New Jersey Children's Foundation
New Jersey Children’s Foundation (NJCF) is a public charity based in Newark, New Jersey. It invests in people, programs, and partnerships intended to improve public education systems, and its grantmaking includes support for Newark schools and community organizations serving children and families.
New Jersey Children's Foundation at a glance
In short: New Jersey Children's Foundation gave $2.5M across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $125K), mostly in New Jersey. 45% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,507,888
- -5.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +100.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $125,394
- -52.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $85,000
- Total assets
- $9,569,865
- +253.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (9 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (64% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to New Jersey Children's Foundation
- Review Cycle
- May 31, 2025 — past deadline for the announced annual community grants cycle.
- Deadline
- May 31, 2025 — past deadline for the announced annual community grants cycle.
- Contact
Mailing address: One Gateway Center 2600, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: (973) 799-8571
Website: https://njchildren.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who New Jersey Children's Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was 50CAN Inc ($410K). Together the top 10 received $2.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 46 grants of 96 (48%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
NJCF is based in Newark, and its annual community grants program is for Newark-based nonprofits. In filing year 2025, 64% of reported grant dollars went to recipients in New Jersey, 16% to recipients in Washington, DC, 12% to Massachusetts, and 8% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
Cities
Is New Jersey Children's Foundation open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 20 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $74K; repeat grants $167K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $146K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $434K (2019) to $5.1M (2023). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $2.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 50CAN Inc Washington, DC | To support grantee's charitable, scientific, or educational activities, including nj-specific communications work, and additional work related to pursuing equitable funding, and expanding the teacher workforce. | $410,000 |
| Great Oaks Legacy Charter School Newark, NJ | To support grantee's charitable, scientific, or educational activities, including academic improvement and cte efforts. | $305,000 |
| Trio New College Network Inc Boston, MA | To support grantee's charitable, scientific, or educational activities, including teacher development efforts. | $300,000 |
| Team Academy Charter School Inckipp Newark, NJ | To support grantee's charitable, scientific, or educational activities, including academic improvement. | $200,000 |
| The Partnership for West Side High School Inc Newark, NJ | To support grantee's charitable, scientific, or educational activities, including school support efforts. | $190,138 |
| Marion P Thomas Charter School Foundation Newark, NJ | To support grantee's charitable, scientific, or educational activities, including academic improvement. | $175,450 |
| New Jersey Public Charter School Association Hamilton, NJ | To support grantee's charitable, scientific, or educational activities, including communication efforts. | $175,000 |
| Uncommon Schools Inc New York, NY | To support grantee's charitable, scientific, or educational activities, including research and student/teacher mll needs. | $145,800 |
| Brick Education Network Newark, NJ | To Support Grantee's Academic Improvement Activities. | $121,000 |
| Great Schools for All Inc Newark, NJ | To Support Grantee's Charitable, Scientific, or Educational Activities. | $90,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $9,569,865 | $13,376,023 | $6,403,895 | $2,507,888 | 20 | $151,490 |
| 2024 | $2,709,931 | $6,891,416 | $6,100,371 | $2,645,653 | 10 | — |
| 2023 | $2,366,951 | $2,130,878 | $8,570,403 | $5,144,007 | 27 | — |
| 2022 | $7,913,501 | $9,796,996 | $7,080,522 | $4,466,431 | 16 | — |
| 2021 | $5,494,398 | $9,878,730 | $4,997,141 | $1,896,000 | 23 | — |
| 2020 | $498,864 | $4,697,047 | $4,656,150 | $1,723,542 | 10 | — |
| 2019 | $339,116 | $2,757,202 | $2,590,868 | $434,000 | 7 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
NJCF’s mission is to invest in people, programs, and partnerships that improve public education systems by putting children’s interests first. Its 2024 filing describes supporting school leaders and community-based organizations by building capacity to involve more families in discussions about improving educational opportunities.
In 2025, NJCF grants supported academic improvement, career and technical education, teacher development, school support, communications, research, and multilingual learner needs. Its community grants program seeks established Newark nonprofits that serve children and families, have an education-related orientation, work with children across different school types, and have a vision for inspiring Newark’s youth.
Grantees’ own mission statements illustrate the range of organizations supported. For example, 50CAN says it works to improve public education through state-based advocacy campaigns, fellowships, and research. TRIO New College Network says it partners with local leaders to launch college success centers and provide access to low-cost degree pathways. Newark grantee Great Schools for All says its mission is to promote policies that improve educational opportunities for children, while Roseville Community Charter School says it prepares students for academic excellence in high school, college, and beyond.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, NJCF reported 20 grants totaling $2,507,888. Grant amounts ranged from $7,500 to $410,000, with a median of $85,000. The largest reported awards included $410,000 to 50CAN Inc. for work including New Jersey communications, equitable funding, and expanding the teacher workforce; $305,000 to Great Oaks Legacy Charter School for academic improvement and career and technical education; and $300,000 to TRIO New College Network Inc. for teacher development efforts.
