Sustainable Jersey for Schools plans to award up to $180,000 in grants for schools and school districts affiliated with the New Jersey Education Association, the organization announced.

With its latest contribution, the NJEA has now contributed $2.5 million to the program to support a sustainable future for children and communities across the state.

Online Grant Application

The deadline to apply for a grant is Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

Access the online grant application.

Make sure to record the email address and password for the application. Grant recipients will need that information to log into the system to complete reporting requirements.

Applicant Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for this funding, applicants must:

  • Be a New Jersey public school district or *school with an NJEA local association.
  • Registered with the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Program (your school does NOT need to be currently certified). Applicants can check their registration status via the instructions in Section Two of Section F of the Application Information Packet.
  • Have appointed a school or district green team that meets the Green Team Action Standard. Note that the principal or superintendent needs to invite the union leadership of the school district to appoint up to two members to the green team.

* Sustainable Jersey encourages partnerships between schools and nonprofit organizations. Note that while grants can only be awarded to school/school districts, with checks made payable to the school/school district and sent to its fiscal agent, funding may be passed through to a partner organization, contractor, or consultant.

Applicants that have received previous Sustainable Jersey grants must meet additional eligibility requirements where applicable, as outlined in the Application Information Packet.

Available Grants

This cycle will award*:

  • Ten $10,000 project grants to districts and schools.
  • Forty $2,000 grants to support school green teams.

* Note that the total number of grant awards will be dependent on the number and quality of applications received in the cycle. The above listed numbers of each type of grant awards are estimates and may not reflect the final selection of grant awards.

School districts can only apply for $10,000 grants whereas individual schools can apply for both $2,000 and $10,000 grants. District applications should focus on programs or projects that benefit more than one school. Schools can apply for both a $2,000 and a $10,000 grant, however, can only receive one grant award per cycle. In these cases, the application for the $10,000 grant is considered for funding first.

An informational flier is available that you can share with your peers to promote this opportunity and help find funding for sustainability projects in your community.

For a brief overview of this grants cycle, download the QuickStart Guide. This is a great way to start a discussion with your project team about applying for a grant. This document is particularly helpful for first-time applicants who want a better idea of what is required to apply for a grant.

For a detailed overview of this grants cycle, download the Application Information Packet. Reference this packet while you complete the online grant application. This document contains background information, instructions, templates for required uploads, and resources relevant to this grants cycle.