Articles

‘Be Jersey Strong’ Reports on Progress

May 17, 2016 Our friends at Be Jersey Strong, whose executive director we honored as a Young Changemaker in 2015, this month reported on their progress to date – and the numbers tell a compelling story. According to Executive Director Aakash Shah: During this past open enrollment, Be Jersey Strong recruited over 500 students – two-thirds of whom spoke a second language with over 50 languages represented between them all – to help over 12,000 of their friends, families, and neighbors learn more about their options for coverage.…

Field Trip Endowment Sends Elizabeth Students to Zimmerli Art Musem

May 12, 2016 In April, Pre-K students from the Frances C. Smith School #50 in Elizabeth attended a storytelling festival at a place they might not have ever visited otherwise, the Zimmerli Art Museum in New Brunswick. The visit was made possible with a $700 grant from Field Trip New Jersey, an endowment launched by the Community Foundation of New Jersey and Geraldine R.…

Bequest Changes San Antonio’s Future

When John Santikos decided to leave the bulk of his estate to the San Antonio Area Foundation, the region’s school students, senior citizens, victims of domestic abuse, and families recovering from natural disasters had no idea they would soon have access to new and expanded services from countless invigorated nonprofits.…

Fundholders Recognized at Montclair Performance

May 3, 2016 Tom and Lucy Ott have long had a passion for music therapy, which is why they use their donor advised fund at the Community Foundation to support the music therapy program at Montclair State University’s John J.Cali School of Music.…

Newark’s First Giving Day is May 3rd

May 2, 2016 Have you heard? On May 3rd, all New Jerseyans are invited to come together and support local initiatives in our state’s largest city. It’s Newark’s first Day of Giving, and an opportunity to collectively shape Newark’s future. Our friends and partners at Newark Celebration 350 – the year-long jubilee of events and festivities commemorating the 350th anniversary of Newark’s founding – have identified five important legacy projects that will have a positive impact on Newark for generations to come.…

Branch Brook Park Alliance Fund

A Legacy Program of Branch Brook Park Alliance   To donate to the Branch Brook Park Alliance Fund, please click here.                                                     Photo credit: Joseph A.…

Community Foundation Supporting Legal Representation for Unaccompanied Minors

Latest Changemaker Project Offers Opportunity for Fundholders April 15, 2016 The crush of unaccompanied children at the United States’ Southern border may seem like a far-away problem, but it’s impact is being felt across New Jersey. More than five thousand of these children – from places like Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico that are facing pandemic violence – have come to New Jersey to stay with family or close friends and ultimately pick up the pieces of their lives.…

Morris Committee Funds Student Mural in Rockaway

April 13, 2016 Fifth grade students at the Dennis O’Brien Elementary School in Rockaway recently participated in an artist residency program with local artist Dan Fenelon. A grant from the Community Foundation’s Morris County Committee to our friends and partners at Morris Arts helped to make this project possible.…

New Giving Platform Launching April 20th

April 12, 2016 On Wednesday, April 20th we will be upgrading the platform on which you login to your fund to recommend grants. We think you will find the upgraded platform a lot more user-friendly. In addition to being able to review grant histories, check account balances, scan Changemaker Project giving opportunities, and make grants, you will also now have the ability to sort your past grants however you like, access investment options more easily, connect with like-minded fundholders in issue groups, and better understand the work of the Community Foundation and how it connects to your own philanthropic goals and priorities.…

Fundholder’s Mission: Elevating a Nation, One Man at a Time

April 11, 2016 In a nation founded on the equality of all men, African-Americans have faced countless roadblocks to realizing their full potential. From incarceration and unemployment rates, to teenage pregnancy and fatherlessness, African-Americans have for too long been near the bottom of nearly every measure of productivity and healthy living.…