The New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Camden, New Jersey. Founded in 1972, NJCH operates as a grantmaker, program provider, partner, convener, and innovator working with statewide and community organizations to bring dynamic programming to the local level. The organization employs approximately 9-10 staff members and strengthens society by supporting community engagement programs and grant-making with a focus on humanities education in New Jersey.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$2.0M
-11.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$413K
-13.7% YoY
Grant Count
29
-19.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$14K
+7.2% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: NJCH explores, cultivates, and champions the public humanities in order to strengthen New Jersey's diverse community.
Vision: NJCH envisions a New Jersey that delights in discussion, appreciates complexity, and finds joy and understanding in the humanities.
The organization's primary focus areas include:
Grant Making: Providing capacity-building support and expertise to cultural and service-oriented nonprofit partners. All grants are matched dollar for dollar to leverage private giving for the humanities. Grant-funded projects have included cultural festivals, lecture series, exhibitions, and documentary films.
Community History Programs: Supporting community history cohorts and initiatives that empower members of New Jersey communities to discover, preserve, share, and celebrate their distinctive histories and cultures.
Informed NJ: Working in partnership with the New School's program of journalism + design, New Jersey's grassroots journalism community, and community colleges to create a multi-vocal, responsive local journalism ecosystem and enhance media literacy among community members.
General Program Operations: Informing the public and special constituencies about Council activities and major issues in the public humanities, as well as advocating for the value of the humanities.
Grantmaking
NJCH awards grants through a competitive proposal review process. Recent grantmaking activity includes:
Ready to take the next step with New Jersey Council For The Humanities?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
NJCH focuses its grantmaking and programming throughout New Jersey. Over the past three years, the organization has served 120+ communities throughout the state through grantee and NJCH programming. The organization has also reached 830,000+ individuals in New Jersey and beyond.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent (2024):
- Total Assets: $1,986,356
- Total Revenues: $1,802,274
- Total Expenses: $1,897,710
- Total Giving: $447,587
Previous Year (2023):
- Total Assets: $2,236,729
- Total Revenues: $1,629,918
- Total Expenses: $1,858,345
Tax ID: 222-52-0859
NJCH is a 501(c)(3) organization that relies on tax-deductible contributions to carry out its mission.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,986,356 | $2,236,729 | $2,590,463 |
| Revenue | $1,802,274 | $1,629,918 | $1,792,531 |
| Expenses | $1,897,710 | $1,858,345 | $1,765,464 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $45,173 | $26,499 | $30,658 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
207 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from New Jersey Council For The Humanities
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Rutgers University Foundation ($32,445), Aids Resource Foundation for Childr ($15,000), AAPI Montclair Inc ($15,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| AIDS RESOURCE FOUNDATION FOR CHILDR NEWARK, NJ | General program | $15,000 |
| AAPI Montclair Inc Montclair, NJ | General program | $15,000 |
| Hispanic Family Center of Southern New Jersey Inc Camden, NJ | General program | $15,000 |
| Historic Paulus Hook Association Jersey City, NJ | General program | $15,000 |
| Hudson Turkish American Cultural Association WAYNE, NJ | General program | $15,000 |
| Ironbound Community Corporation Newark, NJ | General program | $15,000 |
| Isles trenton, NJ | General program | $15,000 |
| Mighty Writers Philadelphia, PA | General program | $15,000 |
| Millville Army Air Field Museum Inc Millville, NJ | General program | $13,074 |
| Montclair History Center Montclair, NJ | General program | $6,450 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Executive Leadership:
- Carin Berkowitz, Executive Director
- Colleen Tryner, Operations Director
Board of Trustees:
- David Blake, Ph.D., Professor of English, The College of New Jersey
- Jacquie Colgan, Philanthropist and Bloomfield College Trustee
- Evan Collier, MSL, Government Relations, Easterseals
- Tracey Nguyen Mang, Board Member
- Mei-mei Tuan, Board Member
- Jonathan Mercantini, Board Member
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CARIN BERKOWITZ PHD | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 35 | $146,431 |
| HOWARD MARCHITELLO PHD | GOVERNANCE CHAIR | 1 | — |
| MICHAEL KLEIN JD PHD | TREASURER | 1 | — |
| GREGORY WATERS PHD | BOARD CHAIR | 1 | — |
| JACQUELINE COLGAN | SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| AUDREY TRUSCHKE PHD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| CAROL MURPHY | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| DENISE COULTER EdD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| JONATHAN MERCANTINI PHD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| LACEY COTTER RZESZOWSKI | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| LAURA HERTZOG JD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| LOURDES TANGO | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| LYNNE TOYE | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| MARK HONTZ JD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| SIERRA AUSA | TRUSTEE (EFF. 10/1/24) | 1 | — |
| RAYMAN SOLOMON PHD JD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| SADAF JAFFER PHD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| SARA SIEGLER | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| THERESA JACKS | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| TONY IACONO PHD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| David Blake PHD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| ALYSON WESS | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| COLE CRITTENDEN | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| MARY MARINO | TRUSTEE (EFF. 10/1/24) | 1 | — |
| TRACEY MANG | TRUSTEE(EFF. 10/1/24) | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
NJCH welcomed nine organizations to its Community History Cohort amid record interest in the program.