Other reported awards included $200,000 to Team Academy Charter School for academic improvement, $190,138 to The Partnership for West Side High School for school support, and $175,450 to Marion P. Thomas Charter School Foundation for academic improvement.
NJCF also announced a $1 million “Accelerating Outcomes for Exceptional Learners” initiative in 2024, inviting Newark district and charter schools to propose projects of up to $100,000 addressing education for students with disabilities and multilingual learners. A separate $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation made possible grants of up to $100,000 for seven Newark charter schools to join the IGNITE Network.
For the annual community grants cycle announced in January 2025, NJCF invited Newark-based nonprofits to apply for nearly $200,000 in available funding. The stated application window closed May 31, 2025, so that deadline has passed. NJCF said it uses grant agreements and monitors grantee use of funds through meetings, budgets, and financial reporting.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists NAEHA DEAN as board chair; EVERETT JOHNSON as vice chair; and CARLOS LEJNIEKS, JENNIFER CARILLO-PEREZ, KYLE ROSENKRANS, and MODIA BUTLER as board members. It lists BARBARA MARTINEZ as chief executive officer, KENNISHA MILES as chief operating officer, COLLEEN SCHULZ-ESKOW as chief policy officer, and GALEN JOHNSON as director of external relations.
New Jersey Children's Foundation is led by Barbara Martinez, Chief Executive Officer since 2025 (on filings since 2024); 5 of 11 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Barbara Martinez
Chief Executive Officer
Executive Director → Chief Executive Officer, 2025
On filings since 2024
38 hrs/week
$72K (2024) → $246K (2025)
Naeha Dean
Board Chair
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Galen Johnson
Director of External Relations
On filings since 2023
39 hrs/week
$133K (2023) → $107K (2025)
Leslie Comensanas
Director of Family & Community Support
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$126K (2024) → $131K (2025)
Kennisha Miles
Chief Operating Officer
Director of Operations → Deputy Director, 2022
Deputy Director → Chief Operating Officer, 2025
On filings since 2019
38 hrs/week
$31K (2019) → $173K (2025)
Kyle Rosenkrans
Board Member
Executive Director → Board Member & Former Executive Director, 2024
Board Member & Former Executive Director → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$68K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Colleen Schulz-Eskow
Chief Policy Officer
Senior Director of Public Policy → Chief Policy Officer, 2025
On filings since 2023
39 hrs/week
$155K (2023) → $177K (2025)
Everett Johnson
Vice Chair
Board Chair → Vice Chair, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Modia Butler
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Carillo-Perez
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carlos Lejnieks
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Shennell S. Barnes-McCloud (2019–2024) — Outgoing Board Member
- Former: Edward Hui (2020–2024) — Outgoing Board Member
- Former: Jessica Pena (2023–2024) — Outgoing Board Chair
- Former: Kevin Shafer (2019–2022) — Vice Chair
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $246K, to Barbara Martinez (Chief Executive Officer). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about New Jersey Children's Foundation
How much does New Jersey Children's Foundation give each year?
New Jersey Children's Foundation gave $2.5M across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $2.6M across 10 grants.
What is New Jersey Children's Foundation's typical grant size?
New Jersey Children's Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $85,000, and its average grant was $125,394, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from New Jersey Children's Foundation that year got $74K on average.
Where does New Jersey Children's Foundation give grants?
New Jersey Children's Foundation gives mostly in New Jersey: 64% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (16%) and Massachusetts (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Newark, NJ (13 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does New Jersey Children's Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 20 grants with a stated purpose on New Jersey Children's Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are New Jersey Children's Foundation's largest grantees?
New Jersey Children's Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include 50CAN Inc ($410,000), Great Oaks Legacy Charter School ($305,000) and Trio New College Network Inc ($300,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is New Jersey Children's Foundation?
New Jersey Children's Foundation reported $9.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $13.4M.
What does New Jersey Children's Foundation fund?
NJCF’s mission is to invest in people, programs, and partnerships that improve public education systems by putting children’s interests first. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from New Jersey Children's Foundation?
New Jersey Children's Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check njchildren.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is New Jersey Children's Foundation's EIN?
New Jersey Children's Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-1290193. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 18, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS December 21, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 28, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 24, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 12, 2020)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in New Jersey Children's Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). New Jersey Children's Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/new-jersey-children-s-foundation-morg_ef630000b9574ed98cbad5697b0488ff
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_831290193_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{New Jersey Children's Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/new-jersey-children-s-foundation-morg_ef630000b9574ed98cbad5697b0488ff},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from New Jersey Children's Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
New Jersey Children's Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?