The Town Crier - Legislative Backgrounder

New Jersey’s FY2026 state budget includes multiple grant opportunities for municipalities. These grants span numerous state departments and programs, each with its own timeline and application requirements. Below is a roadmap by the department, outlining some grant programs available to municipalities.

Board of Public Utilities (BPU) Grant Details

• Clean Fleet EV Incentive Program: About $4 thousand per electric vehicle and $1.5 thousand per Level 2 charger to help towns green fleets and improve air quality. Multiple units are allowed per town.
• Broadband & Energy Initiatives: BPU offers periodic funding for energy resilience (i.e., microgrid design) and broadband expansion. Recent efforts include Town Center Microgrid grants and the August 2024 Broadband Deployment Challenge.

Application Timeline

• Community Energy Grants: CEPG/CEPI typically open mid-December and close late February. Expect a similar FY2026 window (likely Dec 2025-Feb 2026).
• Clean Fleet EV Program: Opens July 1 each fiscal year; FY2026 round began July 1, 2025. Rolling awards—early application recommended.
• Other BPU Grants: Microgrid and broadband programs are ad hoc with separate announcements. Watch BPU press releases for future opportunities.

Department of Agriculture (NJDA) Grant Details

• Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) Treatment Grants: New Jersey is providing funding to counties and municipalities to combat the invasive spotted lanternfly. For FY2024-26, grants of up to $50,000 per county and $20,000 per municipality are available to reimburse the costs of chemical treatments targeting SLF. This program, launched in 2023, aims to reduce the SLF population and its spread.

Application Timeline

• Spotted Lanternfly Grants: The SLF funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis through 2024-2026. NJDA opened this program in January 2024. There is no hard deadline; towns can apply anytime during the 3-year period until funds are exhausted. Ideally, municipalities should apply in the same season they incur treatment expenses for prompt reimbursement.

Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Grant Details

• Local Recreation Improvement Grants (LRIG): Competitive grants (state-funded) for improving municipal parks, playgrounds, and recreation facilities. Grants up to $100 thousand (sometimes higher for exceptional projects) help upgrade community centers, sports fields, trails, etc. All 564 municipalities are eligible, as are counties and school districts. This popular program, launched in FY2022, has continued annually with significant funding. Available in 2025 and 2026.
• LEAP Grant: LEAP grants from New Jersey's Division of Local Government Services fund shared services and cost-cutting initiatives. They support planning, implementation, and staffing for regional collaboration projects like municipal consolidations and school mergers.
• Small Cities CDBG: Federally funded, DCA-administered grants for non-entitlement towns to fund ADA accessibility, water/sewer upgrades, and housing rehab. Awards are usually between $200 thousand –$400 thousand and communities that receive direct HUD CDBG funds. 

Application Timeline 

• Local Recreation Improvement Grant (LRIG): DCA typically announces LRIG in the fall, with applications due in winter. For FY2024, LRIG applications were due Feb 27, 2024. For FY2025, DCA opened the portal around November 2024 and set a deadline of January 31, 2025. Expect the FY2026 round to be announced in late 2025 with a deadline in Q1 2026. Awards are usually announced by late spring.
• LEAP Shared Services Grants: The LEAP program runs on the state fiscal year. For FY2025, the application opened in fall 2024, and the deadline was May 30, 2025. We anticipate FY2026 LEAP grants will open around November 2025 and close by late May 2026.
• Small Cities CDBG: This program runs on a cycle aligned with federal funding. DCA usually opens applications in the fall for the next federal fiscal year’s allocation. The 2025 round opened in fall 2024. So for FY2026, we anticipate an October 2025 application opening and a due date in late December 2025

Grant Details

• Green Acres Grants (Parks & Open Space): One of New Jersey’s longest-running programs, Green Acres provides matching grants (25–50% of project costs) and 0% interest loans for parkland acquisition and development. Special Urban Aid municipalities and inclusive-playground projects may qualify for higher grant shares or even 100% funding. Funds cover parkland purchase, playground improvements, sports fields, walking trails, and more.
• Urban Parks Initiative Supplemental: These non-matching grants top off Green Acres awards for recreation projects in Adversely Stressed Overburdened (Environmental Justice) communities. Eligible Urban Aid municipalities with high environmental stressors can receive 100% of project costs. 
• It Pays to Plug In (EV Charging Grants): Rolling, first-come, first-served grants fund Level 2 and DC fast charging stations. Municipalities may get up to $4,000 per Level 2 port (or more for DC fast chargers). Funded by New Jersey’s Volkswagen settlement and other sources, applications are accepted year-round. 

• Miscellaneous DEP administers additional programs: Clean Communities grants for litter cleanup, NJ Historic Commission grants (via Dept. of State), Marine Fisheries grants, and more. The grants above represent the broadest municipal opportunities.

