The Nicholson Foundation’s Response to COVID-19

The Nicholson Foundation recognizes the tremendous disruptions that the COVID-19 epidemic has caused for our grantees, partners, and vulnerable populations in New Jersey. As a result, the Foundation took the following steps to provide relief and further promote the vital work of our grantees:

Adjusting Grant Processes to Help Grantees

The Nicholson Foundation seeks to ensure that all grantees are paid in full for their vital work and has therefore lessened the burden for grantees through modifications to performance requirements, benchmarks, and deliverables affected by the global shutdown.

The Nicholson Foundation has been and will continue to monitor the situation and aims to remain flexible for additional needs and modifications in the months ahead.

Providing Bridge Grants

Through our conversations with partners, The Nicholson Foundation has been working to identify New Jersey’s major areas of need during the crisis. The Foundation will be providing a series of bridge grants for some current grantees to increase or adjust existing budgets to be used towards addressing the crisis. Below are examples of the ways our grantees are using additional funds through bridge grants to adapt their work to the COVID-19 situation.

Selected Bridge Grants

  • In-Home Recovery Project Adaptation: Preferred Behavioral Health Group  received additional funding to continue full services remotely for the existing In-Home Recovery Project including technology for remote substance use testing and rewards distribution. 
  • Telemedicine for New Jersey Health Center Patients: Five Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) – VNA of Central Jersey Community Health Center, Hackensack Meridian Health's Family Health Center, Metropolitan Family Health Network, Jefferson Health, and Eric B Chandler Health Center – received (or will receive) additional funding to increase  the use of telemedicine technology with patients.
  • Obituary Profiles for COVID-19 Victims: The Center for Cooperative Media  received additional funding for “Loved and Lost”, a series of profiles of New Jersey residents who died due to COVID-19. This project seeks to offset the costs of obituaries for grieving families and provide comfort and hope for New Jersey.
  • Centering Pregnancy Virtual Adjustments: Nicholson-sponsored health centers providing Centering Pregnancy services will receive new technologies to support the continued participation of mothers.
  • Nurture NJ COVID-19 Perinatal Guidelines: Nurture NJ, a campaign to reduce infant and maternal mortality and ensure equitable maternal and infant care, will receive additional funding to release a series of perinatal guidelines during and after the crisis.

Funding New Projects

The Foundation is researching potential new grant projects that will respond to COVID-19 needs across the state.  We will update this space in the coming weeks with information on these grants once they are finalized.