How some New Jersey nonprofits are fighting to keep DEI alive

How are New Jersey nonprofits navigating the new directives?

Linda M. Czipo, president and CEO of the NJ Center for Nonprofits, the only statewide network for charities in the Garden State that serves more than 40,000 of the state’s registered 501 (c)(3)’s, said the organizations are responding to the federal policy changes in different ways.  Some are leaning more into their mission and vision, while others are considering walking away from the sector.

“Sometimes an organization’s reason for being is to lift up marginalized people or a historically excluded constituency, and a government grant makes it possible to do that,” Czipo said. “But how does one serve a target community if their messaging has been toned down or stripped away to comply with federal guidelines? I would like to think that the outreach itself would not change even if some of the verbiage does.”

She said what makes the federal directives challenging is that many organizations benefit from federal funds that pass through other entities, such as state agencies and foundations. So, it is not just federal funds that are drying up, but also monies that come through other sectors.

Jesselly De La Cruz, the executive director of the Latino Action Network Foundation stated that her organization has faced similar pressures to those expressed by Burke. Founded in 2010, the foundation serves Latino communities across New Jersey, with a focus on justice, inclusion and equity.

The nonprofit receives a large portion of its funding from state grants and private philanthropy, which supports workforce development programs for immigrant women and men.

“We believe that helping moms sustain the family system benefits everyone in that system,” she explained. “So our programs do targeted outreach around that.”

De La Cruz said her parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic in the ‘70s.

“The ‘80s and ‘90s were different times, but my family lived [in] fear of ICE raids, not knowing if my mom was going to come home from work because there was a raid at the factory, or [if] my father was detained while driving for whatever reason. I did grow up with that anxiety 40 years ago,” she said.

She said her own life experiences drive her to do the work she does, and this is why she is committed to it.