History

In 1988, Florence Schumann and her children created the Schumann Fund for New Jersey to continue to lifelong philanthropy of Mrs. Schumann and her husband, John. The Schumann Fund for New Jersey traces its roots to the Florence and John Schumann Foundation.

Florence Ford and John Schumann settled in Montclair soon after they married in 1917. During their forty-seven-year marriage, they amassed a considerable fortune, combining inherited wealth from Florence Ford’s father, one of the founders of the IBM Corporation, with John Schumann’s business success, which culminated with his presidency of the General Motors Acceptance Corporation. Committed to sharing their good fortune with their community, Mr. and Mrs. Schumann gave their time and money to local charities. In 1961, they set up a private foundation – The Florence and John Schumann Foundation – to formalize their philanthropy and to ensure that it would continue after their deaths. The foundation’s first grants went to Mountainside Hospital and much of its early work focused on health and education in the Montclair area.
In the years following John Schumann’s death in 1964, the Schumann children brought a few trusted friends into the Foundation, along with professional management. The trustees added a third area of funding, community development, to support organizations in New Jersey’s cities that work to reverse the social consequences of racism, poverty, and deprivation. Most of these grants went to organizations within Essex County, continuing a commitment to the community in which the Schumanns lived.

During the 1980’s the Foundation widened its scope to include international relations and public policy as key issues, while still retaining a significant focus on social services and community development in Essex County. These disparate missions called for separate selection and evaluation processes, and in 1988, Mrs. Schumann and her children created the Schumann Fund for New Jersey to carry on the philanthropic tradition of Florence and John Schumann.

The Foundation then moved completely into the national area. Family members continued their involvement with the Florence and John Schumann Foundation, now reconstituted as the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy.

A separate board of New Jerseyans serves as trustees of the Schumann Fund for New Jersey. That board has designated early childhood, social service delivery within Essex County, and advancement of systemic reform in the delivery of social and educational services through policy analysis and advocacy as grantmaking priorities of the fund.

Mission

The Schumann Fund for New Jersey is committed to advancing ideas and opportunities to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families. We invest in local organizations focused on strengthening families and that provide them with the supports and opportunities they need to succeed. We also support organizations and programs that address the issues of racial and economic inequity that exacerbate the problems poor families face.