Seton Hall University's foundation prioritizes local civic and community support in suburban New Jersey, directing the bulk of its dollars to municipalities and municipal projects (notably South Orange, Clifton, Nutley, and Summit). Beyond large civic grants, it routinely funds neighborhood cultural institutions, faith-based campus ministry, emergency services, and local scholarship programs — typically with unrestricted or general-purpose awards. The pattern suggests a strong emphasis on sustaining the university's host communities and nearby social infrastructure.
Highly concentrated in a few large municipal recipients (majority of dollars to top townships) combined with repeated smaller, general-purpose grants to local nonprofits; favors repeat grantees in its immediate geographic area rather than broad, issue-specific national giving.
Seton Hall University’s recent giving is defined by a concentrated pattern of general-purpose support to nearby municipalities, with the Township of South Orange Village receiving the largest awards in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That civic focus sits at the center of a broader portfolio that also reaches local public safety, cultural institutions, faith-based campus ministry, and scholarship support for children in urban communities. The foundation’s grantmaking is largely unrestricted or general-purpose, which shows up clearly in recurring awards to township governments rather than one-time project grants. In the latest grant list, South Orange Village appears alongside Township of Clifton and Township of Nutley as major recipients, while smaller awards support organizations such as South Orange Rescue Squad, South Orange Performing Arts Center, and The Scholarship Fund For Inner City Children. The overall picture is of a university-linked funder that channels most of its giving into the social and civic infrastructure surrounding its host communities, while keeping a limited portion for mission-adjacent nonprofits farther afield.
Local government and public services are the clearest funding lane. Seton Hall University gave $620,000 to Township of South Orange Village in 2025 for general purpose support, after similar awards of $611,000 in 2024 and $562,000 in 2023. It also backed Township of Clifton with $326,000 in 2025 and Township of Nutley with $279,000 in 2025, continuing a municipal pattern across Essex and Passaic County. The foundation also supports community infrastructure beyond government. It awarded $12,000 to South Orange Rescue Squad in 2024, reflecting support for local emergency services. Cultural and civic life appears in grants such as $8,000 to South Orange Performing Arts Center Inc in 2025 and $8,000 to Soma Cross Cultural Works Inc in 2024. Education-related giving includes $10,000 to The Scholarship Fund For Inner City Children in 2023.
Typical grants are modest at the center of the portfolio, with a p25 of $7,750, a median of $11,000, and a p75 of $181,000; the distribution is pulled upward by large municipal awards. The recurring pattern is clear: several recipients appear across multiple years, especially South Orange Village, Clifton, Nutley, Summit, Saint Paul's Outreach, South Orange Performing Arts Center Inc, and Soma Cross Cultural Works Inc. That repeated funding suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards. The foundation gives as a university-linked institutional funder and uses flexible support heavily, with many grants labeled general purpose. No individual-grant application process is indicated in the data.
$3.6M
$921.7M
$563.8M
$550.7M
Most grants fall between $8K and $181K, with a median of $11K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$11K
75th Percentile
$181K
About 79% of grants go to recipients in NJ.
KATIA PASSERINI PHD
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Notable grantees: Township of South Orange Village, Township of Clifton, Township of Nutley, South Orange Performing Arts Center, Saint Paul's Outreach
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly centered in New Jersey, which accounts for 79% of grants and is also the top state by count. South Orange, Clifton, Nutley, and Summit anchor the map, with South Orange Village receiving repeated large awards and nearby cities such as Maplewood and East Orange also appearing. Outside New Jersey, the recent list includes Washington, DC; St Paul, MN; Cary, NC; and Chesapeake, VA. All recorded grants in the dataset went to US recipients.
The recent grant list shows a strong emphasis on municipal governments and local public services, especially townships in New Jersey. It also supports community institutions such as South Orange Performing Arts Center Inc, South Orange Rescue Squad, and organizations tied to scholarships, campus ministry, and cross-cultural work.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Township of South Orange Village in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Township of Clifton in 2023 and 2025; Township of Nutley in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and South Orange Performing Arts Center Inc and Saint Paul's Outreach across more than one year.
The grant-size distribution centers on smaller awards, with a p25 of $7,750 and a median of $11,000. Larger municipal grants lift the upper end of the range, with a p75 of $181,000.
