Business

Thank you for joining us as we work toward achieving Nurture NJ’s mission to make New Jersey the safest, most equitable place in the nation to deliver and raise a baby. On this page, you will find the recommended activities and associated resources to aid you and your fellow business leaders in implementing the plan.

Click on the STEP below that represents where you are in the process of supporting Nurture NJ.

If you are just beginning, click on Step-1.
If you have been implementing your Nurture NJ action areas for more than three months, click on Step-2.
If you are more than six months into implementation, click on Step-3.
Finally, if you have been working on Nurture NJ initiatives for more than nine months, click on Step-4.

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

These recommendations apply to you if you are one of the following:

Business Community
Chambers of Commerce
Business Associations

We are thrilled to work in community with you. Welcome aboard!

Recommendation 4.5

Actively shift public and private sector mindsets on benefits of shared decision-making with the community.

Activities to Begin in Support of 4.5

All statewide and regional business associations should commit to an equity assessment and learning process.

Tools, Resources and Models

Assessing Organizational Racial Justice. This is a tool to assess the degree of organizational engagement with racial equity actions. It identifies gaps and opportunities to strengthen racial equity action within an organization.

Recommendation 1.5

The state should convene the private sector to incentivize and engage them in action on racial equity. See Recommendations 2.4 and 3.2 for associated activities.

Activities to Begin in Support of 1.5

State business leaders should work with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the Department of Labor to identify best practices in racial justice and community engagement work, and then uplift these practices to others in the statewide business community to help further engagement of people facing maternal and infant health challenges.

Tools, Resources and Models

Kramer, Mark. “The 10 Commitments Companies Must Make to Advance Racial Justice.” Harvard Business Review, June 2020.
Kramer, Mark and Porter, Michael. “The Competitive Advantage of Philanthropy.” Harvard Business Review, February 2012.

Recommendation 3.3

Establish a center in the state capital that focuses on innovation in maternal and infant health through partnerships with the state’s departments and agencies, academic, funder, business, and faith communities.

Activities to Begin in Support of 3.3

Business leaders should partner with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to establish a Nurture NJ Business Roundtable, and prioritize potential partnerships to benefit Nurture NJ, including:
investing in community organizations that promote and provide wrap-around services for pregnant individuals and babies.
driving innovation in maternal and infant health by sponsoring challenges similar to Johnson & Johnson’s “QuickFire Challenge.”
conducting research around workforce readiness and support for parents and pregnant individuals in the workforce.
contributing to the development of a racial equity training infrastructure for private and public sectors.
expanding programs that provide low-cost computers and internet access, facilitating telehealth and health education.
supporting capacity building for creating and implementing quality improvement initiatives and utilizing quality improvement data methods and tools.

Recommendation 1.7

Explore the process and impacts of existing Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation processes to determine potential impact in New Jersey.

Activities to Begin in Support of 1.7

Commit to learning about Nurture NJ.
Public sector, private sector, and local community leaders should form healing circles in communities across New Jersey, which are overseen by a team of community experts, public sector leaders, and business executives.

Tools, Resources and Models

I.1, the Nurture NJ Strategic Plan Overview. This is a PowerPoint slide deck that can be used to learn or present to partners on key facts about Nurture NJ.
The Nurture NJ Strategic Plan
Nurture NJ Strategic Plan Companion Document: A Deeper Dive into Data and Key Concepts; Section II.4, Best Practices in Racial Equity and Racial Healing Initiatives.

Recommendation 3.3

Recommendation 4.7

Private sector businesses and/or their associations should fund, conduct, and disseminate a business case for racial equity analysis specific to New Jersey.

Activities to begin in support of 4.7

The business community should participate in a statewide assessment of the economic impact of maternal and infant health disparities.
Businesses should collaborate on regional town halls and meetings to engage and ensure community and multi-sector participation in the process.

Tools, Resources and Models

Altarum Institute. The Business Case for Racial Equity This is an analysis quantifying the benefits of reducing inequities in terms of greater earnings, consumer spending, and tax revenues, less spending on health care and incarceration, and greater economic growth. It can serve as a model for conducting a New Jersey-specific analysis.

Recommendation 3.3 Continues