In this Issue
- A Message from Our Executive Director and A Schumann Social
- New Partner, Deep Roots: Jared Boone Joins The Schumann Fund
- Q1-2025 Grant Awards total $369,500
- Grantee Spotlight on St. Benedict’s Preparatory School
- New Emergency Response Pooled Fund
- More than the Office: Lauren Nance’s New Role … with Reach
- Lucy Vandenberg Moderates Economic Justice Panel at 2025 CNJG Conference
A Message from Our Executive Director
On behalf of the Trustees and staff of Schumann Fund, I am thrilled to invite you to our annual Schumann Social on Friday, June 13. In these challenging times, the power of community is more important than ever. We welcome you to join us for a casual morning of connection, conversation, and support.
I’m also excited for you to meet our new Program Partner, Jared Boone, who will join us at the event (see Jared’s message below). Jared started with us in late April. He will work closely with grantee and community partners, guide the grantmaking process with care, and contribute to strategic collaborations and communications that advance Schumann Fund’s work across priority areas such as early childhood, education, and youth justice.
As we look ahead and build upon convenings, such as the Schumann Social, we’d love to hear from you about other ways we can support partnership and relationship-building among our non-profit and philanthropic community in Greater Newark and statewide.
We look forward to seeing many of you on June 13!
NEW PARTNER, DEEP ROOTS:
Jared Boone Joins Schumann Fund
I cannot be more excited to join Lucy, Lauren, our Board Chair Chris Daggett, and our Board of Trustees at Schumann Fund for New Jersey.
Growing up in the Clinton Hill section of the South Ward of Newark, I was raised to believe in the power of community, connectedness, and service. As a grandchild of the Great Migration, these ideals permeated my household. I witnessed their power every day through my neighbors, many of whom, like my grandparents, grew up in the Jim Crow South and found opportunities in Newark. As I matured, I knew I wanted to live a life which honors their legacies and amplifies the voices of those who are far too often marginalized and underserved. For nearly a decade, I did so as an educator at St. Benedict’s Prep – my high school alma mater and one of the Schumann Fund’s longest-standing grantee partners. Today, I am humbled to be a partner and resource for our grantees in Newark, Essex County, and across the State of New Jersey. I look forward to working with you all!
Q1-2025 GRANT AWARDS TOTAL $369,500
Grant awards totaling $369,500 were approved by Schumann Fund for New Jersey’s Board of Trustees at our March 2025 quarterly meeting.
Executive Director Lucy Vandenberg noted, “This quarter, Schumann Fund prioritized investment in pooled funds to support rapid response and capacity-building for non-profits in the Greater Newark area. We recognize that our non-profit community faces a time of increasing unpredictability and resource scarcity as federal funding freezes, cuts, and new policy restrictions take effect. While philanthropy cannot fill the gap, we recognize we have a role to play in providing flexible resources and coordinating with other funders to support our vital non-profit sector.”
To complement these investments, Schumann Fund Trustees also awarded grants to organizations focused on youth mental health in Newark, social service resources to support Newark’s immigrant children and families, supports for children and families involved in New Jersey’s child welfare system, and policies and leadership development in support of afterschool/out-of-school time for youth 5-12.
Read more about each of these organizations and their awards below.
Imagine: A Center for Coping with Loss received a $25,000 program grant for its trauma-informed peer grief support group for Newark youth. Mountainside, NJ
Newark Community Impact Fund (fiscally sponsored by Community Foundation of New Jersey)received a $10,000 grant toward a pooled fund to support public programs, learning opportunities, and community events sponsored by the Mayor’s Office and in support of community-based organizations. Newark, NJ
La Casa de Don Pedro received a $50,000 program grant for the new Newark Immigrant Resource Collaborative. Newark, NJ
Newark Nonprofit Leadership Fund (fiscally sponsored by Community Foundation of New Jersey)received the first installment of a multi-year program grant of $50,000 per year for three years ($150,000) for the Fund. Morristown, NJ
New Jersey Center for Nonprofits received a $10,000 operating grant with a focus on policy and public education. Mercerville, NJ
New Jersey Future received a $250,000 program grant for the Great Homes and Neighborhoods for All initiative. Trenton, NJ
New Jersey Sustainability and Resiliency Fund (fiscally sponsored by United Way of Gloucester County) received a $50,000 program grant for rapid response with a focus on Greater Newark. Thorofare, NJ
NJSACC: New Jersey’s Afterschool & OST Professional Network received a $35,000 operating grant for the Afterschool for All public policy campaign. Westfield, NJ
Raising Child Care Fund (RCCF) Early Childhood Funders Collaborative received an additional $2,500 grant to finalize the New Jersey landscape assessment of the ecosystem for child care, advocacy, and organizing. Boston, MA
Youth Development Clinic of Newark received a $27,000 program grant to provide mental health services in Newark schools. Newark, NJ
Child Focus received a $25,000 program grant for the NJ Safe Babies Court Team. Wayne, NJ
Legal Services of New Jersey received a $20,000 program grant for their Parent Ally Program. Edison, NJ
New Jersey Institute for Social Justice received the final $40,000 installment of a three-year grant. The operating grant was approved in March 2023 with a focus on their youth justice advocacy work. Newark, NJ
GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT:
St. Benedict’s Preparatory School
The world looked a lot different 44 years ago.
