The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has announced a new round of Community Energy Plan Grants (CEPG) for all New Jersey municipalities.
Donor Name: New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
State: New Jersey
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/23/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The CEPG Program will help municipalities plan for energy resilience, renewable energy, and efficiency to work toward a better environment for all residents.
This grant will be available to all municipalities, with additional support and funds provided to overburdened municipalities. The goal of the CEPG Program is to enable municipalities to review a list of suggested initiatives that will help the community identify a set of activities that will set them on a trajectory to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 12-month CEPG Program process is intended to support a review of potential initiatives and to select those best suited to municipal needs and opportunities.
The purpose of this application is for municipalities to create a Community Energy Plan that aligns local community initiatives with the State’s EMP.
Funding Information
- All municipalities that submit a completed application for a CEPG are eligible to receive a $10,000 grant award.
- Overburdened Municipalities Defined, are eligible for a $25,000 grant award.
Eligibility Criteria
The CEPG is open to projects that meet the following minimum requirements. The applicant must:
- Be a municipality;
- Review and select the list of high-impact strategies:
- Select each strategy that the municipality is interested in exploring more in-depth
- Space is provided to add specific initiatives that are not already included on the list;
- Provide a preliminary project budget;
- Submit a signed and dated municipal resolution documenting the governing body’s approval of the application and commitment to implement the required community energy plan process with the completed application form.
- Not have been awarded a Community Energy Plan Grant previously.
Overburdened Municipalities have been identified based on the below criteria:
- The municipality has over 50% of its population living in an Overburdened Community (OBC) Census Block as defined by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection pursuant to New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law, N.J.S.A. 13:1D-157; and
- The municipality meets one or both of the following criteria (either A or B):
- Over 35% of the population is living under 200% of the poverty level according to U.S. Census 2019 ACS data; or
- The municipality is categorized as “distressed” according to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (“DCA”) based on their score using the DCA’s Municipal Revitalization Index (MRI) score (a 50 or higher).
For more information, visit New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
