Giving is our job, and we work hard to do it well. But it’s probably not your full-time job, so no matter how generous your holiday spirit may be, it can be pretty daunting to know how or who to donate to. This is why we've created a user-friendly device to help you learn about some of the most respected nonprofits in New Jersey, and quickly and easily donate to them.
The Citizens Campaign puts power in people’s hands. Most of us see the problems in our communities and want to make things better but we’re not mayors, legislators or politicians and we don’t always know how to get things done. That’s where The Citizens Campaign comes in. They train people to become leaders and work with their fellow citizens to find solutions that benefit their communities. Many individuals have been successful in getting laws passed because they’ve learned how to develop these laws and present them to the governing body of their towns. And this training is provided free of charge to all. So please support The Citizens Campaign and you, too, can learn to become a citizen legislator, journalist or innovator in your hometown and help make all of New Jersey a better place to live.
Isles fosters a sense of community, of making something with your own hands, of belonging to a group that is working to make the Trenton region a better, more beautiful place to live. Their work touches all parts of community life: they turn vacant lots and underutilized spaces into gardens and parks, they restore run-down homes, train community members of the community and prepare them for green jobs and provide a school for students who have dropped out. They accomplish this by giving people skills and opportunities to become leaders in their neighborhoods, to have a voice and be powerful. Support Isles to help them support the people of Trenton.
Sustainable Jersey was founded to "make a better tomorrow, one community at a time." And it’s working. In just five years, Sustainable Jersey has attracted 417 of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities to participate in its programs. Sustainable Jersey embraces a community-led process designed to enable towns to make informed decisions about the issues unique to their communities. Whether flooding, creating safer routes to schools, or preparing for the next Hurricane Sandy is a concern, Sustainable Jersey has the tools to help your town get started. Chances are your town is already a Sustainable Jersey town. Your donation to Sustainable Jersey helps them provide valuable expertise and money-saving tools to communities across the state.
Have you ever seen the look on a child’s face when they eat a cherry tomato straight from the vine for the first time? The initial look of surprise — eyebrows raised, eyes crinkled — turns to wide smiles of joy quickly as the sun-warmed tomato pops and releases its tart sweetness. That moment is what Grow It Green Morristown is all about. Its gardens in the heart of bustling Morristown are places of communal discovery, green refuges where all are welcome to pick up a shovel and learn where food comes from. In just five years, this organization has become absolutely integral to Morristown. Beyond affecting the lives of more than thousands of students and their families through school visits and farmstand sales, they also supply local food pantries with fresh produce. They are growing more than vegetables, they are growing community. Please show your support for this organization.
The NJ Tree Foundation transforms neighborhoods from concrete corridors to lush, green oases with one elegantly simple idea: bringing residents together to plant trees and make their communities beautiful. In 17 years, the organization has planted more than 200,000 trees in cities that need them most, including Asbury Park, Newark and Camden. Last year alone, 7,340 volunteers contributed 17,487 hours to planting and maintaining trees. And that’s not all. The Tree Foundation offers statewide landscaping and tree planting services, fruit tree plantings and green infrastructure development. If you’ve ever admired the simple beauty of a tree in your neighborhood, please support this organization.
Green Faith believes that “protecting the earth is a religious value, and that environmental stewardship is a moral responsibility.” Like the certification programs of Sustainable Jersey (you can find them in this Guide, too), GreenFaith encourages houses of worship — of all faiths — across the state to become sustainability leaders. It has helped religious groups cut energy use, costs and carbon footprints through its energy audit and green purchasing programs. And it recognizes that one of the most powerful ways to make an impact is to connect congregations with the spirituality of the natural world through environmentally themed worship services, religious education and spiritual practices. These steps may seem small alone – but together they are vital in helping to redeem this planet. Your donation will help GreenFaith reach more of New Jersey’s 7,000 faith-based institutions.
Baykeeper is the voice of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, the system of bays and rivers where the Hudson, Hackensack, Passaic, Rahway, and Raritan rivers meet the Atlantic Ocean. Despite a long history of industrial pollution, today it is home to clams, oysters, egrets, blue herons, and increasingly is becoming a favorite place for boaters and kayakers to explore. That’s because of the work of the Baykeeper, who, in addition to stopping polluters and restoring oyster habitat, has helped preserve more than 2,500 acres of open space in the Harbor Estuary, opening up public access to this wet wilderness. If you want to see this progress continue, your support is important now more than ever.
