Site Search
- resource provided by the Forum Network Knowledgebase.
Search Tip: Search with " " to find exact matches.
JWF-NJ is pleased to announce that it has awarded five large grants in its 2023-24 Spring Grants Cycle:
$25K to the Barat Foundation for Creation Nation Girls in Tech – a Newark-based project to teach girls engineering and utilization of 3D printers, arts and entrepreneurship skills; $17K to Girls Helping Girls. Period. for Period Equity and Sustainability – a project to introduce the use of menstrual cups to women and girls and provide necessary hygiene products; $25K to KinderSmile for Perinatal Health and Wellness Program at KinderSmile Community Oral Health Center Bloomfield – a project to provide free dental care to perinatal and postpartum women and educate them in the importance of oral health; $25K to Montclair State Foundation’s Global Center on Human Trafficking for The Possibilities Program—Building Human Trafficking Survivor Leadership – a project that gathers teen victims of trafficking for workshops on self-sufficiency, college and career-readiness; and $25K to Sharsheret for Customized Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer Quality of Life Kits – a project that provides free, customizable support kits to women facing cancer.
TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank has awarded a total of $7 million to 37 non-profits across the bank’s footprint through the 17th annual Housing for Everyone grant program. Grants ranging from $150,000 to $250,000 will support organizations that work to deliver rental assistance, rehabilitate affordable rental housing properties, and build organizational capacity to address resident sustainability for the long-term.
As individuals and families across the country struggle with inflation and an exponential rise in rental costs, affordable housing providers face increased hardship given the growing demand for affordable rental units and emergency rental assistance.
“The affordable housing crisis continues to burden the most vulnerable members of our communities and the organizations committed to supporting them,” said Paige Carlson-Heim, Director of the TD Charitable Foundation. “At TD, we’re committed to doing our part to help create a more sustainable and inclusive future for everyone, and that includes providing access to safe, affordable homes. This year’s grant recipients are mission-critical to that work, and the TD Charitable Foundation is proud to support them in their efforts to create a positive impact and a pathway to housing stability in the communities we serve.”
With a resounding endorsement, The Westfield Foundation recently voted in three new board members: Toni Janota, Michael Moye and Dr. Cheryl Lundy Swift, all of Westfield. At the same time, the organization recognized the service of outgoing members: Tim Boyle, Stan Gersch and Rich Elbert.
“We express our deepest appreciation for the invaluable contributions of Tim Stan and Rich and their unwavering commitment during their tenure!" said outgoing president Larry Darrow.
Our new board members had the privilege of witnessing our Q2 grants meeting in early May where we funded over $100,000 to community programs. Some notable grants this quarter: providing a new mode of transportation for the Westfield Community Center, renovation funds for The Our House Foundation’s New Providence Day Program site, and continued support for the Presbyterian Church of Westfield’s mission to supplement local in-need families with nutrient-dense food.
The Devils Youth Foundation, with the support of its marquee brands, the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center, issued a record number of grants, both in money donated and nonprofits supported, having a significant impact throughout New Jersey.
According to a Tuesday announcement, this year, the Devils Youth Foundation provided 24 grants worth over $890,000 to organizations having an impact in New Jersey through community outreach programs that support over 20,000 youth. The organizations include: Arts Education Newark; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties; Boys & Girls Club of Newark; Challenged Athletes Foundation; Coalition for Food and Health Equity; Community FoodBank of New Jersey; Educational Arts Team; Express Newark (Rutgers); FOCUS Hispanic Center for Community Development Inc.; GreenLight Newark; Hockey in New Jersey; Jazz House Kids; La Casa de Don Pedro; Mentor Newark; Newark Boys Chorus School; Newark Community Street Team; Newark Day Center; New City Kids; Oasis — A Haven for Women and Children; Playworks; Record High; Save the Music Foundation; Special Olympics of New Jersey; and United Community Corp.
Excellence in Giving
In 2005, CNJG adopted Guiding Beliefs & Principles to offer a thoughtful source of direction and inspiration to help guide our state’s philanthropic sector into the future. CNJG first launched its Excellence in Giving initiative in 2007 with the goal is to provide grantmakers the practical tools necessary to ensure best practice in their operations and grantmaking.
The first booklet, Guiding Beliefs & Principles for New Jersey Grantmakers includes a wealth of 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 contains wisdom provided by leaders of all types of giving organizations within the CNJG’s membership, and is intended to serve as a practical resource to assist New Jersey foundations in their grantmaking. CNJG’s board is in the process of updating these beliefs and principles in 2023/2024. For more information on the updating process, please contact Theresa Jacks.
