Union County Offers Grant Panel

Do limited resources challenge your nonprofit organization? Is lack of money or supplies ever a problem when implementing a project? "Getting to the Source," a funders panel for nonprofits, offers the chance to learn about various types of funding opportunities, according to a press release distributed by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders last week.

Sponsored by the Freeholders and the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs in the Department of Parks and Community Renewal, the panel discussion takes place Wednesday, Sept. 29, from 6 to 9 p.m., at the Elizabethtown Gas Company, located at 1085 Morris Avenue in Union, N.J.

"This program will give nonprofits a window into the grantmaker's point of view," Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, liaison to the Union County Cultural and Heritage Programs Advisory Board, said in the press release.

The panel will include William Engel, president of the Hyde and Watson Foundation; Mary Rizzo, associate director of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities; Kendall Warsaw, executive director of the Provident Bank Foundation; and John Cooper, chairman of the Summit Area Public Foundation. Nina Stack, president of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, a nonprofit organization that acts as a liaison between New Jersey's public and private sectors to promote effective philanthropy, will be the moderator.

Panelists will explain the kinds of projects their organizations support, as well as how and when to approach them for support. They will clarify what they require from potential grantees and what they are able to provide in return. The panel's presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Networking opportunities will be provided at both the beginning and end of the workshop.

This event is funded in part by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New Jersey Historical Commission, a Division of Cultural Affairs in the Department of State.

To request a brochure or to register, or to learn about other programs, services and volunteer opportunities, contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs by calling 908-558-2550, emailing culturalinfo@ucnj.org or visiting the office, located at 633 Pearl Street in Elizabeth, N.J.