Proposals Sought for New Jersey Sustainable Energy Projects

$100,000 in grants, funded by the Gardinier Environmental Fund, available to support local projects

Sustainable Jersey announced today that it is accepting applications from New Jersey municipalities and public-school districts for energy projects focused on energy conservation, efficiency and renewable energy. Funded by the Gardinier Environmental Fund, $100,000 in grant money is now available. Applications are due on October 30, 2020. Sustainable Jersey will be flexible with all grant recipient requests to modify their project scope, timeline and budget due to changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Gardinier Environmental Fund is committed to conserving the earth’s energy resources and enhancing renewable energy measures,” said Gene Wentzel, president of the Gardinier Environmental Fund. “We are proud to stand alongside Sustainable Jersey, and to continue to fund worthy projects that supports our mutual goals in New Jersey.” To date, Gardinier Environmental Fund has provided $1,110,000 to the Sustainable Jersey Grants Program.

Two $20,000 grants and six $10,000 grants are available. To submit a simple, online application, municipalities and school districts should visit: http://bit.ly/2020SJEnergyGrants. Grant proposals are being accepted from municipalities registered with Sustainable Jersey and school districts registered with Sustainable Jersey for Schools. Joint municipal government and school district projects are encouraged. For joint projects, each entity may submit a separate $20,000 or $10,000 grant application addressing its role in the project.

Funded projects for this cycle can fall into the following categories: innovative energy projects; energy resiliency including microgrids and/or energy storage; programs, planning, and policies to encourage adoption of alternative fuel vehicles (excluding the purchase of alternative fuel passenger class vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations); building efficiency upgrades (excluding lighting-only upgrades); energy education projects; and energy studies and business and engineering planning for projects likely to advance into implementation.

Proposed grant projects that would be eligible for funding or rebates available from New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program, regional utility company programs or other state government incentive programs must leverage these resources in addition to the Sustainable Jersey grant as part of the overall project budget. A list of available incentive programs is available at http://www.bit.ly/EnergyIncentivesChart.

“We hope this funding will encourage a broad range of proposals for new ideas for energy conservation, efficiency and renewable energy. There has been a lot of progress in this area, but we need to do more to incentivize projects at the local level. Investments will help us make progress toward the goal of a more sustainable and resilient New Jersey,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey.