Jersey Gives a Damn - A Community Foundation of NJ Podcast

Working Hard Yet Still Falling Behind: The Hidden Face of Financial Hardship in NJ

Imagine working full time — maybe more than full time — and still not being able to cover the basics. No luxuries, no savings. Just housing, food, childcare, healthcare,

Through the Gates: The Struggle to Rebuild After Incarceration in New Jersey

Every year, over 120,000 people are released from New Jersey's state prisons and local jails — into communities often unprepared to receive them and systems that too freq

Building a NJ Workforce That Works

There's a quiet mismatch playing out across New Jersey's economy: thousands of good jobs sitting unfilled while thousands of capable people can't find their way into them

The Afterschool Programming Crisis in NJ - and What it Will Take to Fix It

New Jersey faces a critical afterschool programming crisis, with demand far exceeding availability. While 85% of parents recognize these programs build essential social s

Film & Television as Workforce Development in New Jersey

In this third and final installment of our "Art of New Jersey" series, we consider the impact of Netflix and Lionsgate's $1+ billion studio investments and their potentia

The Art of New Jersey (Part 2) - Can the arts actually improve our health?

We often talk about how the arts feel good, but what if they could benefit our health? In this episode, we sit down with Aly Maier Lokuta, Assistant Vice President of Ar

The Art of New Jersey - A conversation on New Jersey’s arts and arts organizations, and their value to community

This is the first installment in our Jersey Gives a Damn Podcast series on the Arts in New Jersey. With help from our guests, we better understand the arts landscape in t

Understanding the Family Homelessness Crisis in NJ

In this episode, we shine a light on family homelessness, one of New Jersey’s more urgent but often overlooked social challenges.  When most people think about homelessne

How are our veterans doing?

In recognition of Veterans Day 2024, we're hosting a dedicated conversation examining the current state of our nation's veterans and the critical support they need. This

Why Are Pet-Friendly Domestic Violence Shelters Vital in NJ?

97% of domestic violence survivors say that concern about leaving a pet was a factor in their decision to leave an abusive situation. Yet, only 17% of domestic violence s

Why is maternal health in the US so bad – and what is being done about it here in NJ?

The U.S. is ranked 64th in maternal mortality, putting us behind Russia, Tajikistan, and Albania, among others, and about tied with Iran.  Maternal health statistics in N

TBT: Are the kids alright? A look at teen mental health in NJ.

In our first Throwback Thursday, we are re-posting our popular episode “Are the kids alright? A look at teen mental health in NJ.”  Recent developments nationally and in

A closer look foster care in New Jersey

New Jersey has had a fraught history with foster care.  Many of our listeners will remember the 2003 death of 7-year-old Faheem Williams due to neglect.  His body was fou

The loss of local news, its impacts and what to do about it

‘America has lost one-third of its newspapers and two-thirds of its newspaper journalists since 2005’, according to a Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism 

A Conversation on Human Trafficking in New Jersey

We are switching things up a little for this episode. The Community Foundation of New Jersey has started a webinar series that brings in multiple experts for deep dive co

What’s Up (or Down) with literacy in New Jersey?

The drop in reading scores of US children post-COVID dominated the headlines in Summer 2023 – with reading scores down in nearly every state. Unfortunately, low reading s

“Are the kids alright? A look at teen mental health in New Jersey”

Forty-two percent of New Jersey teens have reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks in a row. Two-thirds of teens in the US who experience a mental

A conversation with Eva Turbiner, public health leader and just-retired CEO of Zufall Health Community Health Centers

Eva Turbiner is a public health legend, having led one of New Jersey’s largest health centers serving the un-insured and under-insured, Zufall Health, for 16 years.  In t

Interview with Jim White, Executive Director of Covenant House New Jersey

Jim is the Executive Director of Covenant House New Jersey, which has for 30 years been serving homeless and trafficked youth between the ages of 18  21, operating in 5 c

Dialogue with Pastor Pam Jones, founder of Communities in Cooperation, advocate for fragile families and the justice-involved

Pastor Pam is a force of nature and an advocate for building the resiliency of New Jersey’s youth, the justice-involved, the unemployed, the under-employed, and other und