NJ Children's Foundation

What NJ Children's Foundation does

NJ Children's Foundation (NJCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 and headquartered in Newark, NJ, with a stated mission to improve public education outcomes for Newark children. It operates a small team (1–10 employees) under CEO Barbara Martinez (joined September 2023), COO Kennisha Miles, Chief Policy Officer Colleen Schulz-Eskow, and Chief of School Support Maria Andrade, and serves Newark families, the Newark Board of Education, partner charter schools, and a network of 70+ community organizations.

NJCF's core products are a unified enrollment platform, the Newark Common App (built in partnership with Avela and launched in November 2022), the My Schools Newark school finder, an annual Community Grants Program (~$200K in 2025, $529K disbursed over the prior three years to 70+ Newark organizations), a cross-city FAFSA Challenge, and a Policy/Research/Communications function that publishes recurring public polling on Newark family priorities. The foundation also runs the IGNITE Network of seven Newark charter schools and a $1M Accelerating Outcomes for Exceptional Learners program funded by a $1M Gates Foundation grant (December 2024).

The organization functions as a non-partisan intermediary and philanthropic vehicle rather than a revenue-generating business. Its funding mix is grant-based: anchor support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, individual donors, and corporate partners, with disbursed funds flowing outward to Newark schools and community organizations. By design, NJCF is geographically restricted to Newark-centric work, with the January 2024 Camden Education Fund FAFSA Challenge representing the first explicit move beyond city borders.

Name

NJ Children's Foundation

Legal name

New Jersey Children's Foundation

Website

https://njchildren.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NJ Children's Foundation is a Newark, NJ-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and supports Newark public and charter schools through grants, the Newark Common App enrollment platform, policy research, and community programs serving local families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (61171), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Public education advocacy
• School enrollment platforms
• Community grant funding
• Education policy research
• Charter school support

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, NJCF operates entirely on grant funding and charitable donations. Major funding has come from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($1M grant for special education programs), and the organization distributes grants to Newark schools and community organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NJ Children's Foundation (NJCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that invests in people, programs, and partnerships to improve public education in Newark, NJ. The foundation provides grant funding to schools and community organizations, operates digital school enrollment and research platforms (Newark Common App and My Schools Newark), and publishes policy research and polling data to support fact-based education discussions.

