A Glimpse Into the Lydia Collins deForest Charitable Trust’s New Jersey Grantmaking

Since 2002, the Lydia Collins deForest Charitable Trust has been serving the people of New Jersey with locally focused grantmaking for very specific purposes. This funder uses Bank of America Philanthropic Solutions to administer its grantmaking, meaning nonprofits can expect an accessible and straightforward application process.

Here’s what you need to know about the Lydia Collins deForest Charitable Trust if you work for a nonprofit that serves New Jersey.

Three interest areas

The first interest of this foundation is organizations that serve people who are visually limited or blind. Secondly, it supports churches and other groups affiliated with the Protestant Episcopal Church, and other organizations that work with or are recognized by the Episcopal Church. Its third giving interest is nonprofits that serve people who are homeless, unemployed or substance-dependent. Across all three giving categories, grantees must serve people in New Jersey.

Typical foundation giving

The founder, Lydia Collins deForest, had three favorite charities: The Lighthouse, Inc. in New York, Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit, New Jersey and the Salvation Army in Union, New Jersey. The foundation trustees still give special consideration to these organizations when they award grants. Aside from these organizations, recent grantees include Bridges Outreach, the Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey, Main Street Counseling Service and Warren County Habitat for Humanity. Other grantees are Grace Church, the Diocese of New Jersey, Family Promise and 180 Turning Lives Around, Inc.

The trust awards grants between $25,000 and $50,000 to be used in a single year or over multiple years. It now considers program requests to improve organizational capacity, capital improvements and technical support. However, it does not typically consider requests for general operating support or building campaigns.

The application process

Jean Marano and Bank of America serve as co-trustees and accept applications submitted through Bank of America’s online system. The annual application deadline is November 30, and the foundation notifies applicants of its decisions before February 28. Be prepared to provide detailed information about the purpose of the grant request, a project budget, an outline of how funds will be spent and the projected outcome of the project. Grantseekers can contact the philanthropic client manager by phone or email with questions about the application process.

You can learn more about this funder in IP’s complete profile of the Lydia Collins deForest Charitable Trust, which is part of our New Jersey grantmaking guide.

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