Community Foundation of New Jersey
Project Title
As a one-time grant for support of the project "Advancing Public Knowledge and Understanding of the U.S. Constitution"
Date
Mar. 08, 2018
Duration
12 months
Description
A recent survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania found that only 26 percent of Americans could name all three branches of government, and more than 40 percent of college graduates did not know that the Constitution grants the power to declare war to Congress While there is a renewed effort for teaching civics in grades K-12 education, the 18-40 year old demographic (the millennials especially) have missed opportunities to learn about the genesis and framework of the American constitution. With such a paucity of knowledge in civics, citizens have less opportunity to make informed decisions about legislative matters. With Corporation support, the project seeks to produce a marked change in Americans’ understanding of the significance of the separation of powers and system of checks and balances, as originally conceived by the Constitutional Framers through new and creative communication channels.
Website
Project Title
For the Newark Public Library’s efforts to engage the community and encourage family literacy
Date
Sep. 08, 2016
Duration
25 months
Description
Nearly one third of the population of Newark lives below the Department of Health and Human Services poverty guidelines, exacerbated by an adult functioning illiteracy rate of 52 percent. The Newark Public Library in New Jersey plays a vital role as the center for community life and learning, offering individuals of all ages opportunities in literacy, achievement of educational goals, and the pursuit of lifelong learning. The library faces three main issues as it launches a campaign to reimagine the library: an educational gap among local community residents, a growing need to digitize the historic collections that are housed by the library, and a new development, marketing, and branding effort that will help spur future fundraising to expand efforts to address these challenges. The Corporation will make a one-time only contribution toward the campaign, which is expected to attract other contributions. The Community Foundation of New Jersey serves as the fiscal sponsor.