From 19th century charitable societies to SparkNJ: Women loom large in Greater Morristown philanthropy

By Marion Filler

In 1968, Virginia Slims cigarette ads tapped into the growing feminist movement with the unforgettable line: “You’ve come a long way, baby.”

Yet women still had a long way to go in the male fiefdoms of law, business, government, medicine and the military.

Charitable institutions, however, were another story. Women always had been indispensable volunteers and occasionally, visionaries and philanthropists. Today, they have climbed that ladder to the top, launching charities on their own and raising funds to target specific causes where they recognize a need.

One need look no farther than Greater Morristown for proof of this during Women’s History Month.

Women started Impact100 Garden State, The Women’s Association of Morristown Memorial Hospital (now Morristown Medical Center), Family Service of Morristown (now Cornerstone Family Programs), The Blink Now Foundation, The Market Street Mission and The Seeing Eye Inc., co-founded by dog trainer Dorothy Harrison Eustis.

And now there is SparkNJ.

Co-founded by Carole Rogers and Katharine Teti of Morris Township, SparkNJ focuses on 501(c)(3) community organizations that are Black-owned and Black led.

“It’s a trust-based philanthropy,” Teti explained. “We are putting trust in the hands of the people who are receiving grants.”

Unlike Impact100 Garden State, where both women also volunteer, SparkNJ thinks small.

Rogers brought Impact100 Garden State to New Jersey in 2011, establishing an organization that has raised $3.5 million in grants for nonprofits to date. Last year, four recipients received $100,000 each.

SparkNJ has a different dynamic with a much smaller, donor-funded budget. Starting in 2022, it dispersed $35,000 in grants that doubled to $70,000 last year. A typical stipend is under $10,000.

“While at Impact, we were involved in significant large grants and realized that there was a need for some organizations that were not as sophisticated and didn’t need such a large amount of money, to receive small grants without the complications of the grant process,” said Teti.

A novel aspect of SparkNJ, is that grant recipients don’t need to apply for assistance. Spark finds them. The concept caught the attention of Steve Adubato, who recently featured it on his PBS Think Tank: Making a Difference series.

SparkNJ’s basic structure consists of six “Selectors”: Impact100 alumni Rogers, Teti, and Lisa Firkser; two representatives of the Community Foundation of New Jersey; and Marla Higginbotham of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates of Morris and Sussex Counties).

Using their extensive philanthropic network, the Selectors designate “Nominators” who are familiar with existing nonprofits in their communities. The Nominators then propose candidates for grants to the Selectors who make the final decision. Trust is a key ingredient every step of the way.

Nominator Kareema Harris-Baker joined grant recipients A’Dorian Murray-Thomas and Nadine Wright-Arbubakkr on Think Tank to describe what they do and why.

“What trust-based philanthropy is really about is re-distributing the power of decision- making to the folks who are actually doing the work,” observed Harris-Baker.

There are disproportional challenges to Black and brown communities, said Murray-Thomas, a Newark resident whose father was robbed and killed when she was 7 years old.

“What’s beautiful though, even with a little help, organizations like ours can do a whole lot,” Murray-Thomas said. She referred to SHE Wins Inc., a group she founded to assist middle- and high school girls who are victims of violence.

“That’s why SparkNJ and other community-based philanthropic organizations are such game changers. They meet folks where they are,” she said.

‘IN HER HANDS’: MacCULLOCH TALK ON MARCH 30

Rogers and Teti plan to continue their charitable enterprises for the foreseeable future.

“Working together was, and still is, exciting,” said Rogers, expressing an ever-deepening respect for the silent good work of local nonprofits. They continue to inspire her. “If they keep going, then I will, too.”

“When I retired 15 years ago,” said Teti, “I wanted to do something significant. I wanted to give back.” Before coming to Impact100 as one of six original founders, she chaired Homeless Solutions Inc. in Cedar Knolls and Our House in Maplewood.

“I’ve always been involved with something. Some people play Bridge, but I don’t,” she said with a smile, hastening to add, “But I don’t mean that facetiously.”

In Her Hands: Morristown’s Female Charitable Society, 1813-1875, will be the subject of a talk by Cynthia Winslow at the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum on Sunday, March 30, at 2 pm.

Throughout the 1800s, the Vails, Condicts, Fords, and Maccullochs met in their homes and churches, where they reported on the needs of the sick, the elderly, and widows with families.

Even without the right to vote, these women established the Female Charitable Society of Morristown, with a constitution, elected officers, annual reports, and a board of managers to raise funds to care for those in need.

The talk is free for members and included with the price of admission. The museum is at 45 Macculloch Ave. in Morristown.