OceanFirst Foundation
/OVERVIEW: A legacy funder, OceanFirst supports central and southern New Jersey through health and wellness, housing, improving quality of life, youth development and education.
FUNDING AREAS: Health and wellness, housing, improving quality of life, youth development and education
IP TAKE: OceanFirst encourages applicants to contact it so that it may better guide them to the most appropriate grant opportunities that fit their needs.
PROFILE: Founded in 1996, the OceanFirst Foundation is based in Toms River, New Jersey. This foundation was established when OceanFirst Bank received a one-time endowment of $13.4 million. It dedicates itself to central and southern New Jersey prioritizing health and wellness, housing, improving quality of life, and youth development and education.
The foundation’s health and wellness program area supports nonprofit medical facilities and essential care. This typically extends to grants for access to healthcare for underserved populations. Housing grants support affordable housing efforts for disabled individuals, emergency shelters, and youth who have been affected by abuse or domestic violence. The foundation also awards grants for homelessness and self-sufficiency. Quality of life grants fund many basic needs services, such as food banks, arts and culture programs, coastal environmental protection, behavioral health, and senior services. Finally, the foundation awards youth development and education grants to programs that boost work skills development and the overall wellbeing of children.
Grants often exceed $5,000. Arts and culture grants typically range between $500 and $5,000. The grant deadlines vary between programs, but typically fall on the first or 15th of a given month. Current deadlines are posted on the funder’s website. In addition to these core program areas, the foundation also awards Good Neighbor Grants of between $3,500 and $5,000 for programs and projects. The funder also awards summer camp grants and scholarships to students. Past grantees include the Algonquin Arts Theatre, Barnabas Health Hospice, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County, and Boy Scouts of America’s Jersey Shore Council. However, OceanFirst does not award funding to sports leagues or teams, for research, to individuals, or for religious or political purposes.
To request a grant, local nonprofits must call the foundation office to discuss their proposed project on which the foundation will advise them on how to proceed. The foundation accepts letter of interest submissions online and then full proposal submissions on an invitation-only basis. The foundation has a board of directors that is made up by local business and civic leaders that meets a few times per year to choose new grantees. Grantseekers can direct general questions to the staff at 732-341-4676 or info@oceanfirstfdn.org.
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