Application Timeline

• Green Acres Grants: FY 2026 expected announcement October 2025; deadline early February 2026. 
• Urban Parks Initiative: Follows Green Acres schedule (FY 2025 due February 5, 2025; FY 2026 anticipated similar timeline). 
• It Pay$ to Plug In: Last active April 1, 2025; rolling, first-come-first-served via Drive Green NJ until funds run out.
• Clean Stormwater & Resilience Grants: Round 1: September 26–November 30, 2024. 319(h) and future resilience grants: expected mid–late 2025.
• Urban & Community Forestry Grant: Green Communities planning grants: open year-round. FY 2026 implementation RFP: expected late summer 2025; additional federal-funded RFPs likely Q4 2025. 

Department of Health 

Grant Details 

• Local Health Department Grant Programs: The NJ Department of Health offers various grants to county and local health departments and community organizations. Key programs that involve municipalities include:
  1. Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention (CLEP) Grants: DOH provides grants to local health agencies for lead screening, education, and abatement activities. For example, the department issued an RFA for Childhood Lead Exposure Prevention projects for July 2023–June 2026.
• Overdose Prevention & Behavioral Health Grants: DOH’s Office of Opioid Response funds local initiatives like Overdose Fatality Review Teams and Community-Based Naloxone Distribution. Many of these grants go to counties, but municipalities (through their health department or human services office) might participate. For instance, some municipal health departments have been funded to convene overdose fatality review teams. 

Application Timeline.  

• Competitive Health Grants: DOH’s competitive grant RFAs usually have specific annual or multi-year cycles.
  1. The Childhood Lead Prevention: Grant RFA (July 2023 start) likely had an application due in spring 2023. If DOH continues it after June 2026, an RFA for a new cycle might appear in late 2025 or early 2026. Keep an eye out for the end of the current project period. 
• Opioid/Overdose grants: DOH issued RFAs for programs like Overdose Fatality Review Teams for 2024-2025. These kinds of RFAs often come out in late winter or spring for a July start.

Department of Human Services (DHS) 

Grant Details 

• Inclusive Healthy Communities (IHC) Grants: A signature DHS program (through the Division of Disability Services) providing grants up to $250,000 (over 2 years) to municipalities and counties (and nonprofits) to make communities more inclusive and healthier for people with disabilities. Projects can range from ADA improvements and accessible playgrounds to inclusive programming and planning studies. Since 2021, 31 grants have been awarded across NJ, including many municipalities. 
• Opioid Settlement Funds: Some municipalities can receive grants or sub-grants for local opioid response (like supportive housing or recovery centers) using these funds. For instance, if your town has a high overdose rate, the county might steer extra resources your way via a competitive or need-based process. 

Application Timeline 

Department of Law & Public Safety (LPS / Attorney General’s Office) 

Grant Details 

• Safe and Secure Communities Program: A longstanding program that provides state grant funds to municipalities for hiring or retaining police officers. Grants typically offer a fixed amount (around $30,000 per officer) to cover a portion of an officer’s salary. Towns must match the rest. This is formula-based but requires application. Around 200 municipalities participate, especially those with higher crime rates or financial constraints. 
• Body Armor Replacement Grants: Annual state grants to help law enforcement agencies purchase bullet-resistant vests. Every police department (and State Police, County Sheriff, etc.) that applies receives an allocation based on the number of officers. The FY2024 Body Armor Replacement fund provided awards (the program is funded by fines revenue) – e.g., the AG announced SFY24 awards recently. Town police departments use these funds on a two-year cycle to ensure vests are replaced before end-of-life. Look out for these grants in 2026! 
• Emergency Management Grants: Though Law & Public Safety includes NJ State Police and emergency management, the EMAA (Emergency Management Agency Assistance) grants to municipalities are passed through the NJ State Police and require an annual application by each town’s emergency management coordinator.  

Application Timeline 

• Safe and Secure Communities: This program runs on the state fiscal year and is usually recurring. Municipalities must submit applications (or re-applications) describing their use of funds (often funding an officer position) and meet requirements. Practical timeline: Look for the application announcement soon after July 1. Ensure to apply promptly (likely by August/September). Awards can typically be incorporated into your policing budget for that fiscal year. 
• Body Armor Grants: The AG’s Office typically announces the vest grant availability each summer. Applications are often due in the Fall; We suggest you mark your calendar by August or check the AG’s grants page.  

