Text

theses

This dissertation examines the history of Victoria Foundation from its inception in 1924 through 2003, with a special emphasis on its place-based urban grantmaking in Newark, New Jersey from 1964 through 2003. Insights into Victoria’s role and impact in Newark, particularly those connected to its extensive preK-12 education grantmaking, were gleaned through an analyses of the evolution of Newark, the history of education in Newark, and the history of foundations in America. Several themes emerged from the research, an examination of the archives, and 28 oral history interviews including: charity vs. philanthropy, risk-taking, scattershot grantmaking, self-reflection, issues of race, and evaluation. Victoria awarded more than 4,000 grants totaling $136.5 million to nonprofit organizations working to improve the quality of life for children and families in Newark. The vast majority of Victoria’s grantmaking supported direct programs targeting youth, as well as capacity-building grants to strengthen the nonprofit sector. The dissertation delves into six long-term Victoria-funded initiatives to better understand the Foundation’s impact in its target city, including: the Newark-Victoria Plan at the Cleveland School, the Chad Schools, the Newark Collaboration Group, New Community Corporation, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Bank Street Project New Beginnings. Only two of these efforts engaged independent evaluators to assess outcomes. In the absence of reliable empirical evidence to determine impact, the researcher relied heavily on the perceptions of key stakeholders and anecdotal information to conclude whether the projects accomplished their respective goals. Among its findings, the dissertation concludes that Victoria evolved from a small foundation governed by family and friends in 1924 to a mid-sized philanthropy valued at $200 million in 2003, overseen by a hybrid board composed of both family and community members with a professional staff of seven. The overwhelming perception from trustees, staff, grantee executives, and community leaders is that Victoria made a profound difference in the lives of thousands of children and families residing in Newark. Former Mayor Sharpe James said, “Many of the programs that Victoria Foundation aided, gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, they’re still alive today because of Victoria. If you were to take all those out of Newark, I’d move tomorrow.”

ETD_5586

Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references

Includes vita

by Irene Cooper-Basch

doi:10.7282/T3CF9NC6

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.