New Jersey is the main destination, receiving 79% of grants and ranking first by count. Recent recipients are concentrated in South Orange, Clifton, Nutley, Summit, Maplewood, and East Orange, with a smaller number of grants going to cities in DC, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Virginia.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOWNSHIP OF SOUTH ORANGE VILLAGE | SOUTH ORANGE, NJ | $620,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| TOWNSHIP OF CLIFTON | CLIFTON, NJ | $326,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| TOWNSHIP OF NUTLEY | NUTLEY, NJ | $279,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CITY OF SUMMIT NJ | SUMMIT, NJ | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SOMA CROSS CULTURAL WORKS INC | MAPLEWOOD, NJ | $8,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MAISON FORTUNE ORPHANAGE | CHESAPEAKE, VA | $7,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR INNER CHILD (SCHFUN) | NEWARK, NJ | $7,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SOUTH ORANGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INC | SOUTH ORANGE, NJ | $6,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE V FOUNDATION (THEFOU) | CARY, NC | $6,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NAACP ORANGE & MAPLEWOOD BRANCH | EAST ORANGE, NJ | $6,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SAINT PAUL'S OUTREACH | ST PAUL, MN | $6,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| Township of South Orange Village | South Orange, NJ | $611,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Township of Clifton NJ | Clifton, NJ | $262,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Township of Nutley NJ | Nutley, NJ | $154,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| City of Summit NJ | Summit, NJ | $52,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Society Neuro Immune Pharmacolgy | Washington, DC | $28,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| South Orange Rescue Squad | South Orange, NJ | $12,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| SOMA Cross Cultural Works INc | Maplewood, NJ | $10,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| South Orange Performing Arts Center Inc | South Orange, NJ | $8,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Saint Paul's Outreach | St Paul, MN | $6,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Township of South Orange Village | South Orange, NJ | $562,000 | 2023 | General Purpose |
| Township of Clifton NJ | Clifton, NJ | $332,000 | 2023 | General Purpose |
| Township of Nutley NJ | Nutley, NJ | $146,000 | 2023 | General Purpose |
| City of Summit NJ | Summit, NJ | $61,000 | 2023 | General Purpose |
| Saint Paul's Outreach | St Paul, MN | $10,000 | 2023 | General Purpose |
| The Scholarship Fund For Inner City Children | Newark, NJ | $10,000 | 2023 | General Purpose |
| South Orange Performing Arts Center Inc | South Orange, NJ | $9,000 | 2023 | General Purpose |
| SOMA Cross Cultural Works INc | Maplewood, NJ | $8,000 | 2023 | General Purpose |
TOWNSHIP OF SOUTH ORANGE VILLAGE
$620,000GENERAL PURPOSE
TOWNSHIP OF CLIFTON
$326,000GENERAL PURPOSE
TOWNSHIP OF NUTLEY
$279,000GENERAL PURPOSE
CITY OF SUMMIT NJ
$40,000GENERAL PURPOSE
SOMA CROSS CULTURAL WORKS INC
$8,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MAISON FORTUNE ORPHANAGE
$7,000GENERAL PURPOSE
SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR INNER CHILD (SCHFUN)
GENERAL PURPOSE
SOUTH ORANGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INC
$6,000GENERAL PURPOSE
THE V FOUNDATION (THEFOU)
$6,000GENERAL PURPOSE
NAACP ORANGE & MAPLEWOOD BRANCH
$6,000GENERAL PURPOSE
SAINT PAUL'S OUTREACH
$6,000GENERAL PURPOSE
Township of South Orange Village
$611,000General Purpose
Township of Clifton NJ
$262,000General Purpose
Township of Nutley NJ
$154,000General Purpose
City of Summit NJ
$52,000General Purpose
Society Neuro Immune Pharmacolgy
$28,000General Purpose
South Orange Rescue Squad
$12,000General Purpose
SOMA Cross Cultural Works INc
$10,000General Purpose
South Orange Performing Arts Center Inc
$8,000General Purpose
Saint Paul's Outreach
$6,000General Purpose
Township of South Orange Village
$562,000General Purpose
Township of Clifton NJ
$332,000General Purpose
Township of Nutley NJ
$146,000General Purpose
City of Summit NJ
$61,000General Purpose
Saint Paul's Outreach
$10,000General Purpose
The Scholarship Fund For Inner City Children
$10,000General Purpose
South Orange Performing Arts Center Inc
$9,000General Purpose
SOMA Cross Cultural Works INc
$8,000General Purpose