Environmental Endowment for New Jersey, Inc.
Grants awarded in 2024:
American Littoral Society, Highlands, New Jersey – $14,000
Funds will be used to advocate for improvements in stormwater management and infrastructure in communities that have been historically underserved throughout the Lower Delaware River Watershed. They will work with residents, municipalities, county and state organizations to encourage collaboration at the HUC-11 watershed level to implement strategies that will improve water quality.
Clean Ocean Action, Long Branch, New Jersey – $14,000
The funds will be used to assess, reduce, and eliminate sources of litter including plastics along and upstream of the Delaware River by empowering grassroots engagement and stewardship, including through community science, to drive public policies at the local, state and federal levels.
Clean Water Fund, Long Branch, New Jersey – $18,000
Funds will be used for building people power to move state and local water and waste justice policies and practices that better protect marginalized communities against harmful pollution, as well as create positive, large scale institutional change that improve climate resiliency, water quality and community health.
Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, Inc., Narrowsburg, New York – $14,000
Funding will be used to protect New Jersey’s waters by helping New Jersey policymakers prepare for the impacts of climate-change and sea-level rise via maps superimposing 100-500-year floodplains, other flood patterns and projected sea-level rise on the state’s Superfund sites, and to promote RIGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative) adoption by New Jersey’s upstream, upwind neighbor Pennsylvania.
Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Bristol, Pennsylvania – $20,000
Funds are requested to focus on improving and protecting water quality through policy change goals at the local, state, and/or federal level that include community engagement and other actions.
Eastern Environmental Law Center, Newark, New Jersey - $20,000
Funds will be used to provide legal support to New Jersey nonprofit organizations in the efforts to advocate for law and policy changes that protect and improve water quality.
Environment New Jersey Research & Policy Center - $20,000
Funding for project focusing on restoring the lower Delaware River through the EPA dissolved oxygen standards and stronger standards for. CCMUA combined sewage overflow outfalls.
Food and Water Watch - $18,000
Funding to support new efforts to advance state policies that facilitate a rapid and just transition from fossil fuels to 100 percent clean renewable energy sources.
Friends of the Musconetcong Watershed Association - $7,000
Funding for their project to help protect an unnamed tributary of the Musconetcong River threatened by flooding.
Future City Inc., Elizabeth, New Jersey - $7,000
Continued support to continue to educate and raise awareness of multi-lingual residents for personal actions regarding clean water issues and helping them make connection between polluted water and their behaviors, the environment, and its impacts on their quality of life including utilizing bilingual Citi Clean Water Science Advocates within the Arthur Kill Blueway to conduct an intensive, culturally relevant clean water public advocacy and education campaign.
Ironbound Community Corporation - $10,500:
Through their Ironbound Environmental Justice Program, they will collaborate on Passaic River cleanup, flood resiliency, park development, and air quality campaigns for a sustainable, equitable community.
Musconetcong Watershed Association, Asbury, New Jersey – $14,000
Funds will be used for the project entitled “Protecting NJ’s Great Waters with Better Wastewater Planning”. They seek to introduce new authorities at NJDEP that improve wastewater planning efforts, including assessments of ground and surface water connections prior to designating new sewer service areas.
NewarkDIG (Doing Infrastructure Green) - $16,000
Funds will be used for their NewarkDIG Water Quality Outreach and Policy Advocacy Campaign to reduce toxic runoff from combined sewer overflows (SCOs), industrial pollution and stormwater runoff from over-development including community education and engagement, policy reform, and direct action.
NY/NJ Baykeeper - $18,000
Funds to be used for their on-going Clean Water Campaign to achieve water quality improvements for the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary, including the lower Passaic and Raritan Rivers, Newark Bay, Arthur Kill, Kill van Kull, and Raritan Bay.
Plastic Free Delaware, Wilmington, Delaware – $16,000
Funds are requested for increased capacity to expand outreach programs, bolstering plastic pollution advocacy initiatives and policy change in Delaware. The project encompasses a focused, proactive effort to connect with underserved, non-traditional audiences, including more Title I school youth participation at the 2025 YES! Summit.
Sierra Club – New Jersey Chapter - $14,000
Funding for their grassroots movement to educate the public, raise awareness with government officials, and find effective solutions to protect New Jersey’s water.
South Ward Environmental Alliance (SWEA), Newark, New Jersey - $16,000
For their “South Ward VOICES for Water Justice” Project. They plan to form a South Ward Environmental Alliance (SWEA) Technical Assistance Center with a unique coalition of partners to address impactful quality of life issues: water quality, flooding and energy justice policies and programs that can serve as a model for community-based organizations.
Work Environment Council of New Jersey (WEC), Trenton, New Jersey - $20,000
For their project to advocate and organize for stronger Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act (TCPA) rules; educate workers and community members on the new EPA Risk Management Program (RMP) rule; and educate (Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) members and the public about the role of LEPCS and public access to Emergency Response Plans.
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