The Fund for New Jersey has awarded $577,500 in grants to nine organizations, including public media, anti-poverty initiatives, civil rights and criminal justice reform, education, HIV/AIDS prevention, and non-profit advocacy. The awards were approved at the December meeting of the Fund’s board of trustees.

NJ Spotlight received a $100,000 general operating grant to support in-depth public policy and news analysis, and New Jersey Public Radio received a $65,000 program grant to educate the public about policy issues affecting New Jersey.

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey received $85,000 to advance racial justice, with an emphasis on criminal justice reform, equitable marijuana legalization, and the protection of immigrant rights and voting rights.

A $40,000 program grant was awarded to the Rutgers Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic to advance parole and sentencing reforms and improve confinement conditions for New Jersey’s incarcerated youth, in coordination with the Youth Justice New Jersey Decarceration campaign.

A $37,500 operating grant was awarded to the Save Our Schools New Jersey Community Organizing to protect and improve New Jersey’s public schools by advocating for fair school funding, charter school accountability, the improved use of standardized testing, and community schools.

A $75,000 operating grant was awarded to the New Jersey Coalition for Diverse and Inclusive Schools, Inc. to address segregation in New Jersey’s public schools through community organizing.

A $25,000 general operating grant was awarded to the Center for Non-Profits to promote a robust non-profit sector by protecting nonprofits from federal policy threats and advancing state policies to strengthen the sector.

The Hyacinth AIDS Foundation received a $25,000 program grant to to advance policies to ensure that those living with HIV/AIDS in New Jersey have access to necessary services and to reduce rates of HIV/AIDS infection in New Jersey.

New Jersey Policy Perspective was awarded a $125,000 general operating grant to to promote investment and opportunity in New Jersey.

“The Fund for New Jersey is proud to support these fine organizations working on important issues including efforts to reform the juvenile and criminal justice systems, expand high-quality journalism, promote opportunity and public investment, address school segregation, and prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in the state,” said Kiki Jamieson, president of The Fund for New Jersey.

The Fund for New Jersey works to improve the quality of public policy decision-making on the most significant issues affecting the people of New Jersey and the region. Jamieson said the Fund for New Jersey’s board of trustees  has also committed up to $100,000 to support the Census 2020 count for New Jersey.

In 2010, the statewide net undercount was an estimated 31,000 residents, with hard-to-count communities such as immigrants, Native Americans, children under 5, people living in multi-family housing, non-native English speakers, and people who are homeless disproportionately undercounted, Jamieson said.

“The Census is an essential policy tool, which government depends on to allocate resources, draw legislative districts and to direct spending,” Jamieson said. “Most of what we know about U.S. demographics comes from the Census, and academics, nonprofits, and businesses rely on it to inform and direct their work. The Fund for New Jersey welcomes other grant makers, government partners, businesses, and community-based organizations to work together to support a complete count of all New Jerseyans for the 2020 Census.”