GreenLight Fund Greater Newark

06/01/2026

At the ABFE Harambee Conference 2026, leaders across philanthropy, nonprofit, and community systems gathered around a central question: what does it truly take to create lasting change? Across sessions and conversations, a set of themes emerged - grounded not in theory, but in lived experience, community voice, and the daily work of building a more just and inclusive society.

Reflections from Tish Johnson-Jones (GreenLight Fund Greater Newark), Simone Hardeman-Jones (GreenLight Fund Twin Cities), and GreenLight Fund CEO Ali Knight highlight four key ideas shaping our work: patience and long-term investment, holding urgency and transformation together, centering humanity in transformative change, and community-centered system building.

Read the full blog post: https://greenlightfund.org/lessons-from-harambee-2026/

05/27/2026

Thank you so much for being part of such a special evening and for beautifully capturing these moments!

05/26/2026

Rooted in Newark. Ready to Grow.

We are still sitting with so much gratitude from a beautiful and meaningful evening celebrating GreenLight Fund Greater Newark’s first four investments.

From the beginning, this work has been grounded in listening — to residents, community leaders, partners, and the people who know Newark, love Newark, and are closest to both the challenges and possibilities. Four years later, we are proud of what has been built together.

Through Newark EMS Corps, Reading Partners, Food Connect , and Housing Connector, we are supporting work that expands access to workforce pathways, literacy support, food security, and housing stability for Newark residents. Each organization represents a need identified by the community and entered Newark through partnership, humility, and a real commitment to impact.

We are deeply grateful to Mayor Ras J. Baraka for his leadership, partnership, and willingness to welcome innovative models that respond to community needs. We also remain appreciative of John Simon, GreenLight Fund's co-founder and national board chair, whose vision helped create this model and whose belief in what can happen when national innovation meets local wisdom continues to guide this work.

To our investors, donors, Selection Advisory Council members, community leaders, and partners — thank you for your belief in Newark, your trust in this model, your honest questions, your relationships, and your willingness to open doors. Bringing new organizations into a city with deep history, deep relationships, and real needs requires trust, patience, and people willing to lean in and make room for possibility.

We are also proud to celebrate our Rooted in Newark Award honorees — Jasmine Joseph-Forman, Shanell Dunns, and Solomon Middleton-Williams — for being bridge builders, community connectors, trusted advocates, and behind-the-scenes champions who make real impact possible.

And to our incredible team and event partners — thank you for carrying this work with care, brilliance, and heart every single day.

As we look toward Fund II, we remain deeply committed to continuing this work alongside the Newark community.

What has been rooted in Newark is ready to grow.

04/29/2026

04/22/2026

We’re proud to see our Executive Director, Tish Johnson-Jones, featured in GreenLight Fund's “Propelling Impact: An Engine for Scale” alongside fellow Executive Directors, Simone Hardeman-Jones of the GreenLight Fund Twin Cities and Erin Saul of GreenLight Fund Cincinnati.

Together, they share what it takes to scale impact with intention—grounding decisions in community priorities, rigorously assessing what’s ready to grow, and building the partnerships needed to sustain impact over time. While cities may face similar challenges, this work is never one-size-fits-all. The conversation highlights the importance of staying rooted in local context and ensuring each investment is collaborative—strengthening and complementing the existing ecosystem in meaningful, lasting ways.

Read more here https://bit.ly/3QlTfvq and be sure to check out our video here https://bit.ly/4e3wrdG

Propelling Impact: An Engine for Scale

04/03/2026

Last week, we had the honor of celebrating Newark EMS Corps and the graduating class of Cohort 3! We were proud to do so alongside partners like Newark Opportunity Youth Network, whose commitment to these students helps make it all possible. In this full class of graduates, they proudly received their well-earned certifications, emerging from five months of training as a more confident version of themselves, fully recognizing their capabilities. Their dedication, drive, and heart are impossible to miss

These graduates are stepping into roles that save lives, and Newark proudly calls them local heroes. As our very first selection, Newark EMS Corps holds a special place in our journey, and seeing another cohort reach this milestone is deeply inspiring. We are proud to grow alongside them and witness the lasting impact of this work year after year.

Congratulations, Cohort 3!

03/31/2026

03/31/2026

Congratulations to our one of Selection Advisory Council Members, Mark Comesañas for this incredible feature on the Newark Times.

Explore how My Brother’s Keeper Newark and Executive Director Mark Comesañas are using systems-building to achieve a 72% reduction in homicides and support Black boys.

03/23/2026

Exciting Opportunity in Greater Newark! Food Connect is searching for a Regional Director to bring bold vision and action to one of their most strategically important markets. In this role, you will shape the future of Newark’s food system, forge strong partnerships, and drive better health outcomes for our community. This is a chance to lead with purpose, build trust, and make real change from day one. Interested in applying? Learn more and apply here:

The Regional Director will serve as Food Connect’s senior leader in the Greater Newark area, responsible for establishing and growing our presence in a new and strategically important market. This is not a plug-and-play role. Newark’s food system landscape is deeply interconnected, politically n...

03/19/2026

Earlier this week, we had the privilege of joining the City of Newark, NJ - City Hall and Reading Partners Newark at the Newark Literacy Symposium, where alongside Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Dr. Sharnee Brown, and Dr. Naima Ricks, our Executive Director Tish Johnson-Jones announced the launch of Reading Partners at Home, a FREE virtual high-dosage literacy program for K-4th grade students. This new initiative will provide personalized one-to-one tutoring support to 200 students no matter where they are: home, the library, or an afterschool program.

This work builds on the growing momentum to advance early literacy across the city, which we saw firsthand at the Literacy Symposium. Together, we celebrated a shared commitment to helping more students read on grade level and develop a lifelong love of learning. We’re grateful to be part of this collective effort and to see how our investment in Reading Partners contributes to a broader movement to expand opportunity in Newark and beyond.

Register your child, neighbor or mentee TODAY for free tutoring here:http://bit.ly/3Nsjbo4