Our Work

Mission Investing

We are bringing all of our resources to bear—including our endowment—to make the greatest impact in service of our vision of a just and equitable New Jersey.

In 2021, the Dodge Foundation launched a $5 million multi-year pilot investment program to enhance the lives of historically undercapitalized communities in New Jersey.

The pilot investment program enables us to invest in various initiatives to create social impact beyond grants. Our first three investments in this fund provide employment opportunities for college students of color; enhance the affordable housing ecosystem in greater Newark; and support the financing of childcare centers, charter schools and small businesses in low-income neighborhoods in New Jersey.

As this program evolves and we learn more from our communities, we will explore new opportunities for mission investing in our state and across the United States. Inquiries about this program should be directed to questions@grdodge.org.

Learn more about the inaugural investments below.

  • Enrich Scholars $300,000 Equity Investment

    Enrich Scholars, a for-profit start-up that provides job readiness, resume building, interview preparation, and job placement services for college students of color. All services are provided at no cost to the students.

  • Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) $500,000 Loan

    LISC for the nascent Affordable Housing Ecosystem Building Fund (AHEB). Under this program, LISC-Greater Newark will deploy capital to housing developers and development projects in New Jersey with a focus on Newark, Jersey City, Irvington, East Orange, and Orange to produce or preserve affordable housing.

  • New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC) $1,000,000 Loan

    New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC) for lending and investing through its Community Loan Fund of New Jersey. NJCC is the largest Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in New Jersey providing financing to sectors including building and preserving affordable housing, charter schools, childcare centers, and small businesses in underserved areas of New Jersey.