In 2010 CNJG released a second, comprehensive resource to help the state’s philanthropic community understand their ethical, legal, and fiduciary requirements and obligations - What Every Grantmaker Should Know and Frequently Asked Legal Questions. These two booklets are key publications in CNJG’s Excellence In Giving Series. While the Guiding Beliefs & Principles is available publically, members will need to log into access the legal guide for download.
Members can request additional copies of the booklets mentioned on this page by contacting Theresa Jacks.
The Devils Youth Foundation, which serves as the charitable arm for the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center, recently awarded a $100,000 grant to United Community Corp. to support the agency’s community refrigerator initiative and ongoing nutritional programming.
The foundation also raised an additional $80,000 through the first round of the NHL playoffs for another community refrigerator and $60,000 through the second round of the playoffs for a food delivery truck. These efforts brought a total of $240,000 in funding to back UCC’s efforts in mitigating hunger in Greater Newark.
UCC Executive Director Craig Mainor obviously was thrilled.
“We could not be more grateful for the generous grant award, funds raised and support from the Devils Youth Foundation that will allow UCC to create greater accessibility for fresh, nutritional food in Newark for thousands of people,” he said.
“Whether it’s installing another community refrigerator or educating youth about proper nutrition and health and wellness, we want to ensure that we uplift community members through this award to transform each ward of the city.”
More than two dozen local nonprofits have received grants from the Summit Foundation totaling more than $325,000. A record number and dollar amount of grant requests were received by the foundation.
In sum, 28 organizations received awards totaling $326,020, grants which will support programs in focus areas that include civic and community needs; health and medical services; arts and culture; education; people with special needs; and older adults.
“Our grantmaking is aimed at building the resources of organizations dedicated to providing innovative and critical services to enhance the quality of life in the Summit area.,” said Summit Foundation President Dana Turk.
Today, we are excited to announce that the Dodge Foundation’s latest cycle of grants provides support to over 30 organizations focused on addressing the root cause and repair of structural racism and inequity across New Jersey. These organizations are working on everything from building power among immigrant communities to advocating for housing and environmental justice.
We have been honored to partner with our Imagine a New Way grantees over the last few years, including those we supported in our first grantmaking cycle in 2023. In addition to those we are announcing today, we have been able to fund organizations that have already mobilized meaningful change for communities across the state. Just last week, advocates stood at Perth Amboy’s ferry port where slave ships docked from Africa in the 1700s. During a Juneteenth celebration, our partner, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, launched the New Jersey Reparations Council to measure slavery’s impact, to determine how to repair the damage, and to repay the generations who suffered. The Council will establish nine committees to examine the wealth gap, disparities in health and incarceration, school segregation and more.
The announcement of the new Council builds on the important impacts of NJISJ over the last few years. In 2021, NJISJ was part of a coalition that secured $8.4 million in state funds to create “restorative justice hubs” in Camden, Newark, Paterson, and Trenton, offering services for young people returning from incarceration. Other Imagine a New Way partners have also had tremendous impact – just last year, our grantee partners at Salvation and Social Justice successfully advocated to require, for the first time, New Jersey police officers to be licensed — as doctors and lawyers are — and set rules for decertifying officers who engage in misconduct.
Impact100 South Jersey awarded $211,000 in grants to three South Jersey nonprofits at our Annual Meeting on June 21, 2023 at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ.
A $100,000 core mission grant was awarded to the Heart of Camden. The grant will be used to expand programming and services provided by their Bridge Builders Project at the Michael J. Doyle Fieldhouse. The goal is to build on ten years of success at the MJD Fieldhouse by maximizing capacity to improve the lives of women, children, and families living in low-to-moderate income households in the Waterfront South neighborhood, South Camden, and the City of Camden as a whole.
The Bridge Builders Project is a unique initiative that aim to connect critical services to residents, young people, women, women with children and families. The project will serve as a bridge to connect outside volunteers and supporters, educating them about the city and building stronger connections with the community.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland & Salem Counties and Habitat for Humanity of Camden County each received a $55,500k general operating grant.
Since launching in 2017, Impact100 South Jersey has awarded $1,035,365 to 15 South Jersey nonprofits. It is one of more than sixty-five chapters in four countries that, combined, have awarded over $123 million in grants to nonprofits in their local communities since 2008.
