Newark nonprofit fund expands $405K resilience push

The Newark Nonprofit Leadership Resilience Fund is rolling out a new capacity-building series and publishing its Year One report as it deepens a $405,000 investment in Newark’s nonprofit sector. The fund’s nonprofit-majority governance model is designed to give local leaders more control over how philanthropic dollars are used.

Why it matters: - Newark nonprofit leaders are helping decide how philanthropic resources are invested in leadership and organizational resilience. - The fund’s first-year work combines governance, training and grant support for organizations facing financial and operational pressure. - The effort addresses a sector-wide stability problem. The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s State of Nonprofits 2026 found that 66 percent of nonprofit CEOs surveyed were concerned about financial stability.

What happened: - The Newark Nonprofit Leadership Resilience Fund released its Year One report, The Fund That Newark Built, and expanded its capacity-strengthening investments across Newark’s nonprofit sector. - The fund launched a $285,000 Board Transformation Community of Practice with 12 Newark nonprofit organizations. - The fund also created a $120,000 catalytic implementation grant pool. - The first phase of the work started in late 2023, when leaders began shaping the fund’s approach. - In March 2025, the decision was made to create a dedicated fund focused on nonprofit leadership and organizational resilience in Newark. - In March 2026, BoardSource led six listening sessions with 46 Newark nonprofit leaders. - The sessions included 28 executive directors and CEOs and 18 board members.

The details: - The listening sessions identified board governance as the first priority and reinforced the need for sustained support beyond one-time training. - The Board Transformation Community of Practice combines BoardSource governance training, consulting and cohort learning through the Nonprofit Professionals of Color Collective, and board development through Leadership Newark. - NNLRF was built with Newark’s nonprofit sector rather than around a preset menu of programs. - Five nonprofit leaders hold the majority of seats on the nine-member Governance Committee. - Those leaders share authority over strategy, selection and investment priorities. - Sharnita C. Johnson, vice president of strategy, impact and communications at Victoria Foundation and a Governance Committee member, said shared governance means nonprofit leaders help determine what the fund invests in and how those investments respond to what organizations are experiencing. - The fund is supported by the Community Foundation of New Jersey, Prudential Foundation, Schumann Fund for New Jersey, The Henry S. & Agnes M. Truzack Foundation and Victoria Foundation. - Willow Bees Group serves as fund administrator. - The fund’s website is here. - The Year One report is available here. - The fund’s LinkedIn page is here.

Between the lines: - NNLRF is using shared governance as a way to move beyond traditional philanthropy, where community input often comes after decisions are already made. - The structure gives Newark nonprofit leaders direct influence over priorities, which may improve buy-in and make support more relevant to day-to-day organizational needs. - The focus on board governance suggests the fund sees leadership capacity, not just money, as a leverage point for resilience.

What’s next: - NNLRF is launching Resilience in Practice, a three-part capacity-strengthening series for Newark’s nonprofit ecosystem. - The first session, Financial Resilience, is scheduled for Friday, November 13, 2026, in partnership with BDO. - The half-day, in-person session is expected to draw about 75 to 100 nonprofit participants. - Registration costs $25 per participant. - The series will continue with People and Organizational Resilience on March 19, 2027. - The final session, Strategic Resilience and Adaptability, is set for June 4, 2027. - The fund is also inviting people to learn more about upcoming programs and resources and join its mailing list at NNLRF.