The Monmouth County Municipal Park Improvement Grant Program assists municipalities by providing additional funding needed to make park improvements in municipal parks and open space.
Donor Name: County of Monmouth
State: New Jersey
County: Monmouth County (NJ)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/09/2026
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
In 2023, the Board of County Commissioners revised the Municipal Open Space Grant Program and split it into two new programs, one grant program for parks and open space development projects and a new shared services program to assist with municipal open space acquisitions. The Monmouth County Municipal Park Improvement Grant Program is a program of the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners and is administered with the assistance of the Monmouth County Park System.
The purpose of the Monmouth County Municipal Park Improvement Program is to ensure municipalities have the resources they need to make necessary park improvements on municipally owned or controlled park areas.
Goals
- The goal of the program is to improve land for parks and recreation purposes. Park improvements should focus on new recreational facilities, expansion, or improvement of existing recreational opportunities, preservation of historic resources in parks, and new or innovative approaches to providing local access to open spaces or recreational activities. Additional priority will be given to
- State-designated Urban Aid Communities and Overburdened Communities. Program limits on the number of applications and the dollars awarded have been established to enable program funding to support a larger number of municipalities. The requirement of a local contribution and local funding of program ineligible expenses provides a tangible demonstration of local commitment to what is intended to be a cooperative project.
Funding Information
County funding will be limited to $500,000 per project. Monmouth County will fund up to 50% of eligible project costs. In State- designated Urban Aid Communities, the county will increase its maximum share to 75%. Matching funds must be non-county funds. In-kind services are not eligible as project match. All funding requests should be rounded to the nearest $1,000.
Eligible Projects
Eligible Park Improvement, Development and Redevelopment Projects
- All projects must be for park, recreation, open space, and historic preservation purposes.
- A deed of open space easement or other covenant restricting the use of the project site to these purposes will be required as a condition of award.
- Building new facilities and improving existing facilities through demolition, renovation, and/or stabilization will be considered as eligible.
- Dredging of bodies of water that help to improve and expand access to recreational areas is allowable.
- All project sites must be owned by the applicant municipality, or the municipality must hold a long-term lease for a term of at least 25 years beyond the grant award, or other instruments extending for substantially 25 years beyond the grant award where a thirdparty governmental entity is also a party. In all cases the site must be under the control of the applicant municipality. When project sites are not owned in fee simple by the Municipality, additional agreements or covenants may be required. Fees for use of funded facilities are permissible.
- Projects for the preservation of historic resources must be located within a park and must comply with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
Eligibility Criteria
- Monmouth County municipalities are the only eligible applicants. Municipalities are encouraged, however, to form partnerships with other public or non-profit organizations to strengthen and enhance project proposals. The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners will enter into grant agreements with municipalities only.
- Municipalities must identify and authorize a “municipal contact person” by name and title. All correspondence and communications will be directed to the authorized municipal contact. The municipal contact must be identified in the Municipal Resolution and on the Application Cover Page & Checklist. If the individual named ceases to work for the municipality, the current person in the specified title shall be the contact person unless otherwise specified by the municipality. For ease of communications and continuity over the life of the project, it is recommended that a responsible full-time employee of the municipality available during regular business hours be named as the municipal contact person, rather than a consultant or appointed or elected official. Communication with attorneys, engineers, and other third parties shall be the responsibility of the municipal contact person.
For more information, visit County of Monmouth.
