Program Priorities

The Schumann Fund for New Jersey is a tax-exempt, private foundation, incorporated as a corporation not for pecuniary profit under the laws of the State of New Jersey.

Schumann Fund program priorities fall into three categories:

• Early Childhood
  We support efforts to heighten the academic and social success of young children by supporting programs and policies that strengthen high-quality education and care to children from birth to eight-years old
• Essex County
  We support local direct-service programs directed at meeting the social and educational needs of vulnerable children, youth and families that have a lasting positive influence on their lives and the broader community.
• Public Policy
  We support efforts to engage the public in informed discussion of policy issues facing the State of New Jersey, particularly in the areas of education, racial and economic equity, and child welfare.

Special Considerations

In reviewing grant proposals the Schumann Fund gives special consideration to those that:

• Offer permanent and positive change in the way our society addresses social and educational services
• Demonstrate the capacity to make effective use of all available private and public resources for support
• Make genuine efforts to collaborate with other groups providing similar programs of services
• Indicate a considerable level of time and/or money contributed from the group to be served
• Describe a clear strategy for meeting objectives and an effective means of evaluating progress

Core Values

A set of core values support our mission and influence our decision-making:

• Honor for the legacy of Schumann philanthropy in the context of our direct-service grantmaking and identified priorities
• Respect for community and community voice – a belief that individuals and communities are to be valued, listened to, and supported
• Authentic relationship with community that embodies the belief in the resiliency of communities and support for residents’ ownership of activities that affect their lives
• Community empowerment and collaboration that reflect efforts to develop relationships and social capital that are responsive to and reflective of their own and the larger community’s needs
• A focus on racial and economic equity that are hallmarks of Schumann Fund philanthropy
• Demonstrated leadership with a willingness to tackle problems head-on with vision and determination