The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation in Morristown, New Jersey, has announced the inaugural recipients of its Open Call grants program, which awarded a total of $500,000 in support of racial justice organizations.

to open new pathways of support and help the foundation discover grassroots and community-driven organizations; learn more about critical racial justice issues, organizations, and opportunities across New Jersey; and further embed principles of openness and accessibility into its grantmaking process. According to the foundation, the 10 recipients outlined a clear vision and deep understanding of racial justice, have a systems-change approach, and demonstrated community buy-in and engagement of multiple stakeholders.

Recipients include the Laundry Workers Center, Monarch Housing Associates, Perinatal Health Equity Initiative, Camden FireWorks, the Center for Justice-Impacted Students, Ramapough Culture and Land Foundation; Redhawk Indigenous Arts Council; Minority Cannabis Academy; New Jersey Black Empowerment Coalition; and Unidad Latina en Acción.

“While this announcement is the culmination of our work to create a new, open, and accessible pathway for support, we know this is just the beginning,” said Dodge Foundation president and CEO Tanuja Dehne. “There are organizations working across our state—in every county and community—addressing issues of inequity and injustice. Looking ahead, we want to find ways to continue to strengthen and grow the entire justice-centered nonprofit sector. We cannot do this on our own, and we are eager to connect with more allies and values-aligned funders who share this vision.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/pixelfit)