Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ("DEI") Commitment
Impact100 Garden State is committed to embracing diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) as fundamental organizational values. We strive to seamlessly weave these values in every aspect of our organization.
We believe our voice is stronger, our decisions more informed, and our impact amplified when we bring together a diversity of people to participate in realizing our mission of engaging women in philanthropy and in providing transformational funds to organizations that reach the underserved in our communities.
Following the creation of a DEI Exploratory Committee in May 2020 to hold discussions on how our membership could be a better reflection of the communities that we serve and on how we could more intentionally ensure different viewpoints at the table when deciding where to give our grant dollars, a formal DEI Committee was established in April 2021. This led to representation on the Leadership Team to formalize our organization’s DEI commitment and journey ahead.
Impact100 Garden State pledges to do the hard work of looking inward with genuineness, listening to all who our organization touches, and seeking to become a truly inclusive and equitable organization to give all a true sense of belonging. In everything we do, we appreciate individuals and organizations that enrich our thinking and actions through their diverse perspectives and experiences.
We recognize that this process is ongoing. We will communicate regularly about this work on our website and in newsletters.
To learn more or to join our DEI Committee, please write to member@design-proposal.com.
Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ("DEI") Commitment
Impact100 Garden State is committed to embracing diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) as fundamental organizational values. We strive to seamlessly weave these values in every aspect of our organization.
We believe our voice is stronger, our decisions more informed, and our impact amplified when we bring together a diversity of people to participate in realizing our mission of engaging women in philanthropy and in providing transformational funds to organizations that reach the underserved in our communities.
Following the creation of a DEI Exploratory Committee in May 2020 to hold discussions on how our membership could be a better reflection of the communities that we serve and on how we could more intentionally provide different viewpoints at the table when deciding where to give our grant dollars, a formal DEI Committee was established in April 2021. This led to representation on the Leadership Team to formalize our organization’s DEI commitment and journey ahead.
Impact100 Garden State pledges to do the hard work of looking inward with genuineness, listening to all who our organization touches, and seeking to become a truly inclusive and equitable organization to give all a true sense of belonging. In everything we do, we appreciate individuals and organizations that enrich our thinking and actions through their diverse perspectives and experiences.
We recognize that this process is ongoing. We will communicate regularly about this work on our website and in newsletters.
To learn more or to join our DEI Committee, please write to member@design-proposal.com.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Our members have found the following resources of interest as we continue to educate ourselves about DEI. Check back for more updates on this page.
Just Mercy
A world-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner. With Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson.
OUR DIVERSE IMPACT
We're proud to have been instrumental in addressing the needs of a wide range of underserved populations in our grant-giving. Below are a few examples. Impact100 Garden State has awarded more than $3 million in grants to nonprofits in Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Union counties.
Cornerstone Family Programs and Morristown Neighborhood House provide resources to people from age 2 to 102 in the Greater Morris County area. In 2020, Cornerstone Family Programs was awarded a $100,000 grant from Impact100 Garden State for a new Teen Pathways to Brighter Futures program, a holistic approach to providing a pathway out of poverty for low-income minority youth.
The grant supported after-school education, financial literacy, empowerment workshops, career workforce readiness, internships, local college tours, and other holistic approaches geared for teenagers. By the end of the grant period, the program had served 114 teens. Of these, 100% said they increased confidence in their work abilities, 100%increased their SAT test scores, 95% acquired better time management skills and 89% learned to navigate healthy personal relationships with peers and adults. The program continues to thrive and expand. Visit Cornerstone's website.
In 2020, Zufall Health received a $100,000 grant from Impact100 Garden State for its program “Mobile Meals for Dover Families in Need,” in which a food truck was purchased and outfitted to deliver healthy food and fresh produce for those without easy access to it.
The timing proved fortuitous, as the COVID pandemic shut down in-person schooling for a period and quarantines made in-person food pickup difficult. During the two-year grant period, Zufall distributed 54,851 pounds of rescued food and 20,675 school and summer meals.
In a survey of participating Dover families, 100% rated meal distribution as “excellent” or “above average, and 82% of families were “very satisified” with the quality of the food.
The van has also made it possible for Zufall to increase food access at senior housing sites, conduct nutrition education at sites previously unable to receive programming, and partner with Zufall’s medical and dental programs for outreach events. Visit Zufall's website.
In 2022, Jewish Family Service & Children’s Center of Clifton-Passaic (JFS Clifton) received a $100,000 grant from Impact100 Garden State for its program “The Impact Café: A Pop-Up Business Powered by People with Disabilities.”
JFS Clifton has hired a Job Coach and purchased a vehicle to launch The Impact Café, a gourmet coffee food truck run by people with disabilities that “pops-up” across Northern New Jersey, upending preconceptions about people with disabilities, creating new jobs, and inspiring inclusive employment practices. The program will provide employees with disabilities training in retail and in interacting with the public. Visit JFS Clifton's website.
In 2015, a $102,500 grant from Impact100 Garden State funded an apprenticeship program, FreePair Paterson, that paired youth in need of employment training with elderly or disabled individuals with limited resources. The goals: to make necessary home improvements with no service charge to these homeowners and renters, while youth received on-the-job training.
Over the course of the grant period, 500 free home repairs were done, and each year 70 young people moved on to a Registered Apprentice program.
In addition, NJCDC credits FreePair Paterson with helping it expand and give greater visibility to its Great Falls YouthBuild program, which provides area youth an opportunity to earn their GED and gain valuable skills. Visit NJCDC's website.
To learn more, check out our special 10 Years of Impact publication, created for our 10th anniversary year, and our Grantee Spotlights page.