic opportunity executive. "By providing this support alongside our national and local partners, we are further addressing many of the challenges facing under-resourced and underserved communities across the U.S."
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts held a public meeting on March 16, where nearly $750,000 was awarded to 50 New Jersey nonprofit organizations through a recovery program that will help the arts sector prepare for a full-scale recovery.
The COVID Critical Needs Program (CCN) is a single year grant program that provides support for COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) and safeguarding needs for arts nonprofits. The CCN Program will financially assist New Jersey organizations with their efforts to ensure their venues are compliant with all safety standards as they welcome the public back inside.
The grant recipients include American Repertory Ballet, Appel Farm Arts & Music Campus, Arts Council of Princeton, Asbury Park Music Foundation, Bergen Performing Arts Center, Cape May Stage, Eagle Theatre, Farmstead Arts, Frontline Arts, George Street Playhouse, GlassRoots, Grounds for Sculpture, Growing Stage - The Children's Theatre of NJ, Guttenberg Arts, Hopewell Valley Children’s Theatre, Hunterdon Art Museum, Institute of Music for Children, Jazz House Kids, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences, Luna Stage Company, Mainstage Center for the Arts, Matheny Medical & Educational Center, Mayo Performing Arts Center, McCarter Theatre Center, Monmouth Arts, Monmouth Museum & Cultural Center, Montclair Art Museum, and Montclair Film.
"The arts and entertainment industry has been among the hardest hit by the COVID pandemic," said Secretary of State Tahesha Way. "And yet, over the past year, New Jersey’s arts community has adapted to continue reaching people throughout the state and across the globe at a time when the power of the arts has been needed most. I am proud to work closely with the Arts Council to help ensure our state’s arts organizations can reopen and welcome audiences in a safe environment."
Mayor Ras Baraka has announced a second round of funding through the city's Creative Catalyst Fund that will provide artists and art groups with flexible grant support during the coronavirus crisis and beyond.
In January 2020, Mayor Baraka announced a broad vision for the city's cultural sector that encourages equitable funding for the arts and the kind of investment that will help sustain the creative community and grassroots arts organizations. The Creative Catalyst Fund launched in April 2020, in the early part of the COVID-19 crisis that took an enormous financial toll on the creative sector.
"Newark has been a center for the arts throughout its history," said Mayor Baraka. "COVID-19 has severely impacted our arts community – creating economic loss for artists and galleries. It has also provided them with a new canvas of experiences to document creatively. It is both a moral and economic imperative for us to support our local arts community by helping them regain their footing and continue to curate and tell the stories of Newark and its people."
The PSEG Foundation has announced $1 million in grant funding to three historically Black colleges and universities: Hampton University, Howard University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. This funding will provide qualifying students an opportunity to attend prestigious universities and pursue their studies in STEM education.
Through these grants, the PSEG Foundation hopes to help diversify the STEM workforce by providing underrepresented students access to STEM education and generating a pipeline of competitive and capable talent for the future workforce, as well as the next generation of scientific and policy leaders in environmental science, sustainability and social justice.
“HBCUs have a long history of offering an exceptional educational experience while enriching the lives of Black students and families and providing the resources that empower students to succeed in various STEM careers,” said Calvin Ledford Jr., president of the PSEG Foundation. “At PSEG, we have dozens of employees and their families that have attended HBCUs, including many alumni of Hampton University and Howard University. This support is exemplary of our vision to build equitable and prosperous communities, amplifying the direction we have been heading by providing support to organizations including the United Negro College Fund and Thurgood Marshall College Fund, just to name a few.”
In celebration of its one-year anniversary, the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund announced Thursday $16 million in new grant funding to 139 nonprofits throughout the state.
The grants, inspired by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s recognition of NJPRF’s impact and her transformational $20 million gift, include $10 million in grants to nonprofit organizations doing exemplary pandemic relief work at the state and local level.
NJPRF also allocated an additional $6 million in direct cash assistance for more than 18,000 of the state’s most vulnerable individuals and families, including higher education students, who will not benefit from government stimulus checks in the recently enacted American Rescue Plan.
The fund has now given $56 million in grants.
“Since the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund launched one year ago, we have worked every day to provide support to the millions of New Jerseyans struggling as a result of the pandemic and the crippling economic crisis left in its wake,” first lady Tammy Murphy, the founding chair of NJPRF, said.
“This round of grants goes directly to our nonprofits on the front lines delivering urgent aid to our most vulnerable residents.”
Wells Fargo is making good on its promise to help underserved communities.
On Monday, the bank announced it is giving a grant of $1 million to the Trenton Regional Business Assistance Corp. and a grant of $500,000 to the Camden-based Cooperative Business Assistance Corp. The grants are part of the Wells Fargo Open for Business Fund, which was created last year.
The organizations will use the grants to provide low-interest loans to small businesses that — for a variety of reasons — lacked the access to such capital.
Tomas Porturas, vice president of social impact and sustainability, said Wells Fargo hopes the funding will help underserved small businesses in Trenton and South Jersey stay open and preserve jobs through short- and long-term COVID-19 resiliency efforts. It also will expand microlending activities and programming for diverse business owners.
“Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund is another avenue of support and enlists the expertise of our CDFI partners to urgently help diverse South Jersey entrepreneurs recover and preserve the jobs they provide in their communities,” he said. “The funding will provide much-needed access to capital with increased equity in resources and technical assistance for local businesses, which are the backbone of our local economies and neighborhoods.”