NEW JERSEY –The Murphy Administration Tuesday announced the availability of Green Acres grants and loans to local governments and nonprofits to develop or update parks and preserve open space.
The 2025 funding round continues the expanded initiative for municipalities and counties to construct completely inclusive playgrounds.
Green Acres funds for the 2025 application round will establish, expand, or revitalize new and existing parks, acquire land, improve waterfront access, develop athletic fields and playgrounds, create open space opportunities, and enhance land stewardship.
Green Acres also will continue to provide non-matching grants to incentivize projects in Adversely Stressed Overburdened Communities in Urban Aid municipalities, using both regular Green Acres funding as well as special Urban Parks grant funding made available from the FY25 state budget.
Green Acres and Urban Parks applications are now available on the Green Acres website; the application deadline for both funding opportunities is Feb. 5, 2025.
“New Jersey established itself a leader in protecting open space and enhancing recreational opportunities with the creation of the Green Acres Program in 1961,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “Through this program, New Jersey has an ever-growing network of open space and recreational facilities that has improved the quality of life for millions of people. The DEP urges local governments and eligible nonprofits to apply for Green Acres funding to further expand recreational and open space access statewide, especially in communities long overburdened by environmental stressors.”
“We are proud to continue our expanded initiative to empower municipalities and counties to create completely inclusive playgrounds,” said Elizabeth Dragon, Assistant Commissioner for Community Investment and Economic Revitalization. “We are committed to ensuring that every child, regardless of ability, can experience the joy of play.”
2025 Funding Round Details
The 2023 funding round introduced 75 percent grant funding to counties to construct completely inclusive playgrounds that are designed according to special guidelines established by the Department of Community Affairs as a result of Jake’s Law. In 2024, this initiative was expanded to include municipalities to encourage inclusive playgrounds statewide. Although Green Acres will continue to fund completely inclusive playgrounds, the 2025 funding round will be the last opportunity for these special non-competitive incentive grants.
In addition, starting with the 2025 funding round, any loans awarded for eligible projects – whether for land acquisition or park development – will carry a 0% interest rate. This lower rate was previously only available for projects in Urban Aid municipalities.
Green Acres continues to emphasize the importance of meaningful public engagement early in the project planning stage. Whereas a public hearing was previously considered sufficient to inform residents, Green Acres applicants are now required to engage early with the public in a variety of ways and consider that public input in project planning, in order to be considered eligible for funding.
Non-matching 100 percent grant funding is available for Urban Parks projects that advance recreation, conservation, and historic preservation projects in Adversely Stressed Overburdened Communities in Urban Aid municipalities, further emphasizing the Murphy Administration’s commitment to environmental justice. These communities are so designated because they have a combined stressor total higher than the 50th percentile for total environmental and public health stressors.
Funding for these recreation and conservation projects comes from both the DEP’s Green Acres Program, funded by the Corporate Business Tax, and the Urban Parks Program, which is funded by a state budget appropriation.
Virtual Information Sessions
Green Acres will be hosting several virtual application information sessions:
- October 30 – Application overview and Q&A
- 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for Acquisition projects (including Green Acres and Urban Parks)
- 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. for Park Development (Green Acres and Urban Parks), Stewardship, and Jake’s Law projects
- November 25 – Application Q&A
- 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. for all projects
- December 18 – Application Q&A
- 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. for all projects
Notices of these information sessions have been sent to stakeholders, and links to the virtual application information sessions are posted on the Green Acres website. The virtual application information sessions will be recorded, and the recordings also will be available on the Green Acres website.
New Jersey has long been a leader in preserving open space and creating parks. The Green Acres Program, the oldest of its kind in the nation, was created in 1961 as the result of an innovative bond referendum. To date, the Green Acres Program has protected more than 725,000 acres of open space and provided hundreds of recreational facilities around the state.
Green Acres projects create jobs and stimulate economic development by making communities more attractive places to live and work, consequently boosting civic pride. They also improve air and water quality, providing New Jerseyans with a better quality of life. Green Acres funding allows governments and nonprofits to leverage millions of additional preservation dollars through matching federal, state, county and local funds, as well as from private sources.
The DEP is a partner in the Governor’s Population Health Challenge, which calls on state agencies to promote health through their policies. Studies have found that investments in parks and recreational amenities positively impact health and fitness, resulting in less strain on the health-care system. Studies also demonstrate that people are likely to be more physically active if they live close to parks and recreational facilities.
To learn more about the Green Acres Program, visit www.NJGreenAcres.org.
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