The Bunbury Fund supports non-profit organizations making significant impacts across central New Jersey, and most specifically Mercer County, to strengthen their capacity to effectively advance their missions toward sustainable, organizational maturity.
The Fund awards one-year capacity building grants of up to $50,000. It also accepts proposals for multi-year grants focused on developing organizational effectiveness over a period of up to three years and a total amount of up to $150,000. It will also consider awarding a planning grant of up to $10,000 to help an organization evaluate the resources required to undertake a more comprehensive capacity building project.
Important Dates for 2023
Dates | |
Monday, January 23, 2023 | 2023 Bunbury Fund Cycle 1 Opens |
Monday, February 6, 2023 | Virtual Grant Info Session (Feb. 6 2:00pm – 3:00pm) |
Monday, February 27, 2023 | Cycle 1 requests due by 12:00pm noon from applicants |
4/27/23 – 5/1/23 | Cycle 1 Site Visits |
Thursday, May 18, 2023 | Cycle 1 Decisions emailed |
Friday, June 30, 2023 | Cycle 2 Opens |
Thursday, July 20, 2023 | Virtual Grant Info Session (2:00pm – 3:00pm) |
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 | Cycle 2 requests due by 12:00pm noon from applicants |
10/12/23 to 10/17/23 | Cycle 2 Site Visits |
Thursday, November 2, 2023 | Cycle 2 Decisions emailed |
Bunbury Fund Grantee Featured in National Philanthropy Media.
Read more about the capacity building grant here.
The Bunbury Fund recently awarded more than $1.4 million in grants to local nonprofits.
You can read more about the capacity building grants here.
Bunbury Fund Community Survey Response
In spring 2021, the Bunbury Fund sent a survey to its grantees and recent applicants seeking feedback on our processes and communication. Thank you to all who responded. Your comments were helpful and we have used them to make some specific adjustments to the process.
Thank you to our grantees for the important work you are doing. We are learning with you.
Bunbury Fund Advisors
Watch this video to learn more about the Rescue Mission, including how the nonprofit used a grant from The Bunbury Fund to help upgrade its medical information technology.
The Bunbury Fund sponsored a seminar for board and executive leaders on The Power Good Governance.
To learn more about that event, read 12 Takeaways from our Good Governance Seminar.
The Bunbury Legacy
In 1952, longtime Princeton resident Dean Mathey created The Bunbury Company as a private, grant-making foundation to further his charitable intentions. With a touch of humor, he named the foundation after Uncle Bunbury in Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Ernest. For years when an important project needed funding, and friends came seeking Dean’s support, he would routinely defer the decision until he could consult with his trusted advisor, Mr. Bunbury.
Mathey died in 1972, but his philanthropic legacy lived on through The Bunbury Company’s grantmaking. Over the next 40 years, the foundation awarded more than $75 million to central New Jersey non-profits working on important social, environmental and educational projects. In 2015, The Bunbury Company started a new chapter as a fund at the Princeton Area Community Foundation. The Bunbury Fund at the Community Foundation continues original foundation’s legacy of dedication to supporting the nonprofit sector, now with a focus on capacity-building.
Recently funded Bunbury projects:
While PACF / Bunbury Advisors do not endorse or recommend any specific consultants, we encourage applicants to reach out to peer organizations to discuss their consultant outcome and experience. A list of recent projects that Bunbury has funded is available below.
For more information or support, please contact:
Danny Freund
Grants Manager
Email Danny Freund
Nelida Valentin
Vice President, Grants & Programs
Email Nelida Valentin