Your Community Impact
NJ Strong Fund: Summary Report
In response to the federal funding crisis that many of the more than 41,000 nonprofits are experiencing across the state, CFNJ collaborated with generous fundholders and partners to create the NJ Strong: Emergency Fund in May. The aim of the $1 million fund is to provide a safety net, help nonprofits weather the current federal funding crisis, and minimize service disruptions in our communities.
To date, 80 organizations in total have applied for a NJ Strong grant. These nonprofits report that they have lost more than $35 million in federal funding so far. They’ve also shared that these losses have negatively impacted their ability to:
- Sustain critical programming
- Distribute emergency support
- Serve working families, older adults on fixed incomes, or single parents with young children
- Help residents recover from crises
- Cover staff salaries
With the help of our partners, we’ve provided a safety net for 22 human services organizations that received grants totaling over $900,000. These nonprofits focus on community health, food and nutrition, housing, violence prevention and survivor assistance, and more.
However, the federal funding crisis among nonprofits endures as they face continual funding freezes and terminations of existing federal contracts. And there are 50 applications totaling more than $2.2 million that we wish we could’ve funded.
While the NJ Strong grant application is currently closed, we are exploring opportunities to collaborate with other foundations and funding partners to support New Jersey’s nonprofit sector. Our next steps depend on the ramifications of additional federal cuts and expected state budget cuts that we will learn more about in the coming months.
Learn more: Local Partnerships | Creative Collaborations