TRENTON, N.J. — The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced Tuesday the launch of a second round of Natural Climate Solutions grants totaling $30 million. The funding, aimed at local governments and nonprofit organizations, will support projects that restore and enhance the state’s coastal wetlands, forests, and urban tree canopies to help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
With this new round, the DEP has allocated a total of $54.3 million to Natural Climate Solutions to date. The grants fund initiatives that sequester carbon and promote resilience through efforts such as constructing living shorelines, restoring tidal wetlands and aquatic vegetation, enhancing forest health, and expanding urban tree coverage.
“This unique program empowers communities across New Jersey to pursue natural ways of reducing climate pollutants that worsen the effects of our changing climate,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “By investing in blue and green carbon projects, we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing the resilience of our coastal and forested landscapes, ensuring cleaner air and healthier communities for generations to come.”
How It Works
Grant applications will be accepted on a rolling basis for one calendar year starting August 4 through the DEP’s online portal. Projects will be funded on a first-come, first-serve basis and must span between three to five years. Individual grant awards will range from $250,000 to $5 million.
Funding is evenly split between blue carbon projects in coastal ecosystems and green carbon projects targeting forests and urban tree canopies. The grants are supported by proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Sequestering Carbon to Combat Climate Change
These projects support carbon sequestration, a process through which plants capture atmospheric carbon dioxide via photosynthesis and store it in biomass and soil. Enhanced land management practices, like reforestation, urban forestry, afforestation, and erosion protection for tidal marshes, can improve carbon storage. Notably, coastal habitats like tidal marshes and seagrass meadows can store more carbon per area than terrestrial forests.
Background and Previous Grants
The grant program launched in January 2023 with $24.3 million awarded to 14 projects. Those included planting 1,000 trees in Trenton by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and restoring nearly 20 acres of salt marsh and living shoreline by the American Littoral Society.
For more details and to apply, visit dep.nj.gov/climatechange/mitigation/ncs-grant.
