The Trustees of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation recently approved $4.4 million in 90 grants to arts, education, environment and media nonprofit organizations throughout New Jersey.
“We are pleased to support nonprofit organizations that are contributing in ways large and small to building more creative, sustainable and economically vibrant communities through innovative, collaborative efforts that engage and inform residents,” said Dodge President and CEO Chris Daggett.
This is the second of three grantmaking decisions this year at Dodge. The first round awarded $3.5 million in grants; the final round will be announced in December. Highlights of the grants in this round include:
ARTS
Forty-two grants totaling $1,903,500 were awarded to strengthen arts and cultural nonprofits that foster connections between people and art within their communities, inspire the next generation of artists and art, and add to New Jersey’s creative economy.
To advance creative placemaking projects in New Jersey’s cities, $100,000 was awarded to ArtPlace America, leveraging additional funding from the ArtPlace consortium of national arts funders. The combined funds were invested by ArtPlace America in two New Jersey projects: The Noyes Museum of Art, $150,000 to transform an underutilized alley near a popular shopping district in Atlantic City into a pedestrian walkway which showcases art and hosts musical performances; and Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, $475,000 to transform community gardens and other public spaces between two disconnected Camden waterfront neighborhoods into vibrant, art-filled spaces for the community to gather in at night.
Additional grants include: ArtPride ($150,000) for implementation of a new strategic plan and increased organizational capacity; New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in Newark ($100,000) for general operating support and education and community engagement programs; Passage Theatre in Trenton ($75,000) for continued support of mainstage productions, education programs and new play development; Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in Fort Lee ($50,000) for general operating support, including its domestic and international tours and the creation of new and collaborative works with musicians and visual artists; and Gallery Aferro in Newark ($30,000) for general operating support of its arts and artist program, arts partnerships in the city and expansion of their programming on Market Street. New grantees include Jersey City Childrens Theater ($10,000) to support its public performances and arts education classes; and Victory Hall in Jersey City ($7,500) to support its public programming and art exhibitions.
EDUCATION
Twenty-three grants totaling $850,000 were awarded to support education nonprofits that promote the transformative power of arts education to substantially improve children’s lives and academic outcomes, and prepare them for 21st century careers.
Grants were awarded to: Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania ($140,000) for its Creativity Incubator, which researches and develops creative and innovative methods of teaching and learning in school districts throughout the state; Rutgers Graduate School of Education($45,000) for the second year of the STEAM Consortium which supports arts and arts-integration training for teachers; Americans for the Arts ($20,000) to reinvigorate New Jersey’s arts education advocacy work through participation in a national group that will bring ideas for statewide advocacy and serve local school districts; and Alvin Ailey ($10,000) to support AileyCamp and AileyDance Kids residencies in four Newark schools. Three grants serve Trenton youth including: VH1 ($30,000) to provide access to instrumental music education programs in two Trenton Public Schools; Trenton Community Music School ($30,000) for their Music for the Very Young program; and Trenton Children’s Chorus ($20,000) to provide choral music education and performance opportunities for Trenton children.
ENVIRONMENT
Seventeen grants totaling $1,170,000 were awarded to nonprofit organizations striving to achieve ecosystem resilience and sustainable communities in New Jersey, with a focus on efforts which protect and restore natural systems that support clean water and healthy watersheds, green urban communities and local food systems.
A $370,000 grant to Sustainable Jersey was awarded to support this municipal certification program as it continues to grow and strengthen its core priority of serving municipalities through voluntary, citizen-led actions, and to expand its reach in schools and communities, including the launch of a new Green Team Leadership Academy.
Additional grants include: Isles in Trenton ($75,000) for program support for its community-based urban agriculture, planning and greening programs; NY/NJ Baykeeper ($75,000) for general operating support of advocacy, outreach and demonstration projects that support a healthy Hudson-Raritan Estuary; New Jersey Highlands Coalition ($50,000) for general operating support of programs and advocacy to educate and uphold the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act; and Hamilton Partnership for Paterson ($25,000) for general operating support to assist and inform the completion of the National Park Service’s master plan for the Paterson Great Falls.
MEDIA
Four grants totaling $370,000 will help provide high-quality, New Jersey-focused news and information across multiple platforms, and help foster civic participation in issues of importance to New Jersey.
Grants were awarded to: WFMU ($200,000) for continued development of the Audience Engine, an online, open-source publishing system designed to facilitate sharing across media with unique built-in fundraising and community engagement tools; ProPublica ($100,000) for continued support of their investigative reporting in the public interest and of their efforts to strengthen emerging partnerships with the New Jersey news ecosystem; Citizens Campaign ($50,000) for support of an advanced citizen journalism training program and community collaboration initiatives; and Rutgers Department of Journalism & Media Studies ($20,000) for a community journalism demonstration project bringing Rutgers journalism students, local New Brunswick nonprofits and community members together around issues of poverty and inequality.
MORRISTOWN AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
In the Dodge Foundation’s hometown of Morristown, a $75,000 grant to the Morristown Neighborhood House was awarded for continued support of its community youth enrichment and arts programs for local residents.
Additionally, Dodge made Technical Assistance grants to: Leadership Newark ($20,000) for continued support of this two-year public policy enrichment training fellowship for established and emerging leaders in Newark; Pro Bono Partnership ($25,000) to support the organization’s New Jersey office in providing free, high quality legal support and services to nonprofit organizations; and New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts ($20,000) for general operating support of its programs, pro bono legal representation for arts organizations and performing and visual artists, and other legal services.
Visit the Dodge Foundation's easy-to-use, searchable grants database, which lists all grants since 2008.
