The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and wholly owned corporation of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Founded in 2014 and tax-exempt since January 2015, NJII is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey at 323 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. The organization operates as a science and technology research institute focused on accelerating innovation and economic development by connecting industry, academia, and government sectors.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$75.1M
+1.8% YoY
Annual Giving
$230K
-96.4% YoY
Grant Count
15
-96.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$15K
+1.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
NJII's mission centers on creating economic impact in New Jersey through innovation and technology advancement. The organization operates across five primary divisions:
Healthcare: Drives data-driven healthcare transformation, enhancing patient experience and population health while reducing costs through innovation and technology. As the state-designated entity, the healthcare division manages the New Jersey Health Information Network (NJHIN) for the New Jersey Department of Health. Since 2015, healthcare programs have served over 12 million patients with a focus on expanding clinical data interoperability and information security.
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI/ML): Develops and applies AI/ML technologies across sectors.
Defense: Supports defense-related innovation and technology development.
Entrepreneurship: Fosters startup development and enterprise expansion.
Learning and Development Initiative (LDI): A collaborative effort between NJIT and NJII that leverages faculty expertise and subject matter experts to provide training and development programs.
The organization also previously operated Innovation Labs (iLabs) serving market verticals including biotechnology and pharmaceutical innovation, and civil infrastructure policy and planning/smart city solutions.
Grantmaking
Based on the most recent IRS Form 990 filing for fiscal year 2024, NJII reported total giving of $258,000. Grant awards typically range from $6,000 to $3,950,000. The organization's grantmaking focuses on philanthropy, voluntarism and grantmaking, human services, and health care, primarily within New Jersey.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
NJII's funding and programmatic activities are primarily concentrated in New Jersey, with a mission to improve and solidify the framework of the state's economy.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Fiscal Year 2024 (most recent):
- Total Assets: $75,143,617
- Total Revenue: $30,773,365
- Total Expenses: $27,724,858
- Total Liabilities: $15,100,000
- Total Giving: $258,000
- Employees: 154
Historical Context: The organization has demonstrated consistent financial growth since its inception, with assets increasing from initial tax-exempt status in January 2015 through 2024.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $75,143,617 | $73,825,081 | $71,920,921 |
| Revenue | $30,773,365 | $34,340,267 | $85,737,246 |
| Expenses | $27,724,858 | $34,778,092 | $27,105,207 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $3,317,672 | $2,231,873 | $62,784,767 |
| 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
87 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
5 open opportunities from New Jersey Innovation Institute Inc
Behavioral Health Promoting Interoperability Program (BH PIP)
NEW JERSEY INNOVATION INSTITUTE INC
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Market Pathways Program
NEW JERSEY INNOVATION INSTITUTE INC
Amount
Stipend provided during program (amount not specified)
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Support Services
NEW JERSEY INNOVATION INSTITUTE INC
Amount
Paid service (pricing not specified)
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Gary Wilhelm: Executive Director (joined October 2025)
- Jennifer D'Angelo: Chief Operating Officer
- Nicole Brown: Officer listed in SAM registration
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEIK C LIM | INTERIM PRES (THRU 10/23)/DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| ATAM DHAWAN | VICE PROVOST OF NJIT/DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| HOLLY STERN | SECRETARY (NON VOTING) | 1 | — |
| JOHN PELESKO | PROVOST OF NJIT/DIR (AS OF 9/23) | 1 | — |
| ROBERT MEDINA | CHAIRMAN | 1 | — |
| DR KENNETH BLANK | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| ROBERT COHEN | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| NICHOLAS DENICHILO | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| THERESA EDELSTEIN | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| CRAIG GOTSMAN | DIRECTOR (THRU 8/23) | 1 | — |
| DEBBIE HART | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JOSE LOZANO | DIRECTOR (THRU 11/23) | 1 | — |
| WESLEY MATTHEWS | DIRECTOR (AS OF 11/23) | 1 | — |
| PRABHAS MOGHE | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| DEAN PARANICAS | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JENNIFER ROWLAND | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| AL DE SETA | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| DHIRAJ SHAH | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| MICHELE SIEKERKA | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| TOM WISNIEWSKI | DIRECTOR (THRU 12/23) | 1 | — |
| JENNIFER D'ANGELO | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (AS OF 4/24) | 35 | $362,724 |
| DR MICHAEL JOHNSON | PRESIDENT & CEO (AS OF 10/23) | 35 | $72,700 |
| TOM NEHILA | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER(AS OF 11/23) | 35 | $214,649 |
| MATTHEW MOLINE | CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER | 35 | $216,930 |
| KATHLEEN NAASZ | VP STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS | 35 | $200,451 |
| JOSEPH CAUVIN | VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS | 35 | $175,107 |
| DARLENE CARR | VP HEALTHCARE DIVISION | 35 | $176,920 |
| JOHN NORDSTROM | DIR, INTEGRATION HEALTHCARE TECH. | 35 | $175,053 |
| DR JOEL BLOOM | FORMER CHAIRMAN | — | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
NJII has been active in supporting innovation and entrepreneurship across New Jersey:
The organization received a federal award of $749,839 (with a local match of $1,493,444) through the U.S. Economic Development Administration's i6 program to lead creation of the New Jersey Biopharmaceuticals Innovation and Enterprise Development Center (the Bio-Foundry), designed to expand the state's biopharmaceuticals cluster including cell and gene therapy innovation.
CSIT Awards Nearly $1.3M to 17 NJ Startups through Round 4 Clean Tech R&DNJII maintains an active community engagement program, with employees participating in charitable activities including food drives, toy donations, and partnerships with local organizations such as the Portuguese American Fire Fighters Association of Newark and the Community Foodbank of New Jersey.
The organization reports over $330 million in revenue across its four divisions, demonstrating significant operational scale and impact.
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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