Community Foundation of New Jersey

06/16/2026

06/16/2026

The talk, honoring America 250, is free.

06/11/2026

We’re debuting a Q&A series — “Giving Questions” — which will feature conversations on philanthropy between CFNJ’s President, Hans Dekker, and a special guest. These conversations will highlight issues that are top of mind in the philanthropic community, explore trends and challenges, and offer a range of perspectives about giving.

Our first Q&A features Aaron Turner, our Chief Philanthropic Officer, who shares her thoughts on the instability that’s happening in the nonprofit community due, in part, to federal and state funding freezes.

She also discusses which nonprofit areas are seeing the greatest collapse in funding and how CFNJ and its partners are ensuring that more dollars are reaching communities.

Read the Q&A: https://cfnj.org/news/understanding-how-the-federal-and-state-funding-crisis-impacts-njs-nonprofits/

06/08/2026

📢Funding Alert!

The RSI Foundation has open grant opportunities for organizations, projects, and initiatives that contribute to the well-being of Rahway, as well as surrounding communities in Union and upper Middlesex counties.

Since 2022, RSI has awarded $976,722 in funding to support clinics and medical screenings, education scholarships, food pantry services, housing, theater and arts programs, and more.

To apply, take note of the access code below, create an account in CFNJ’s online portal, and enter the access code in the search bar.

▪️ Grant amount: Awards range between $2,500 – $25,000 (larger or smaller grant amounts may be considered based on available funding)
▪️ Access code: RSI26

The deadline to apply is July 20. Be sure to share this funding opportunity with your network!

🔗Apply now: https://cfnj.org/find-grants/
📖Read more: https://cfnj.org/rsi/

06/02/2026

What’s the most reliable path to career success for high school graduates? Many would argue that earning a degree from a four-year university is the way to go.

But the average cost of college is more than $150,000 in total according to the Education Data Initiative, and the average federal student loan debt is over $38,000 for graduates who will likely take decades to pay it off.

Nowadays, spending tens of thousands of dollars on a degree is simply no longer prudent for many young New Jerseyans who can’t afford the debt nor step away from supporting themselves or their families full time.

On the flipside, the trades — hands-on, technical positions in carpentry, medical technology, plumbing, IT, and other industries — increasingly lack skilled workers as the baby boomer generation retires.

For young adults seeking good-paying jobs and employers searching for prepared workers to fill our state’s middle-skill workforce gap, a different approach may now be in order according to our guests in our newest Jersey Gives A Damn! episode.

Tune into our conversation with Dr. Cory Homer, President of Sussex County Community College, and Onna Jones, the Kensington Site Director from Hopeworks, as they explain how workforce development programming can be a solution that benefits both young people and employers across our state.

Listen: https://cfnj.org/jerseygivesadamn/



📸: Pexels

06/02/2026

Have you registered for our Movement Building Call to Collaboration yet? Don't miss this FREE two-day convening with changemakers from all throughout New Jersey as we discuss the Central Question "How do we work together across New Jersey in ways that build real accountability and care, support movement workers so they’re not burned out or isolated, and use popular education to grow shared understanding and power?"

You're not going to want to miss the community-driven conversations that take place! Head to bit.ly/GGMBC2C26 and register now! Already registered? Extend the invitation to your network!

05/20/2026

We’re celebrating one of our partners, the The Ruth Gottscho Kidney Foundation (RGKF), on successfully achieving the $1 million goal for its endowment fundraising campaign!

This campaign secures the future of a program that makes the dream of sleep-away summer camp a reality for children with kidney disease.

The camp is the only one of its kind that mainstreams children with kidney disease with healthy campers, and its program has brought hope and joy to 2,000 kids and their families for more than 50 years.

Congratulations to the RGKF, and we echo Judy’s message of gratitude to all of the donors who supported the campaign.

To learn more, visit: https://cfnj.org/gottscho-kidney/.

04/27/2026