NJCH Welcomes Nine Organizations to Community History Cohort Amid RecordThe organization continues to announce new grant awards on a regular basis, with recent rounds awarding $205,716 and $216,000 respectively.
NJCH Announces $205,716 in New Grant AwardsNJCH completed commitments to 36 organizations around the state to help them recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and build organizational capacity of nonprofits.
Contact Information
- Phone: 609-695-4838
- Email: info@njhumanities.org
- Mailing Address: PO Box 3287, Camden, NJ 08101
- Website: njhumanities.org
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does New Jersey Council For The Humanities fund?
**Mission:** NJCH explores, cultivates, and champions the public humanities in order to strengthen New Jersey's diverse community. **Vision:** NJCH envisions a New Jersey that delights in discussion, appreciates complexity, and finds joy and understanding in the humanities. The organization's primary focus areas include: • **Grant Making:** Providing capacity-building support and expertise to cultural and service-oriented nonprofit partners. All grants are matched dollar for dollar to leverage …
How do I apply for a grant from New Jersey Council For The Humanities?
NJCH awards grants through a competitive proposal review process. Recent grantmaking activity includes: • **COVID-19 Response Grants (2021):** Awarded $1,003,297 in funding to 96 organizations through two types of awards—General Operating Support (GOS) ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 and Program Support (PS) ranging from $2,000 to $20,000. • **Recent Awards:** NJCH announced $205,716 in new grant awards and $216,000 in grants in recent funding rounds. • **Three-Year Impact:** Over the past three…
Where does New Jersey Council For The Humanities make grants?
NJCH focuses its grantmaking and programming throughout New Jersey. Over the past three years, the organization has served 120+ communities throughout the state through grantee and NJCH programming. The organization has also reached 830,000+ individuals in New Jersey and beyond.
What size grants does New Jersey Council For The Humanities award?
In 2024, New Jersey Council For The Humanities awarded 29 grants totaling $413K — an average of about $14K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is New Jersey Council For The Humanities's EIN?
New Jersey Council For The Humanities's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-2520859. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in New Jersey Council For The Humanities's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
Princeton Area Community Foundation Inc
PRINCETON, NJ
Assets
$279.6M
Grants
515
Total Given
$31.3M
Community Foundation of New Jersey
MORRISTOWN, NJ
Assets
$1.0B
Grants
1,321
Total Given
$93.8M
Geraldine R Dodge Foundation Inc
NEWARK, NJ
Assets
$349.2M
Grants
193
Total Given
$10.6M
Investors Foundation Inc
SUMMIT, NJ
Assets
$13.1M
Grants
240
Total Given
$1.3M
Bristol-myers Squibb Foundation Inc
PRINCETON, NJ
Assets
$83.3M
Grants
144
Total Given
$67.7M
Pseg Foundation Inc
NEWARK, NJ
Assets
$29.6M
Grants
20
Total Given
$6.1M
The Hyde and Watson Foundation
WARREN TOWNSHIP, NJ
Assets
$88.2M
Grants
611
Total Given
$6.1M
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
PRINCETON, NJ
Assets
$13.4B
Grants
3,093
Total Given
$622.6M
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
SOUTHEASTERN, PA
Assets
$22.2B
Grants
24,269
Total Given
$3.0B
Jpmorgan Chase Foundation
NEW YORK, NY
Assets
$1.2B
Grants
10,334
Total Given
$202.5M
Oceanfirst Foundation
TOMS RIVER, NJ
Assets
$8.8M
Grants
662
Total Given
$1.5M
The Pfizer Foundation Inc
NEW YORK, NY
Assets
$255.3M
Grants
9,306
Total Given
$23.2M
Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
What could you do with New Jersey Council For The Humanities on Grantable?
- Assess strategic fit with your organization
- Draft a tailored letter of inquiry
- Find open RFPs from this funder
- Monitor for new funding opportunities
Go from researching New Jersey Council For The Humanities to a real strategy.