Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Learn what makes Isles different.
General Questions
What does the name Isles mean?
Isles is a metaphor for the concept of neighborhood-scale islands of development within a community.
What is Isles? Who started it? What do you do?
Isles is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community development and environmental organization working in the greater Trenton area.
Under the leadership of Marty Johnson, Isles has expanded since 1981 from a student-initiated seminar at Princeton University into a nationally and internationally recognized regional effort with an annual budget of more than $4 million and a fulltime staff of more than 40 people. Isles approaches nonprofit work very differently from traditional nonprofits. We believe people - including those society has written off - are perfectly capable of solving their own problems; if just given the education and tools to do so. Isles offers a range of self-help tools to help people build assets for themselves and to restore the environment. But… we define assets beyond just traditional assets like a home, a job, and financial savings. By assets we also mean things like a healthy environment, education, personal health, and hope for the future.
How many people benefit from Isles' opportunties?
 Each year, thousands of Central New Jersey residents benefit from Isles' opportunities. Among those we reach: more than 1,000 families benefit from Community Outreach programs each year; 50-60 high school drop-outs participate in Isles' YouthBuild Institute. More than 3,000 children and adults participate in ourEnvironmental Education programs each year.
Who are the primary supporters of Isles?
Each year, Isles must raise approximately $3 million to support annual operating needs. That support comes from an array of over 1,500 diverse sources, including foundations, government agencies, project-specific government grants, corporations, and individuals. Cuts in federal and state funding increase demands upon Isles, programs as well as the foundations and other private sources that fund us.
How can I support Isles' work?
Our success is increasingly due to the assistance from concerned individuals and organizations regionally, nationally and internationally. This support and feedback allow us to keep working towards self-sufficient and sustainable communities. Please see our How Can You Help page for details.
Why should I support Isles?
Many good and important organizations in our region that focus on one or two issues facing urban communities, including hunger, homelessness, and environmental health. We regularly partner with many of these groups.
Our approach, however, is different. We feel that the only way to help people become more self-sufficient is to give them the self-help tools they need to solve the interconnected problems they face. That is why we have evolved from an organization which concentrated first on urban gardening and housing, to one that now includes programs for job-training, environmental health, financial self-reliance and building community leadership.
How does Isles evaluate its work and measure success?
Isles has an intensive evaluation process that looks at quantitative and qualitative outcomes of our programs. In addition, Isles participates in the National Success Measures Project, which aims to examine this issue in urban communities across the country. Isles President Marty Johnson, formerly chaired this initiative.
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