“The Impact100 model is simple — each member contributes $1,000 toward large, transformative grants for nonprofits in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Cumberland Counites. When our chapter started in 2017 with a few women around a kitchen table, we never imagined the moment we could say we had awarded over $1 million. We owe our success to each of our members — past and present,” said Kyle Ruffin, President of the Impact100 South Jersey Chapter.
The Newark City of Learning Collaborative, which has been driven by several CNJG members and Newark Philanthropic Liaison Jeremy Johnson was recently featured in national publication, The Heckinger Report, which covers innovation and inequality in education.
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
On this webinar, we were joined by Kerri Logosso-Misurell, Executive Director of the Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition, for an update on her work as we consider health systems, access, and a path forward. After Kerri’s presentation, Dr. Denise Rodgers provided her thoughts and a health update, and we heard from Catherine Wilson for an update on the Community COVID-19 Fund.
Speakers:
Kerri Logosso-Misurell, Executive Director, Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition
Dr. Denise Rodgers, Chair, Newark Homeless Commission and Chair of Believe in a Healthy Newark
Catherine Wilson, President and CEO, United Way of Greater Newark
Kevin Callaghan, Newark Philanthropic Liaison, CNJG
Cost: Free for CNJG Members/ $35 for Non Member Grantmakers
Webinar Video
OceanFirst Foundation, Toms River, has awarded $718,900 in grants to 104 New Jersey and Philadelphia nonprofits. Organizations will receive General Operating/Flexible Support Grants to help them meet organizational needs. Services include, but are not limited to, healthcare, crisis assistance, emergency response, homelessness prevention, hunger and poverty fighting programs, and job readiness services.
“Our partners are passionate about serving our neighbors, and we’re proud to present them with General Operating/Flexible Support Grants as we work together to uplift our communities,” shared Katherine Durante, executive director, OceanFirst Foundation. “Through unrestricted funding, our partners have the flexibility to adapt to evolving community needs. We are committed to empowering nonprofits and providing resources to neighborhoods served by OceanFirst Bank. I am confident that this year’s incredible grantees will make a positive and long-lasting impact.”
The 4th goal of CNJG’s strategic plan calls for CNJG to expand partnerships and collaborations to create more value for our members. One of our long-standing partnerships is with the Council on Foundations to collect salary data, which we will include in our upcoming triennial 2023 New Jersey Philanthropy Benefits & Salary Summary report.
We are now partnering with YOU to collect your data on the benefits that your organization provides to your staff and/or trustees. The CNJG benefits survey is open for you to complete.
The New Jersey Philanthropy Benefits & Salary Summary report is often cited as one of the most valuable benefits of membership, and the more data we collect from a variety of philanthropic organizations, the more valuable the report becomes! As we did in 2020, we’re also pleased to ask demographic information about your board and staff within this survey. Even if you do not have any paid staff, you will be able to add your board demographic information to the survey.
We aim to publish the 2023 New Jersey Philanthropy Benefits & Salary Summary report in late 2023. The report is the premiere benchmarking tool for our members and the philanthropy sector in New Jersey.
The survey closes on August 4, 2023. We encourage every CNJG member organization to complete the survey. While the survey is long – taking about 45 minutes to complete – it allows us to create a truly comprehensive report to inform your decision making. We encourage you to review the questions in advance to gather the information you will need to make it easier for you to complete the survey in one sitting. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Director of Member Services, Craig Weinrich. I hope that one person from your organization will complete the survey before August 4.
A couple more summer notes – we will not publish CNJG News in August, but will resume in September. And, to recognize and show appreciation for our hard-working staff, the CNJG office will be closed on Fridays throughout the summer. This is one benefit that we offer our staff. It will be fascinating to see how many others offer this same benefit, so please complete our survey before the end of the July!
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
"The most populous city in New Jersey has launched a pilot program to give guaranteed income to some residents, as the pandemic has exacerbated the racial wealth gap and exposed the economic vulnerabilities millions of Americans face.
Experts say success in Newark, New Jersey, a neighbor of New York City, could set a precedent for other communities around the country to follow suit as the nation seeks to equitably recover from the economic devastation wrought by COVID-19.
“We must emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with new purpose, new vision and new ideas to transform our community and truly improve the quality of life of our residents,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat, said in a statement earlier this week. “Here, we have an opportunity to directly empower and strengthen hundreds of lives immediately, while also demonstrating how to do so to the entire nation.”
The Newark Movement for Economic Equity, launched by Baraka on Monday, is a two-year research study that will give unconditional cash payments to economically vulnerable residents. The pilot program is starting with just 30 residents, but is set to expand to 400 residents in the fall. To qualify, participants must be Newark residents who are at least 18 and have income levels at or below 200% of the federal poverty threshold.
