Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation to exit Morristown for Newark but leave $500K nonprofit fund
The North Jersey-based Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is relocating its headquarters from Morristown to Newark, saying it wants to move to a community that reflects its social justice mission.
The foundation will leave a parting gift in the suburban Morris County town in the form of a $500,000 fund to support community groups in and around the area.
The philanthropic foundation, celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, announced the move on Wednesday from its office on Maple Avenue in downtown Morristown, where it has been for 15 years. The organization will move into a building at 550 Broad St. in downtown Newark.
The relocation will occur in 2024, bringing 15 employees into a building undergoing renovation in the state’s largest city.
Fund for a Just and Equitable Morris County
However, the group said it will maintain its ties to Morris County by establishing a new grantmaking entity, the Fund for a Just and Equitable Morris County, based at the Community Foundation of New Jersey in Morristown. The fund will distribute $500,000 over three years to support nonprofits in the county that serve and support historically underrepresented communities.
The foundation, which has distributed more than $500 million in grants and technical support to New Jersey nonprofits since 1974, said it is moving to Newark to "better engage with and learn from one of the communities where it already had numerous partners and where there is an active and shared commitment to dismantling systemic inequities."
Two grants announced
In recent years, the Dodge Foundation has supported New Jersey organizations working toward that goal, including grants to two announced on Thursday: $50,000 for We the People, a coalition of labor, advocacy and grassroots groups focused on good government and political reform, and $150,000 (over three years) to the New Jersey Asian American Coalition, a statewide initiative bringing together Asian American leaders and groups to create a "progressive network that realizes the power of collective action."
Tanuja Dehne, president and CEO of the Dodge Foundation, said, "In our 50th year, we look forward to joining the Newark community and embarking on this new chapter in our journey toward a just and equitable New Jersey.”
A 'close bond' with Newark
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka commended the Dodge Foundation for moving to Newark.
"It’s no wonder that the Dodge Foundation and the city of Newark share such a close bond: we reflect each other’s deepest aspirations for true liberty and boundless opportunity for all. We share a seamless vision of a future New Jersey built on equity, equality and social justice," Baraka said.
Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com
Twitter: @ricardokaul
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation to leave Morristown NJ for Newark
