CNJG 2016 Spring Colloquium Marks 5th Anniversary
This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers’ biennial Spring Colloquium – A Conversation for the Social Sector - being held on May 24 at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick. A CNJG signature event since 2006, the Colloquium brings together foundations and non-profits with national thought leaders to explore topics of critical interest to foundations and non-profits whose work impacts our state’s quality of life.
“The Colloquium is a natural outgrowth of our role as a central force in amplifying the voice of philanthropy in New Jersey,” said Nina Stack, President of the Council. “This special event gives foundation and non-profit leaders the benefit of hearing from our country’s leading social sector experts and the opportunity to apply what they learn to the important work they do to improve the lives of those they serve in New Jersey.”
The 2016 Spring Colloquium conversation will focus on how privatization and de-funding of many services once provided by the public sector has led to the expectation that grantmakers and their non-profit partners will increasingly assume responsibility for these services, despite dramatically diminished resources. The social sector is responding to this challenge with innovative funding initiatives. Detroit’s foundations, for example, devised the “Grand Bargain” to help solve that city’s pension crisis. Likewise, the use of social impact bonds is rising as a means of underwriting safety net programs. “This change in the ‘public contract’ necessitates thoughtful planning on the part of foundation and nonprofit leaders who must be prepared to meet this significant paradigm shift,” said Emily Tow Jackson, Executive Director and President of the Tow Foundation, and a 2016 Colloquium panelist.
Other panelists at this year’s Colloquium include moderator Robert S. Collier, the President and CEO of the Council of Michigan Foundations; Elizabeth T. Boris, Founding Director of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute; and Michael McAfee, Vice President for Programs at PolicyLink.
Over the years, the Colloquium has considered a diverse range of topics including philanthropy’s role in restoring civility to society; strategies to ensure community and nonprofit sustainability; philanthrocapitalism; and driving change by being fearless. The event has featured such prominent speakers as former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean; Idealist founder Ami Dar; U.S. editor of The Economist Matthew Bishop; and Philadelphia Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Jeremy Nowak, among many others.
In addition to serving New Jersey’s social sector, the Spring Colloquium will be viewed by CNJG regional philanthropy association members across the country via simulcast-hosted gatherings.
“PSE&G strongly believes in the power of the social sector’s collective impact and the leadership that CNJG has exhibited over the years by providing New Jersey’s foundations and non-profits with access to our counterparts from across the country,” said Ellen Lambert, Chief Diversity Officer, Senior Director Corporate Citizenship and President, PSEG Foundation, a sponsor of the 2016 CNJG Spring Colloquium. For more details about the Colloquium please visit www.cnjg.org/investmentforum.
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers works to strengthen and promote effective philanthropy throughout New Jersey. The leading resource for networking and information for New Jersey's philanthropic community, CNJG provides representatives of all types of grantmaking organizations access to valuable services and meaningful activities to advance their work.