News

Donating at year’s end? Keep these dates in mind.

For the Community Foundation of New Jersey, year-end is an intense period in which we facilitate a huge volume of grants from our very generous fundholders to the causes and charities they care about. To make this process run smoothly, we’d like to remind you of the following: If you need a grant made by December 31st of this year, we kindly ask you to initiate that grant by December 23rd.…

The CARES Act and Community: Three 2020 Upsides

Silver linings are hard to find this year, but it’s worth remembering that the CARES Act created important opportunities to increase giving to charitable causes. Keep these three tools in mind as you considering your year-end tax planning: Even for taxpayers who take the standard deduction, a reduction in adjusted gross income is available for charitable contributions up to $300 per taxpayer.…

James Moody Scholarship

James Moody felt that education was the key to everything, by providing opportunities for a better future. The James Moody Jazz Scholarship for New Jersey, is a $5,000 award, offered annually to an outstanding high school senior who embodies some of the qualities expressed by the NEA Jazz Master through his life and works: musicianship, creativity, leadership and community involvement.…

Impact 100 Garden State to host virtual panel on hunger in our communities

As the holidays approach, food drives remind the community that local families are struggling to afford meals. This year, however, the need is more acute than ever. In fact, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey has reported that the number of New Jerseyans struggling with hunger is projected to rise by 56% as a direct result of COVID-19, with every county in the state seeing a rise in food insecurity—including counties in northern New Jersey.…

Michael Hodinar Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Michael Hodinar Memorial Scholarship Fund honors the legacy of Michael Hodinar, a Czech-born graduate of Fort Lee High School. Michael was a kind and generous person who never forgot the struggles experienced by young people and the particular hardships encountered by immigrants and students of limited financial means.…

Impact 100 Garden State Seeks Women Who Make a Difference

Impact 100 Garden State is recruiting new members who want to use the power of collective giving to change lives. Impact 100 Garden State, an all-woman organization dedicated to collective giving, is expanding its 2021 membership drive with a series of virtual “Meet & Mingle” events.…

Consider changes to tax laws when giving at year-end

It’s that time of year when Americans start thinking about their year-end charitable giving. But in a year when so much was turned upside down, what changes are we seeing in philanthropy? We highlight a few changes to tax planning below, and include important information on two increasingly popular ways to work with the Community Foundation.…

Friends of West Side High School

The West Side High School Alumni Association supports a variety of initiatives to strengthen and support the students at West Side in Newark, NJ. In addition to a large-scale mentoring program, ongoing volunteer opportunities for community members to give back and the laundry program for students to wash their clothes, the association funds the Lights On Program which provides a safe place for students on Friday nights during the school year and three times weekly during the summer months.…

Designing Your Philanthropic Legacy

Crafting a charitable legacy can be both a challenging and a rewarding process. It is a unique opportunity to remember your family and preserve your impact on a cause or community for generations. The Community Foundation’s sole responsibility and fiduciary duty is to steward the legacy grantmaking prudently and in-line with your intent—as you’ve designed it.…

Leveraging private sector philanthropy for community benefit

CFNJ offers a home for private philanthropic investment in New Jersey and its communities. Working together with the public sector, foundations, corporations, and philanthropic individuals, CFNJ offers a turnkey solution for implementing civic efforts. As the leading philanthropic fiduciary focused on all New Jersey communities, CFNJ is uniquely positioned to address our state’s emerging challenges, support innovative solutions, and administer philanthropy in a targeted, results-driven, and cost-effective way.…