Product overview

NJ Children's Foundation operates as a nonprofit organization focused on improving public education in Newark, NJ. The organization offers a portfolio of digital platforms and programs including My Schools Newark (a school research and finder tool), Newark Common App (a charter school enrollment portal serving nearly 20,000 students), the annual Community Grants Program (distributing grants to Newark nonprofits), and the FAFSA Challenge (a city-vs-city competition to boost college financial aid completion). Additionally, NJCF publishes policy research and polling data to support fact-based education discussions. The organization does not operate a unified software platform but rather delivers distinct tools and programs targeting specific education ecosystem needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Newark Common App A centralized application and enrollment portal for Newark charter schools that provides application, lottery, and waitlist management for families interested in attending the vast majority of Newark's charter school options. The platform serves nearly 20,000 charter students across nine participating charter school networks.
• My Schools Newark An online research tool and mobile-friendly web application that provides parents with a centralized resource for information on every school in Newark, including location, grades served, academic results, and extracurricular activities. Serves as a school-finder tool for Newark families.
• NJCF Community Grants Program Annual grant program providing funding to Newark-based nonprofit organizations that serve children and families. The program has distributed over $529,000 to over 70 Newark community organizations in three years, supporting youth-serving organizations with education-related orientations.
• IGNITE Network Special Education Grant Program A national initiative led by Marshall CoLab with evaluation by Mathematica, providing grants of up to $100,000 and coaching to Newark charter schools to implement Research-to-Impact Practices (R2I Practices) for students with disabilities, spanning literacy, multi-tiered systems of support, and collaborative teaching structures.
• FAFSA Challenge A friendly city-vs-city competition (Newark vs. Camden) to increase Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rates among high school seniors. NJCF and Camden Education Fund contribute $70,000 in prize money for the senior class of winning schools to open doors to postsecondary success.
• Newark Education Voter Polling Annual public opinion polling of Newark voters on education issues including support for charter schools, school improvement, and education policy. Commissioned with polling firms such as Change Research, Public Opinion Strategies, and Global Strategy Group to promote fact-based discussions about public education.
• Policy, Research and Communications Publishing of policy, data, and research to promote a fact-based discussion about what is working, what is not, and to identify potential solutions for improving public education systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving over 20,000 charter students through common enrollment system
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Marshall CoLabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2024Leads the IGNITE Network national initiative that NJCF's Gates Foundation grant participates in, providing coaching and support to implement Research-to-Impact Practices for students with disabilities.
• Camden Education FundflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2024Co-contributor with NJCF ($30,000 each) to $70,000 prize pool for the Newark vs. Camden FAFSA Challenge competition, working with mayors of both cities to increase college financial aid completion rates.
• Newark Mayor Ras BarakaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2024Partnership with NJCF and Camden Mayor to launch the 2024 FAFSA Challenge, a friendly competition between Newark and Camden to increase Free Application for Federal Student Aid completion rates among high school seniors.
• AvelacoreTechnology or Integration · 3 November 2022Technology partner that designed the Newark Common App enrollment platform. Founded by Nobel Laureate Josh Angrist, Clark Medalist Parag Pathak, and Social Entrepreneur Greg Bybee to create technology platforms for K-12 school enrollment.
• Great Oaks Legacy Charter SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 August 2021Partner in Newark Unites Tutoring Center initiative along with Metropolitan Baptist Church and NJCF to combat COVID learning loss through weekend tutoring program for Newark public school students.
• Metropolitan Baptist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 August 2021Faith-based partner hosting the Newark Unites Tutoring Center in partnership with Great Oaks Legacy Charter School and NJCF to address tutoring needs during COVID pandemic.
• Newark Charter Schools (Various)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNJCF supports and works with Newark's charter school sector, operating the Newark Common App enrollment system that serves nearly 20,000 charter students across 9 charter school networks. Schools include Marion P Thomas, KIPP NJ, Phillips Academy, and others.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Largest private foundation in the US with significant education grantmaking portfolio. NJCF's major funder ($1M IGNITE Network grant); comparable in being a grantmaking entity that funds education system improvement, though vastly larger in scale and scope.
• Chalkbeat: Nonprofit news organization covering education policy and practice at the city and state level. Listed as a Newark partner of NJCF on its website; comparable as an education-focused organization that publishes research and journalism to inform public discourse on schools.

Direct peers

• KIPP New Jersey: Newark-based charter school network (part of KIPP Foundation) serving Newark students across multiple campuses. NJCF directs grant funding (IGNITE Network) to KIPP Newark schools, making it a key grantee and operational counterpart in the Newark education ecosystem.
• Newark Charter School Fund: Newark-focused education nonprofit that supports the charter school sector through funding, policy, and advocacy. Overlaps with NJCF on charter school grantmaking in Newark and shares leadership pipeline (NJCF COO Kennisha Miles previously led policy at NCSF).
• Newark Trust for Education: Newark-based education-focused nonprofit foundation that supports public schools and community partners through grantmaking, research, and convening. Directly comparable to NJCF in geography (Newark), mission (public education improvement), and operating model (foundation + programs).
• Camden Education Fund: City-focused education foundation operating in Camden, NJ that supports public schools through grantmaking, research, and partnerships. Already collaborates with NJCF on the FAFSA Challenge, making it the closest operational peer serving a similar role in a different New Jersey city.

Broad incumbents

• National Education Foundation: National-scale education nonprofit focused on digital learning, STEM, and workforce development. Comparable to NJCF in being an education-focused grantmaking/operating nonprofit, but operates at much larger national scale rather than single-city.
• 50CAN: National education advocacy nonprofit that funds state-level campaigns to advance education reform and school choice. Comparable to NJCF in advocating for fact-based, evidence-driven education policy and operating across multiple state affiliates.
• The Education Trust: National nonprofit focused on closing opportunity and achievement gaps through research, advocacy, and policy. Comparable to NJCF in combining research/publishing with advocacy and grantmaking to advance equity in public education.

Regional players

• Uncommon Schools: Multi-state charter management organization operating public charter schools in Newark and other Northeast cities. Comparable to NJCF as an education organization focused on Newark student outcomes; NJCF's CEO Barbara Martinez previously served as media chief at Uncommon Schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/njchildren1
• Facebookfacebook.com/New-Jersey-Childrens-Foundation-1973349156035030
• Instagraminstagram.com/njchildren
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/njchildrens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NJ Children's Foundation