News

Education for Afghan Girls

In 2008, several local leaders became aware of the need to assist young Afghan women who have been denied an education in their own country with receiving a college education in the United States. These leaders came to CFNJ to establish a fund to help young women achieve their dreams of attending high school or college in the US.…

What was Mark Zuckerberg Thinking?

January 3, 2013 Mark Zuckerberg’s recent contribution to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation had some people wondering why he chose to make the gift to a community foundation instead of a private foundation.  Why didn’t he just establish the Mark Zuckerberg Foundation like so many billionaires before him?…

Todd Ouida Children’s Foundation Chairman & NJ Monthly Seeds of Hope Honoree Recognizes CFNJ

December 27, 2012 Herb Ouida, Chairman of the Todd Ouida Children’s Foundation, who was honored recently by the New Jersey Monthly Garden State Seeds of Hope program for the foundation’s work raising awareness about and promoting early intervention for childhood anxiety, issued the following statement: “We are honored by this recognition and gratified by the progress we have made as an organization; that progress would not have been possible without the support of the Community Foundation of New Jersey,” said Ouida. …

Fundholders’ Family Gives Back to the Community

John and Helen Durante established their fund to create opportunities for others to follow their dreams. Their daughter, Barbara Van Slooten, noted that her parents believed in giving back to the community. The son of Italian immigrants, John started a home building business when he returned home from World War II in 1946, and he became a successful builder in Bergen County.…

Fundholder Helps Students Find the Words to Succeed

Memorial High School in West New York has changed a lot since Jim Lynch graduated in 1948. But that hasn’t stopped him from giving back to his alma mater — and making a difference in the lives of its students. As chairman of the Community Foundation Scholarship Committee, Lynch has reviewed many scholarship applications from students at inner-city schools.…

Alternatives to Traditional Scholarships

The ways to support education are as dynamic as learning itself. The scholarships provided by the Community Foundation provide a good illustration of how donors can be creative in changing the lives of young people. The Community Foundation supplements its traditional scholarships by supporting alternative scholarships that encourage learning on many different levels.…

Fundholders Supporting Children in Foster Care

June 11, 2012 There are few things more memorable than a gift received as a child, be it a doll, a baseball — or a pair of new shoes. A Gift in Time, developed by Leo, Carole, Douglas, and Matthew Rogers through the Rogers Family Fund at the Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ), has strived to make this experience available to children in foster care across New Jersey.…

Education Makes a “Fearless Woman”

April 25, 2012 In 2008, when two local businessmen created the “Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund” (AGFAF) at the Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ), they thought they might change the life of the first young woman selected to attend college in the United States.…

From Little Seeds Grow Mighty Oaks

Bright students with high potential who attend inner-city schools can sometimes be lost in a system unable to accommodate their aspirations. The result is trapped potential and blocked opportunities. Through an intensive, fourteen month program, New Jersey SEEDS unlocks that potential and opens the doors of opportunity to independent secondary schools by preparing them to thrive in their new environment.…

Bestfoods Educational Foundation: Making a Difference

Bestfoods always valued education. Based in Englewood Cliffs since 1968, it made corporate contributions to educational institutions in New Jersey, and Bestfoods Educational Foundation (BEF) paid toward the continuing education of its employees and the college educations of their children. In 2001, when Bestfoods was acquired by Unilever, BEF came into considerably more money — and decided to shift its focus, to support only non-profit educational causes.…