Morris County

Newark preschoolers at the Morris Museum, courtesy Morris Museum Community responses to immigration issues in Morristown, courtesy The Wind of the Spirit the Neighborhood Garden, courtesy Morristown Neighborhood House

The Foundation’s current giving in Morris County is focused on the county seat of Morristown, with specific interest in the concept of “sustainable communities.”  Over the past three years, we have engaged in this place-based approach by supporting concrete and practical efforts to make Morristown and Morris Township a great place to live, work and play, and one that starts to embrace the integrated three “Es” of sustainability (Economy, Environment & Equity) – in short, a more livable place for all its citizens, now and in the future.  

To help foster a more livable Morristown, we will support organizations that help their neighbors and build community by doing one or more of the following:

  • serve those whose needs and potential are great, and, increasingly, those who focus on positive pathways to personal development, especially for children and youth;
  • foster meaningful connections among people of diverse ethnicities, cultures, ages, and socio-economic groups;
  • build collaborations among government, the business sector and nonprofit organizations that generate entrepreneurial and, where appropriate, environmentally sound solutions to current challenges;  
  • help create a sustainable Morristown for the future through efforts such as inclusive community visioning processes, the development and promotion of community assets, and/or the promotion of “green” design and development.

We recognize that some efforts to build community benefit from small projects that bring townspeople together, particularly across sectors, for common benefit.  We are particularly interested in projects that involve youth civic engagement and leadership development.  Therefore, we also invite proposals for mini-grants in the range of $3,000 to $5,000 that feature new or recent connections and collaborations.  These can be stand-alone proposals from two or more groups, or part of a broader proposal from a single organization.

The Dodge Foundation seeks to learn alongside other people and organizations which care about the future of our town and region. In support of this process, we will help convene meetings and exchanges with people and institutions which are leading the exploration of community design principles and participatory processes, and can share best practices, experience from the field, and research findings. Updates on these activities will be available periodically on the Foundation’s website. If you are interested in exploring livable community concepts and examples, here are some helpful links:

www.nj.gov/dep/opsc/ NJ Office of Planning & Sustainable Communities
www.mostlivable.org
www.livable.com/index.htm

If you are interested in applying for a Morris County grant, please see our application guidelines.

Proposals for Morris County funding are due by May 1.

 

Images above: Newark preschoolers visit the Morris Museum, courtesy the Morris Museum; Community responses to immigration issues in Morristown, courtesy The Wind of the Spirit; the Neighborhood Garden, courtesy Morristown Neighborhood House.