Quinn’s Corner Fund
Supporting safe havens for DV survivors and their pets
Quinn’s Corner Fund was inspired by Karen Lindemann’s abiding love for animals.
Our fundholder’s generous philanthropy has supported animal causes across the state for years. And when she was ready to plan her estate, Karen designed a charitable legacy with CFNJ that aims to ensure that domestic violence survivors and their companions have access to pet-inclusive shelters and services in all 21 New Jersey counties. We’ve dedicated ourselves to Karen’s mission since her untimely death.
Over the past two years, more than $5 million has been awarded to 30 grantee partners that provide supportive, pet-friendly programming and safe houses for survivors so they can remain together with their companions. Pet-inclusive crisis shelters are now available in seven counties, with more sanctuaries coming soon.
You can read about our work with our partner, the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence (NJCEDV), below or apply for a grant via our online portal. For guidance, review the sections on the application process and grant criteria. You can also contact Lydia Gracey at [email protected] with questions.
Our goal — a safe haven in every county
Survivors fleeing with their pets may face an impossible choice. With this grant opportunity, more New Jerseyans can make a safer one.
They will be able to afford a pet deposit at an apartment — or stay in a safe house with their entire family — rather than be forced to live in their car, stay with their abuser, or leave their pet behind.
This funding covers everything from vet bills and staff training to capital expenses and planning funds.
We’re proud to share that the counties of Ocean, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, and Warren offer pet-friendly access. Passaic and Union will build safe havens soon.
Karen’s gift keeps people and pets together
Karen adored and doted on her pets. She had a 150-pound dog who was devoted to her and nursed Quinn, her rescue cat, back to health after the pet became ill with feline leukemia.
This love for animals inspired her to connect with staff at 180 Turning Lives Around, a Monmouth County nonprofit that provides refuge to domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, because she understood two things.
Survivors couldn’t fully rebuild their lives if they had to choose between leaving their pet or saving themselves. She also knew that that no DV shelters had ever provided a safe house to both in New Jersey. But Karen was undeterred. She championed the need for a pet-friendly sanctuary so passionately to the organization’s Board of Trustees that the member who was most opposed to the idea became its staunchest advocate.
In 2019, 180 Turning Lives Around and Karen worked together to create the first safe house program for survivors and their pets in New Jersey. After her death, Karen’s legacy fund evolved to include a new purpose of ensuring greater access to pet-friendly shelters and services in all 21 counties.
Learn more: Press Release
News and blogs
Pet Advocate ‘Concierges’ Support DV Survivors & Their Pets in Healing
From Impossible to Possible: Quinn’s Corner Funding Expands Pet Accessibility Across NJ
A Call to Action for DV Nonprofits: ‘Leap and the Net Will Appear’
SAFE in Hunterdon: Keeping People & Pets Together
Promoting Safe Havens for DV Survivors & Grieving the Pet I Left Behind
Grant criteria
Quinn’s Corner is helping nonprofits to improve pet-accessibility across New Jersey by covering vet costs, pet advocate positions and training, pet supplies and pet deposits for apartments, and renovation expenses and planning needs. It also offers $5,000 Jumpstart Grants to directly support survivors and help organizations increase capacity.
These Jumpstart Grants can be used as:
- Emergency funds that support survivors and their pets (e.g., a pet deposit for a new apartment, temporary pet boarding, vet bills, pet food)
Please note that these grants can only be used for direct expenses to support survivors and their pets, not for staff or administrative costs.
- Planning funds to help an organization prepare for the future goal of housing pets on-site at a shelter
Funding cannot be used to support costs to adopt a new pet. It also cannot be used to provide direct cash assistance to survivors and their families. If you need assistance, you can contact the statewide domestic violence hotline at 1-800-572-7233 or visit NJCEDV’s website to find services in your county.
Please note that the planning funds category is a one-time grant. However, after expending all grant funding and submitting a report, organizations are welcome to apply for a second emergency funds grant.
Application process
To apply, use this link to create an account in CFNJ’s online portal and fill out the application. Please email [email protected] for the access code.
Applications will be reviewed and approved on a rolling basis. Organizations that receive a grant will be asked to submit a brief follow-up report in six months with details and stories of how the funding was utilized.
If you know about a project or initiative that would be a good fit for this fund, or are interested in other ways to get involved and support New Jersey’s DV shelters, contact Aaron Turner at [email protected] or Lisette Ortiz at [email protected].
Community impact
Since 2024, more than $5 million in total has been awarded to grantees across the state. In addition, 28 organizations serving survivors have received $160,000 in Jumpstart Grants. These emergency funds cover hotel stays, pet food, and more.
The total awarded also funds seven capacity-building grants and eight pet advocate positions. These advocates provide trauma-informed support for clients and assist organizations as they embrace pet accessibility.
Grantee stories
- The Baroness Consortium Social Welfare Initiative is using its funding to provide temporary emergency housing, pet deposits to secure stable housing for survivors and their companions, veterinary care and vaccinations, and pet supplies. These supplies include pet food, leashes, crates, and flea/tick prevention products.
- CPC Foundation is supporting survivors seeking emergency housing with its funding. One client worked for weeks with her counselors and found the strength and courage to begin anew after leaving an abusive situation. In addition to receiving treatment for a co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder, the survivor has been temporarily placed in a local pet-friendly hotel to stay with her cat until staff can find a long-term solution.
- JBWS, which is in the middle of a $4 million construction project to make its site pet inclusive by May 2027, received a $208,000 grant from the fund for a feasibility study before renovations began. The shelter’s kitchen will be expanded; a dining room, pet lounge, dog run space, and office for a pet advocate will be built; six new family rooms will be able to house survivors with their pets, along with the 12 the shelter currently has; and the new wing will be ADA compliant. Quinn’s Corner also awarded $1 million to JBWS to help fund the construction of a second shelter in Passaic County.
- SAFE in Hunterdon used funding from CFNJ, RedRover, and Greater Good Charities to completely remodel three bedrooms at its safehouse to support its clients with pets. The nonprofit is also helping to secure permanent housing for clients, including for a survivor who fled with her cat that recently gave birth — ensuring her three kittens opened their eyes for the first time in a safe and healthy environment.