If there ever were a sea creature deserving of a community service award, it is the oyster. Oysters do the dirty work of filtering toxins from our beloved oceans and bays, making them safe and clean not only for our enjoyment but to the benefit of the entire shore ecosystem. The oysters that call the Delaware Bayshore home is what Project PORTS, a community outreach program of the Haskin Shellfish Research Lab, is all about. The PORTS program connects children and adults with the scientists of the lab, and engages the community in oyster habitat restoration in the Bayshore, as an important strategy for improving water quality, fisheries, and tourism. Support for Project PORTS helps oysters, our oceans and builds a stewardship ethic in the Bayshore.
The New Jersey Highlands is a patchwork of preserved farms, quaint hamlets and bustling city centers dotted with large swaths of forest, lakes and clear-running rivers and streams. But did you know that these natural landscapes are also the sources of the drinking water for more than 5 million New Jersey residents? Probably the water in your house, too. Without the hard work of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition — a network of individuals and organizations committed to protecting the land and water within the Highlands region — we wouldn’t have access to high-quality drinking water straight from our faucets. If it is important to you that your drinking water remains clean and plentiful, the Highlands Coalition is an important group to support.
The Northeast Organic Farming Association is training the next generation of farmers, helping to keep New Jersey’s farming heritage alive and thriving. Which, in turn, means that we will continue to have access to fresh foods being grown by farmers and their families right here in our state. Young farmers receive mentorship, and more importantly support to get their businesses off the ground. The organization also hosts a popular food and agriculture conference, produces an annual guide to farms, restaurants and markets in NJ, and advocates for policies to improve the environmental, economic and social impacts of our food system. If you get a smile on your face when you think about the joy of tasting Jersey-grown tomatoes, corn or peaches, you can thank the farmers who grew them by making a donation today.
It wasn’t long ago that Hat City was just another neighborhood with a colorful history that had not yet reinvented itself from its manufacturing past. Today it’s the 15-square block Valley Arts District of Orange and West Orange — one of the top creative places in the state. At the center of this new energy is ValleyArts, an arts service organization that collaborates with nonprofit arts organizations, artists, and others in the community to help advance rather than displace community. A donation to ValleyArts is a vote in favor of more districts like this across New Jersey. It’s also a celebration of a place with a distinct history, sustainably re-imagined, as part of a just and beautiful city.
If you live in Monmouth County, or you have ever enjoyed arts and culture events while visiting the Jersey Shore, chances are you can thank Monmouth Arts for that. Their mission is simple: Enrich the community by inspiring and fostering the arts. That means supporting arts education, encouraging collaboration, giving grants to nonprofit arts organizations and community groups with arts programs, and supporting events — lots of them. Monmouth Arts funds more than 2,500 high-quality, inexpensive or free concerts, films, dance and theater productions, musicals, creative writing programs, art exhibitions, and arts education programs for over 700,000 children and adults throughout the region each year. Monmouth Arts is where community and arts connect. Support Monmouth Arts to keep the arts alive at the Jersey Shore.
Young Audiences believes that every child deserves an education rich in arts learning that nurtures creativity, promotes cultural awareness, and helps children develop critical thinking and 21st century learning skills. Each year Young Audiences’ professional teaching artists advance the education of more than 400,000 students in pre-k to 12th grade with workshops, residencies, assembly programs, field trips, family arts festivals and teacher professional development. Young Audiences serves over 700 schools across the state offering programs in every artform — visual, dance, music, theatre, digital media and language arts. Your donation will help Young Audiences reach more classrooms and children and enrich the cultural life of New Jersey’s communities.
ARTWORKS Trenton is more than a place to make art. Its downtown visual arts center brings art and community to life. Walk in, and you’ll meet Trenton residents and suburban residents alike, die-hard art fans, first-time art appreciators and professional and amateur artists as passionate about the arts as they are about building a better future for New Jersey’s capital city. ARTWORKS collaborates with a tapestry of Trenton organizations to promote artistic diversity, foster creativity and inspire the next generation of artists. Its classes, exhibitions and events make art accessible to all. If you believe the arts can save lives and transform a neglected city into a thriving community, please make a donation to ARTWORKS.
Performing jazz requires discipline, practice, and an incredible openness to let each note take you somewhere unknown. At Jazz House Kids, children learn not only to play instruments and perform a purely American art form but also to confidently improvise in their own lives. Thanks to the Montclair-based organization, more than 45,000 students from throughout New Jersey have performed before half a million people. In 2014, every Jazz House graduate went on to college, some with big merit scholarships at the best music schools and conservatories in the country. And Jazz House Kids offers opportunities to help curious teachers incorporate jazz into their classroom to foster an appreciation for jazz and boost student achievement. Your donation to Jazz House kids will help set a child down a path to a more creative and confident future.
