Program Guidelines

The Schumann Fund for New Jersey is a tax- exempt, private foundation, incorporated as a corporation not for pecuniary profit under the laws of the State of New Jersey. Schumann Fund program priorities fall into four categories:

Early Childhood Development: We support efforts to heighten the chances of academic and social success for young children, especially the urban poor, by supporting programs and policies that provide good quality, early childhood education and care to children from birth to eight years old.

Environmental Protection: We support the conservation of natural resources, the revitalization of New Jersey’s urban centers, and the restoration and protection of New Jersey’s environment. We believe that sustainable economic growth and sound and coordinated land-use planning, at regional, state, and local levels, are essential to this goal.

Essex County: We support local programs directed at meeting community needs, with particular focus on social and educational services for families with young children that will have a long-term impact on addressing community problems.

Public Policy: We support efforts to enhance the informed discussion of important policy issues facing the State of New Jersey, particularly in the areas of school reform and educational innovation, environmental planning and protection, and
effective delivery of educational and social services to families with young children.

In reviewing grant proposals, the Schumann Fund for New Jersey gives special consideration to those that:

1. offer the hope of permanent and positive change in the way that our society addresses the need for quality education and social services, and environmental preservation with sustainable economic development;
2. demonstrate the capacity to make effective
use of all available private and public resources for support;
3. make efforts to collaborate with other groups providing similar programs or services;
4. indicate a high level of time and/or money
contributed from the group to be served, and
5. describe a clear strategy for meeting program goals and an effective means of evaluating progress toward those goals.

In general, the Schumann Fund for New Jersey does not accept applications for capital campaigns, annual giving, endowment, direct support of individuals, or local programs in counties other than Essex. Projects in the arts, healthcare, and housing development normally fall outside the fund’s priority areas.

There is no standard application form to be used in presenting a request to the Schumann Fund for New Jersey, but organizations may use the New York/New Jersey Common Application Form if they choose. We ask that a written proposal be submitted which includes a clear description of the purpose of the grant, the need or problem that will be addressed, the work to be undertaken, the staffing plan for project implementation, any collaborative efforts underway or contemplated, and the means of evaluating progress. The proposal must include the following items:

• A copy of the organization’s latest audited financial statement
• Current organizational and project budgets identifying all sources of revenue and
categories and amounts of expenditures
• Brief resumes of key organization and project staff
• The project time frame and projected sources of future funding
• A list of the organization’s board of directors
• Internal Revenue Service documents confirming the organization’s status as a 501(C)3 organization

The Schumann Fund Board of Trustees meets quarterly: March, June, September and December. Applications must be postmarked by the following deadlines: January 15, April 15, July 15 or October 15. If the deadline falls on a legal holiday, applications must be postmarked by the next business day. Action on proposals may be deferred to a later quarter, but the Board of Trustees will notify organizations promptly as to the status of all requests.