News and Stories

News and Stories

The Power of “Third Places”

The Power of “Third Places”

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. A place where your troubles are all the same. Yes, this is the theme song of the 1980s sitcom Cheers. But that song’s staying power goes beyond its catchy jingo. Indeed, Norm, Cliff, Kelsey, and the rest of the characters that made up the Boston bar seem to get at…

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Morris County Funders Group announces Mental Health First Aid training

Morris County Funders Group announces Mental Health First Aid training

The Morris County Funders Group, a coalition of 10 funding organizations, has announced $325,000 in collaborative funding to provide Mental Health First Aid training to Morris County organizations. Mental Health Association in New Jersey will provide the facilitation of this training. This first initiative of the Funders Group, united by the Community Foundation of New Jersey, aims to address the…

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JoAnn Tiefau, Program Officer, to retire

JoAnn Tiefau, Program Officer, to retire

After 27 years with the F. M. Kirby Foundation, JoAnn Tiefau, Program Officer, will be retiring later this year. JoAnn started at the Foundation in 1996 as a Grants Administrator, Bookkeeper, and Administrative Assistant. She went on to serve as Grants Manager, Program Associate, and Program Officer. JoAnn was responsible for the implementation of the Foundation’s first grants management system…

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Grantee Spotlight: Habitat for Humanity Durham

Grantee Spotlight: Habitat for Humanity Durham

The F.M. Kirby Foundation is pleased to celebrate 5 years of continuous partnership with Habitat for Humanity Durham. Part of a global, nonprofit housing organization founded with Christian values, Habitat for Humanity Durham seeks to put God’s love into action and bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Since being founded in 1985 by Durham Congregations in Action,…

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Grantee Spotlight: Papermill Playhouse

Grantee Spotlight: Papermill Playhouse

The F.M. Kirby Foundation is pleased to celebrate 40 years of continuous partnership with Paper Mill Playhouse. Opening its doors in 1938, Paper Mill Playhouse’s mission is to foster a creative environment to advance the musical theater art form, educate students, and develop future theater lovers. A home for cherished revivals and an incubator for new works, Paper Mill has…

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Grantee Spotlight: Student U

Grantee Spotlight: Student U

The F. M. Kirby Foundation is pleased to celebrate 10 years of continuous partnership with Student U, a community organization in Durham, North Carolina that uses the power of education, advocacy, and leadership to build a more just and equitable Durham community. Student U endeavors to empower and equip first-generation college students in Durham Public Schools. Since its founding, Student…

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Grantee Spotlight: Coastal Land Trust

Grantee Spotlight: Coastal Land Trust

The F. M. Kirby Foundation is pleased to celebrate 15 years of continuous partnership with Coastal Land Trust. Since its founding in 1992, Coastal Land Trust has fulfilled its mission of enriching the coastal communities of North Carolina through conservation and land stewardship by preserving 82, 245 acres of land to date. As an accredited regional land trust, the Trust…

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Grantee Spotlight: JDRF

Grantee Spotlight: JDRF

The F.M. Kirby Foundation is pleased to celebrate 10 years of continuous partnership with JDRF, the leading global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization. From funding innovative research to advocating for government action to providing a support structure for those living with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), JDRF is a leading organization in learning more about the disease in order…

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Grantee Spotlight: NJ PBS

Grantee Spotlight: NJ PBS

The F.M. Kirby Foundation is pleased to celebrate 10 years of continuous partnership with NJ PBS. Headquartered in Newark, NJ PBS, New Jersey’s public television network, brings quality arts, education, and public affairs programming to all 21 NJ counties and the tri-state area. In addition to local programs like Table for All, Drive by History and Sound Check, the organization…

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F. M. Kirby Foundation announces $8.48 million in grants in early 2023

F. M. Kirby Foundation announces $8.48 million in grants in early 2023

Following a recent meeting of the Board of Directors, the F. M. Kirby Foundation announced that 88 grants totaling $8,481,600 were approved in the first four months of 2023 to nonprofit organizations working to foster self-reliance and create strong, healthy communities throughout Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, as well as national nonprofits largely based in Washington,…

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