Pink pointe shoes? Check. Countless hours in front of a mirror practicing graceful plies, meticulous twirls and exuberant leaps? Check. Gothic costumes and vampire fangs? Check. If it has been a while since you’ve been to the ballet, you should check out the Atlantic City Ballet, one of the Jersey Shore’s growing regional artistic jewels. Not only does the talented troupe of internationally acclaimed dancers bring to life classics like “The Nutcracker” and “Swan Lake,” but also a production of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” that would delight any “Twilight” fan today. Other performances feature live music by the Atlantic City Ballet Ensemble and the Garden State Philharmonic. Add to that their “Stages to School” and “Ballet on the Boardwalk” initiatives that bring innovative dance to new audiences in Atlantic City, and we’ve given you enough good reasons to support this organization.
Greater Newark Conservancy’s mission is to make New Jersey cities greener and healthier places to live by encouraging citizens to become good stewards of their environment. Conservancy staff roll up their sleeves alongside residents to plant trees, build community, create pocket parks, and educate about the issues affecting neighborhoods and community well-being. The Conservancy runs two urban farms totaling 3.5 acres in the heart of Newark; in 2014, those farms have produced more than 50,000 pounds of fresh produce that is sold at significantly reduced prices at youth-run farmstands around the City. More than 800 formerly incarcerated and at-risk young adults have helped green vacant lots and build and harvest those farms through the Conservancy's Clean and Green transitional jobs program. In addition, Greater Newark Conservancy works in urban public schools to educate school children about healthy eating and creates outdoor garden classrooms to teach about the environment with math, science and literacy. Please give now.
Do you believe a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world? So does Leadership Newark. Founded in 1998 to inspire a new generation of leaders in Newark, the organization offers two-year public policy fellowship to a class of 30 emerging and established leaders committeed to the betterment of the city. The fellowship is an experiential leadership development program, which offers a curriculum that includes taking part in site visits, keynote addresses, roundtable discussions and debates in the first year. In the second year, the Fellows are challenged to go out in the community and oversee a project that will create a lasting benefit for the City, bridge gaps in service and foster new partnerships. The individuals who graduate from Leadership Newark are pro-active, engaged leaders who are committed to a shared vision for the City. If you believe in Newark, New Jersey’s largest city, please support this organization.
Greater Life has been helping at-risk youth in Newark’s economically challenged South Ward break the cycle of poverty since 1986. Greater Life’s dedicated staff believe that with the right resources those children, teens and young adults facing some of the toughest obstacles in life — be it an unstable family life or the influence of gangs and drug culture — are just a helping hand away from a new beginning. In addition to offering youth a safe place to hang out, an after-school program designed to spark their creativity, a leadership institute to channel their entrepreneurial instincts; it provides mentorship, counseling and a family resource center to support to their parents and guardians. Thanks to this organization, more than 1,500 kids each year are more likely to become confident, invested in their communities, graduate high school, and go on to college or a job training program. Your donation to Greater Life will help even more Newark youth meet mentors, get homework help and go camping in the woods.
Sadie Nash Leadership Project works to strengthen, empower, and equip low-income young women as agents of change in their lives and the community. By increasing the participation of women in social, political, and economic decision-making, Sadie Nash seeks to question and redefine the nature of leadership and to promote perspectives and practices that are cooperative, accountable, ethical, and effective. Its programming includes a comprehensive six-week summer institute, partnerships with local schools, afterschool and Saturday classes, and an internship program with local organizations. Through these opportunities and the safe space that Sadie Nash provides, more than 100 young women each year have the opportunity to experience the transformative power of sisterhood and see themselves as leaders. Your donation to Sadie Nash will help to strengthen and expand enrichment opportunities for low income young women in Newark.
Bethany Cares is dedicated to inciting a passion for reading in Newark’s youth. Each day of the organization’s Freedom School, a six-week summer reading intensive, kicks off with a celebration designed to get kids excited to read. Lessons are designed to help under-performing children accelerate their learning and become proficient readers. Some of the teachers who guide this learning are former students themselves, creating a career ladder that provides them an outlet to give back. And parents play a key role in the program, as well, taking part in weekly sessions to reinforce the importance of reading outside the classroom. With your donation, you can bring the joy of reading to children in Newark this summer.
Did you know that fewer than 50 percent of the children in Newark live within walking distance of a safe park or playground? The Trust for Public Land is working to reclaim public land for everyone to enjoy as parks, gardens, natural areas and open space. It takes a decidedly community-driven approach to do so, bringing together teams of community members, students and school staff, and city officials to take part in all phases of the park development process: from visioning and design, to construction and long-term maintenance. That level of involvement creates community bonds and a love of place that leads to good stewardship. Parks are more than just pretty places to picnic and play, they reduce air pollution and remove flooding, attract visitors and businesses and increase property values. If you want to see more parks in Newark, please support this worthy program.