To start, participants will receive $6,000 per year — with half receiving payments on a bi-weekly basis and half receiving payments twice yearly.
Some $2.2 million to date in private funds from local philanthropic groups and beyond have been raised to support the pilot program, and a statement from the mayor’s office said they are continuing to seek donors for the initiative.
If it is successful, the group has said on its website it anticipates it will be funded through state or federal money."
Related article: Free Money In Newark: City Experiments With 'Guaranteed Income'
Related article: Some Newarkers will get $500 a month - no strings attached - in pilot income program
The New Jersey Historic Trust and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts today announced the FY23 Capital Arts – Historic Locations grant award recipients. This grant opportunity prioritized project proposals that will be used to halt and remediate the physical deterioration of historic locations. There were 13 grants awarded totaling more than $2.6 million, with a maximum award of $250,000.
The FY23 Capital Arts - Historic Locations grant program is presented through a new partnership between the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (Arts Council), a division of the New Jersey Department of State, and the New Jersey Historic Trust (the Trust), affiliated with the Department of Community Affairs. The grant program is designed to assist New Jersey’s nonprofit arts organizations that are operating within buildings that are listed or eligible for listing in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. Funds may be used for construction expenses related to the preservation, restoration, repair, and expansion to improve or enhance the facility. Grant funding is provided by the Arts Council and reviewed and administered by the Trust.
"Keeping history alive through preservation is key to building generational awareness and providing educational and recreational opportunities," said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner. "We are pleased that the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the New Jersey Historic Trust are combining resources to preserve historic properties, which play a key role in increasing tourism and economic development at both the local and state level."
The Regional Foundation announced $1,950,000 in Implementation Grants to three organizations throughout New Jersey. The Neighborhood Implementation Grants program supports comprehensive community development plans that target specific neighborhoods, are resident-driven, and equity-focused. The multi-year funding is designed to assist the foundation’s grantee partners to start or sustain momentum in their comprehensive neighborhood revitalization initiatives.
“The grant investments announced today reflect the foundation’s ongoing commitment to sustained funding for our partners” stated Kevin Dow, Executive Director of the foundation. “Habitat and Parkside are strong partners doing amazing work including collaborations with other foundation partners and NJCDC is exciting as it moves our long-standing partnership from neighborhood planning to implementation and deepens our support in Paterson.”
The New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) has announced $272,408 in grant funding to 22 organizations across the state for Spring 2023.
The awards are split between 11 Incubation Grants and 11 Action Grants. 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.
“This grant funding represents support for a mixture of new projects and ongoing, important work,” said Carin Berkowitz, Ph.D., executive director of NJCH. “In that way, it mirrors the fundamental purpose of the humanities, examining our history and culture in ways that shape our current understanding of the world.”
The New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund recently awarded $664,500 in grants to 30 nonprofits statewide.
Since its founding in 2020, the fund has awarded more than $7.4 million to more than 200 organizations across New Jersey. The fund, hosted by the Princeton Area Community Foundation, aims to offer critical grant dollars for many of the state’s smaller nonprofit organizations in the arts, culture and historical sectors.
The most recent grants were awarded in two phases. Eleven nonprofits received grants from the Fund for the first time, and for the first time, one round of grants was dedicated to history organizations.
Sharnita Johnson, VP of strategy, impact and communications at the Victoria Foundation and co-chair of the fund, explained it this way.
“The New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund directly addresses disparities in funding that were present before the pandemic and have increased in its aftermath,” she said. “The smaller cultural organizations supported by the New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund serve multiple functions in their communities. They are important anchors central to community wellbeing and quality of life in the areas they serve.”
The Provident Bank Foundation on Monday announced the Major Grant recipients for its first cycle of 2023. The foundation awarded $291,000 of total funding to 26 nonprofit organizations within the foundation’s three priority areas of Community Enrichment, Education and Health, and Youth and Families.
Major Grants awarded in this cycle range from $7,500 to $20,000 per grant and will provide funding for organizations across New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania communities served by Provident Bank. They will be automatically renewed and funded again in 2024 as the Provident Bank Foundation embarks on a full-scale operational refresh in the new year.
“The recipients of the 2023 Major Grants exemplify how quality of life in our communities can be improved in ways that create real and life-changing transformations,” Samantha Plotino, executive director of the Provident Bank Foundation, said. “We’re very excited to see the positive effects that these grants will have on the organizations that receive them.”