On Earth Day 2025, Sustainable South Jersey awarded $3,400 from its Caren Kaufman Memorial Fund to five community organizations in South Jersey. The program was created to honor Caren Kaufman, a grassroots activist who was dedicated to sustainability and health.
“We are thrilled to announce the award of five mini-grants to support innovative, community-driven sustainability projects across our region—empowering local action for a greener, more resilient South Jersey,” said Dana Patterson Grear, President, Sustainable South Jersey. “We’re deeply grateful to our generous donors—your contributions are fueling meaningful change right here in our communities.”
In 2010, Caren Kaufman was diagnosed with breast cancer. Receiving this unexpected, life-changing news triggered her to research causes; she wondered if environmental factors could have contributed to her illness. To gain further insight, she felt compelled to volunteer with Sustainable Cherry Hill, one of the first South Jersey-based sustainability organizations. She immediately formed a Green Health Task Force and worked to make the environment safer. Her task force put on many presentations each year with health and medical experts, educating thousands of people in the South Jersey region.
A natural born leader, Caren became Board President of Sustainable Cherry Hill, leading the all-volunteer organization. During her tenure, she recognized that the movement was growing so rapidly, so she led a re-branding of the organization from “Sustainable Cherry Hill” to “Sustainable South Jersey”. The new brand focused on a wider audience and aimed to spread the message about sustainability and raise awareness to people throughout South Jersey. Unfortunately, after a year and a half, she had no choice but to step down due to breast cancer recurrence. In February 2023, Caren passed away from breast cancer.
With such an important influence on so many lives, we felt strongly that we wanted to honor Caren, carry her legacy forward, and continue to give back to South Jersey communities. So, in 2023, Sustainable South Jersey launched the “Caren Kaufman Memorial Fund.” This initiative funds several $500-$1,000 grants annually to students in grades 6 through graduate collegiate programs, grassroots community leaders and/or environmental organizations who are working to create cleaner, greener, and healthier communities. The winning projects include:
- Ocean Township Garden Club: $900 for the purchase of native shrubs, pollinators, and hardscape for the prominent area to the southeast of the library.
- Sustainable Maple Shade: $1,000 for essential greenhouse equipment to ensure optimal growing conditions and support community workshops.
- Future Leaders STEM Lab: $500 for the materials and resources needed to run the Eco-Adventures: STEM & Green Engineering Workshop series.
- UrbanPromise Camden: $500 for the purchase and planting of ~45 pollinator plants for their outdoor garden, focusing on creating habitat for the Monarch Butterfly.
- Center for Environmental Transformation: $500 to purchase vital resources such as seeds and art supplies for the Eco Explorers Program.
“We are incredibly honored to be selected for funding through the Caren Kaufman Memorial Grant Program to bring our Eco-Adventures program series to life. From building solar-powered gadgets to designing eco-friendly cities and water filters, we look forward to empowering the next generation of climate-conscious problem-solvers to innovate for a greener tomorrow,” said Rob O’Flaherty, Founder, Future Leaders STEM Lab.
“Sustainable Maple Shade is thrilled to receive the Caren Kaufman Memorial Grant. It will help us turn our new community garden greenhouse into a thriving hub for hands-on learning and sustainable food growing, empowering our neighbors to grow healthy food and reduce waste,” said Jane Moxford, Member, Sustainable Maple Shade.
“CFET is pleased to be a recipient of this award, which will go toward materials costs for our Eco Explorer program, an outdoor learning experience for 1st-5th graders in the City of Camden,” said Jon Compton, Executive Director, Center for Environmental Transformation.
Congratulations to all of our awardees! Sustainable South Jersey has granted over $38,000 in mini-grants to the South Jersey community since 2018. Grants are funded via individual donations, sponsorships, and event proceeds. For those interested in donating to the Caren Kaufman Memorial Fund, click here.