Become a Member Today
Don’t miss out on important news and resources for public schools and education foundations!
Your membership will begin immediately and be active through June 30, 2023. Your membership entitles your school district or foundation to get technical assistance, attend meetings at no charge.
Who can become a member of the New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership?
Membership is open to education foundations, school districts, and individuals or ad-hoc groups who are interested in starting a local education foundation in their community in New Jersey. Working together we are an advocate for public education funding, increasing private support of public education, and building partnerships to enhance public education in NJ.
Why should my local education foundation become a member?
Joining a professional organization says many things. It means you want to learn and grow. It means you know that you are not alone in your work, and others in similar positions can help. You know that encouragement is often all you need to make an idea succeed. Joining a statewide organization says you are seeing your foundation work with a professional outlook and perspective.
What are the annual dues?
Annual dues are $250 for a basic membership.
How do I know if my district has a local education foundation?
First, check the NJEFP membership directory. If after you reviewing that list you do not see your district call your District office. The Business Administrator is the most likely to know if a foundation already exists.
Have questions or need help? Please call us at 908-299-6436 or email info@njefp.org. Thank you!
HISTORY OF NJEFP
Our Past…
Established in 2007, the New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership (NJEFP) was founded to support and assist local foundations in their quest to provide additional funding for public schools. Public schools have existed to ensure participation of an educated citizenry in our democratic society. While continuing this mission, the needs of public school students have changed dramatically over the last twenty-five years. Students must be prepared to navigate through an increasingly complex world. Technology advances alone have presented challenges that were nonexistent thirty years ago.
Our Present…
New Jersey public schools are funded by state revenues and local property taxes. Over the last several years, state funding for public schools has been reduced and more recently held level. In order to slow the increase in local property taxes, school districts must now keep their budgets at or below a 2% annual increase (CAP). Forcing them to withdraw support for not only innovative, but often essential programs and projects because of reduced or level public funding. Envisioning the future for public school funding means recognizing that in order to maintain current programs and services other sources of funding must be found. Otherwise, that future will include an erosion of the excellent education that our public schools have delivered.
Fortunately, for many students in New Jersey public schools, committed volunteers including parents and community members have taken the initiative to create local education foundations that support their districts. These localized foundations provide funding for programs, services, equipment and facilities that the school districts can no longer afford to include in their budgets. The establishment of a foundation, if successful, can provide the school district with additional funding that can be used for a variety of purposes including innovation, pilot programs, technology, the fine arts, extracurricular activities as well as any other programs or services not able to be funded under the district’s budget. Today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce, and they need much more than the three R’s to become productive members of the workforce in New Jersey and to compete in a global economy.
Local education foundations are most often made up of volunteers who want to make a positive impact on their community by supporting public education. As volunteers they often lack experience in managing a foundation, fund development and best practices in general. NJEFP fills this need by providing expert knowledge and support to start-ups, as well as continuing education for existing foundations.
Our Future…
As NJEFP looks to the future efforts will grow to bring current and relevant information to members so that they may better serve their local education foundation, and communications to members will be effective and efficient. NJEFP will continue to build relationships with key organizations so that best practices are continually shared, and partnerships built. There are currently 1.4 million students enrolled in New Jersey public schools; local education foundations need the resources to grow strong, and NJEFP is aiming to meet those needs.
Now more than ever, the establishment of education foundations is critical for school districts to maintain and enhance the opportunities and experiences they offer their students, so that the public school students of New Jersey can remain competitive nationally as well as globally.