Department of State (Secretary of State) 

Grant Details 

• NJ Historic Commission & Historical Grants: The Department of State, through the New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) and other cultural agencies, offers grants that municipalities can benefit from:  
  1. County History Partnership Program (CHPP): NJHC provides funding to every county, which in turn re-grants to local entities (including municipalities or local historical societies) for historical projects. Municipal historic commissions or museums can apply to their county for these funds. 
• Historical Commission Project Grants: Municipal governments and local organizations can apply directly to NJHC for special history projects, exhibits, or preservation planning. These competitive grants have limits (often in the $5,000–$25,000 range). They require a detailed proposal highlighting how the project will preserve or promote NJ history. 
• Cultural and Arts Grants: The NJ State Council on the Arts provides funding for arts programming. Most grants go to non-profit arts organizations, but municipalities sometimes get Local Arts Program (LAP) grants through county arts agencies. Similar to the history grant’s structure, each county gets arts funding to re-grant locally. Some towns also directly receive Arts Council grants if they run major arts venues or festivals, but usually a non-profit arm is involved. 

Application Timeline 

• Historical Commission Grants:  
  1. Project Grants from NJHC: Usually announced in late fall, due in winter (around December or January), with awards in spring for projects in the calendar year.  
• County re-grants (History & Arts): Counties often issue their calls in summer or early fall for the upcoming year’s projects. For example, a municipal historic commission seeking a $2,000 county history grant for 2026 should look out in mid-2025 for the application from the county cultural & heritage commission. 
• Arts Council Grants: Major Arts Council grants (at arts organizations) open in winter from July start. For municipalities, the relevant piece is the County Local Arts Program (LAP) – counties get their allocation in July and often have fall application deadlines for towns/nonprofits to apply for a portion. Check with your County arts office around August/September 2025 for the FY2026 local arts grant application. 

Department of Transportation (DOT) 

Grant Details 

• Municipal Aid Program: The flagship DOT grant program for towns, funded by the state Transportation Trust Fund. Provides grants for local road, street, and bridge improvement projects. Every municipality can apply annually, and awards are put together by country, by formula/population, but on a competitive basis. Typical grants range from $150,000 to $1 million, depending on project and town size. 
• Transit Village Grants: For designated Transit Village municipalities (around 33 towns hold this designation), NJDOT offers grants to support downtown infrastructure improvements near transit facilities (pedestrian safety, beautification, etc.). These are competitive, and only those with Transit Village status can apply. 
• Bikeway Grants: NJDOT offers discrete grants for bicycle infrastructure – like new bike paths or bike lanes. All municipalities can apply, but keep in mind that DOT tends to fund projects that create regional connections. 
• Safe Streets to Transit: Another specialized DOT grant aimed at improving pedestrian access to transit stations/stops. Any town (not just Transit Villages) can propose projects like new sidewalks, crosswalk improvements, shuttle stop improvements, etc., especially within a mile of a transit facility.
• FYI – Federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A): Not a state program, but municipalities can apply directly to USDOT for road safety action plan and implementation grants.
• Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside: Federal funds administered by NJDOT for bicycle/pedestrian, historic transportation facilities, Safe Routes to School, and other non-traditional projects. Municipalities can apply (usually every 2 years). Recent TA rounds have funded trails, streetscape improvements, greenways, etc.
• Local Freight Impact Fund: State grants for towns or counties that have heavy truck traffic, to fix roads damaged by trucks or improve freight routes. If your town has a freight facility or many trucks, you could apply for this to reconstruct those routes with stronger pavement, etc.

Application Timeline 

• Municipal Aid: NJDOT typically releases the application in late summer (around August). The deadline is usually in early October. For FY2026 Municipal Aid, expect the application to open in August 2025 with an Oct 2025 due date, and awards by Spring 2026. Towns are encouraged to apply each year. 
• Transit Village, Bikeway, Safe Streets to Transit: These programs are not on fixed annual schedules. NJDOT opens them as funding allows (often every 1-2 years). When they are open, it’s usually parallel to the Municipal Aid timeline (late summer announcement, fall due date). A good example is that the Bikeway grant round might be announced in August with an October deadline (same SAGE system as Municipal Aid).  
• Transportation Alternatives (TA) & Safe Routes to School (SRTS): NJDOT issues a combined solicitation for TA and SRTS about every two years. The last was in FY2023. The next round will come in FY2025 or FY2026.  
• Local Aid Infrastructure Fund (discretionary): NJDOT also has a discretionary pot that municipalities can request emergency project funding from. There’s no formal timeline for that; towns send requests as needed (for example, after severe storm damage, critical roads). 

We encourage municipalities to prepare proactively to successfully obtain and utilize these grants. For FY26, start early and align your local projects with available grants. To meet application deadlines, have your documentation and any other supporting documents ready. We suggest marking your calendars now, especially because every August–October is NJDOT local aid grant season (Municipal Aid always, and often others concurrently). TA/SRTS might be off cycle, so watch for separate announcements!