Our Story

Drone view of Downtown Toms River

For over 50 years the Grunin family has called the Central Jersey Shore home. Deep roots have anchored their presence which have fostered an unwavering commitment from the family to partner with the community to cultivate an equitable, just, and vibrant Central Jersey Shore where everyone thrives.

Jay Grunin and the late Linda Grunin, Co-Founders of the Grunin Foundation, met at NYU School of Law in 1967, later married, and settled in Toms River, New Jersey. In the 1970s, they established their own small law firm in Ocean County, one of the fastest-growing counties at the time, where their practice thrived. Over the years, they expanded their business interests to include real estate and other investments. In the 1990s, Jay and Linda dissolved their law practice to concentrate full time on their two greatest passions: business investments and philanthropy. In 2013, Jay and Linda, along with their only child, Jeremy (President of the Grunin Foundation), formalized their charitable pursuits and created the Grunin Foundation.

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We are committed to working towards an equitable, just, and vibrant Central Jersey Shore.

Grunin Foundation 2024-2026 Strategic Plan

In late 2022, we realized not only that our funding and EDIB strategies were operating separately, but also that we needed to be more connected to community to truly fund equitably. We believe it is essential to our mission to find meaningful ways to integrate Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging in everything we do. We have pledged to co-learn and work with our partners, colleagues, and communities to help break down barriers, uplift marginalized voices, celebrate diversity, and champion a more just and equitable society. To achieve this, we took a step back and engaged experienced consultants from the Novalia Collective to guide us through our strategic planning process.

View Our 2024-2026 Strategic Plan