In May of 1981, the City of Newark was just over a decade removed from the ’67 uprising that made national headlines and ushered in a new era in the City’s storied history. In 1970, through the election of Kenneth A. Gibson, Newark became the first major city in the northeast to elect an African American to its mayoralty. Under his leadership, Newark charted a new way forward for American cities in the wake of significant population change and the mass exodus of community businesses and corporations that followed.
Yet, despite the challenges the city faced in its revitalization, there were some bedrock institutions who chose to stay and invest in the promise of Newark’s future.
One of those institutions was St. Benedict’s Preparatory School.
After closing in 1972, St. Benedict’s reopened a year later with the express purpose of serving and educating the children of Newark and its surrounding areas. By centering community building, experiential learning, and student-leadership development in the day-to-day operations of their school, St. Benedict’s forged a new pathway for urban education in the United States. At St. Benedict’s, students would be empowered to become leaders for their families and their city – and they would do so under the guidance of a dedicated community of monks, faculty, and SBP alumni. More than anything, however, St. Benedict’s exists to fulfill its highest purpose.
“Our task at 520 Martin Luther King Blvd is to be a sign of Faith.”
-Fr. Edwin Leahy O.S.B.
But St. Benedict’s hasn’t been alone in its commitment to Newark.
Beginning in 1961 through the generosity of Florence and John Schumann, the Schumann Fund for New Jersey (then known as the Florence and John Schumann Foundation) has continually advanced ideas and opportunities to empower low-income children, families, and communities of color in Essex County and the State of New Jersey, to thrive.
Recognizing the tremendous impact St. Benedict’s was having in the community, in February of 1981, the Schumann Fund granted St. Benedict’s $50,000 toward their development fund. This investment, anchored in a shared passion for the people of Newark, established a 44-year relationship between the two institutions – one of the longest-standing in the Schumann Fund’s history.
Today, through the Grossman Counseling Center, St. Benedict’s Prep strives to tend to the heart while developing the mind. The Center’s approach to counseling, which combines positive peer pressure with clinical services, empowers students to deal with problems such as fractured households, substance abuse, domestic violence, incarceration, sexual abuse, depression, anxiety, immigration issues, anger management, and behavioral issues. In 2024, the Center provided mental-health services for over 400 students.
While the world may have looked very different 44 years ago, it’s good to know that as much as things have changed, some things remain the same. St. Benedict’s Prep remains committed to the work it began in 1973 and has even expanded its impact through the addition of an elementary school and an all-girls prep school division. Likewise, the Schumann Fund continues to stand in steadfast support of all institutions working to empower our communities to thrive.
NEW EMERGENCY RESPONSE POOLED FUND
Schumann Fund is pleased to share this timely, new pooled fund created by Community Foundation for New Jersey for non-profits harmed by federal funding freezes and cuts. Check out this latest opportunity:
Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ) has partnered with generous CFNJ fundholders to create NJ Strong, a rapid response fund to help address federal funding freezes and terminations of existing contracts affecting New Jersey’s non-profit organizations. This fund aims to provide a safety net for nonprofits, help them weather this funding crisis, and minimize service disruptions in our communities. Read more about the NJ Strong: Emergency Fund here.
MORE THAN THE OFFICE: A ROLE WITH REACH
Re-envisioning the role of an office manager, Lauren Nance now serves as Schumann Fund for New Jersey’s Operations & Engagement Manager. In this capacity, Lauren will continue to manage the administrative and operational functions at Schumann while engaging with our Trustees, grantees, and fellow funders through governance functions, our communications platforms, meetings and events.
LUCY VANDENBERG MODERATES ECONOMIC JUSTICE PANEL AT
2025 CNJG CONFERENCE
Join Lucy and other leaders in the philanthropic and non-profit sectors on June 18 in Somerset for CNJG’s 2025 Conference for the Social Sector – Stronger Together: Philanthropy & Civic Engagement. During the morning sessions dedicated to conversations on the future of civic engagement, Lucy will moderate a panel on Innovating Economic Justice: New Jersey’s Guaranteed Income Collaborations. Learn more about the session and the conference here.
About Schumann Fund for New Jersey
Founded in 1988, Schumann Fund for New Jersey is a private foundation based in Montclair, NJ. It advances ideas and opportunities to empower low-income children, families, and communities of color to thrive. The foundation invests in non-profit organizations rooted in Essex County and statewide that work to advance racial and economic equity.