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:
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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
No grants recorded for .
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
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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