New Jersey Council For The Humanities
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.
Key facts about New Jersey Council For The Humanities
- EIN
- 22-2520859
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $413,337
- Grants made (2024)
- 29
- Average grant
- $14,253
- Median grant
- $15,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 52% first-time grantees (15 of 29, 2024)
- Total assets
- $1,986,356
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (96% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Who New Jersey Council For The Humanities funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for New Jersey Council For The Humanities's 29 itemized 2024 grants were New Jersey (96%). The most frequent recipient cities were Montclair, NJ (3 grants), New Brunswick, NJ (2 grants), Newark, NJ (2 grants) and Lambertville, NJ (2 grants). 100% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
Is New Jersey Council For The Humanities open to new grantees?
52%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 15 of 29 grantees (52%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $15K repeat.
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with New Jersey Council For The Humanities
- How to evaluate New Jersey Council For The Humanities as a funder
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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
Share of all 29 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
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 | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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
231 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 recipients include Rutgers University Foundation ($32,445), AIDS Resource Foundation for Childr ($15,000), AAPI Montclair Inc ($15,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rutgers University Foundation New Brunswick, NJ | General program | $32,445 |
| 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 |
| Morris County Historical Society Morristown, NJ | General program | $15,000 |
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 IRS 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
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.