Foundation Presents First Legacy Grant Awards to Four Organizations to Foster Collaboration in Communities
(Hackensack, New Jersey; February 3, 2022) -- The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF) launched and announced the first awards of its Legacy Grants Program.
These four nonprofit organizations in New Jersey received awards of $2,500 each: CivicStory in Summit, Creative Placemaking Communities in South Orange, Hackensack Riverkeeper in Hackensack, and Network for Responsible Public Policy (NFRPP) in Ridgewood.
The NNJCF is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Hackensack, New Jersey. This regional resource improves community life through its work in these six priority areas: the arts, civic engagement, education, the environment, philanthropy, and public health.
Legacy Grants Program Promotes Collaboration
The new Legacy Grants Program expands the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation's mission to bring people and organizations together to address pressing issues and needs in northern New Jersey. "The Legacy Grants Program supports organizations fostering collaboration in their communities. With these awards, the recipients will promote creativity, civic engagement, and environmental resiliency in their daily work," said Michael Shannon, President, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.
Nonprofit partners with a longstanding track record promoting NNJCF’s priority areas received the grant awards to support their general operations. Grantees were selected based on their existing relationship with NNJCF and their ability to leverage a small grant for a broader impact.
The grant awards provide support for the organizations to carry out their missions. CivicStory, a solutions-based news site, focuses on environmental health, justice, and sustainability. Creative Placemaking Communities works to help creative placemakers lead and achieve; inspire new and better partnerships, projects, programs and policies; support those who strengthen communities through local arts and culture; connect creative placemakers to opportunities and resources; and build lasting communities of practice. Hackensack Riverkeeper, a defender of the Public Trust resources of the Hackensack River Watershed, accomplishes its mission through environmental action, advocacy, education and litigation for the people and wildlife that depend on the river and its watershed for life. NFRPP has a mission to foster a vibrant democracy by providing stories with authoritative information and forums for debate on public policy issues.
About NNJCF
Founded in 1998, the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF), a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Hackensack, New Jersey, focuses primarily on civic engagement, education, public health, the environment, philanthropy, and the arts. The NNJCF works with local governments, school districts, businesses, non-profit organizations, and citizen groups in Northern New Jersey to improve community life. The Foundation's partners identify and resolve regional problems and opportunities by talking and learning from each other and sharing ideas, best practices, services, and resources.
For more information, visit www.nnjcf.org, send an email to nnjcf@nnjcf.org, or call (201) 568-5608. Follow the NNJCF on Facebook at Northern NJ Community Foundation/ArtsBergen and Twitter @NNJCF.
Photo Caption: Creative Placemaking Communities creates new leaders in creative placemaking at the 2018 Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit.
Photo Credit: Ivan Schustak, South Arts.