NJ Water Bank Technical Assistance Planning and Design Grant Program

The NJ Water Bank Technical Assistance Planning and Design Grant Program is administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as part of the State’s broader Water Bank initiative. This program is funded through a State Fiscal Year appropriation and is designed to support disadvantaged communities in developing environmental infrastructure projects. The Water Bank itself is a long-standing financing mechanism that combines state and federal resources to provide low-cost funding for water quality and drinking water improvements across New Jersey. This specific grant program complements those financing efforts by covering early-stage planning and design costs, which are often barriers for under-resourced communities. The primary purpose of the program is to provide funding to disadvantaged communities that are already participating in the Water Bank’s Technical Assistance Program. The grant supports planning and design activities associated with environmental infrastructure projects related to clean water and drinking water systems. Eligible project types include wastewater treatment facilities, stormwater management systems, water supply infrastructure, and nonpoint source pollution management projects. By funding these early phases, the program aims to ensure that communities can develop viable, fundable projects that ultimately improve water quality and public health outcomes. Funding is restricted to planning and design activities and must align with the scope of work defined under the technical assistance program. Eligible uses include professional services agreements and related preparatory work necessary to advance a project to construction readiness. Projects that have already closed on a Water Bank loan are explicitly excluded from receiving grant funds. Individual awards are capped at two million dollars per applicant within the specified fiscal year, and funding is distributed based on readiness to proceed and completeness of application materials. Eligibility is limited to entities that qualify as disadvantaged communities under the Water Bank’s affordability criteria and that are eligible borrowers under either the Clean Water or Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs. Eligible Clean Water borrowers include publicly owned treatment works such as municipalities, counties, and utility authorities, as well as certain private entities participating through public conduits and private colleges or universities sponsoring nonpoint source projects. Eligible Drinking Water borrowers include public community water systems, nonprofit noncommunity systems, and certain privately owned systems, while federally and state-owned systems are excluded. Applicants must also have an active technical assistance contract and an eligible project application under review. The application process requires coordination across two online systems: the SAGE portal for grant submission and the H2LOans portal for project documentation. Applicants must establish accounts in both systems if not already registered, submit planning and design professional service agreements for approval through H2LOans, and complete the full grant application in SAGE. A complete application includes all required documentation, project information, and approved agreements. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to projects that demonstrate readiness to proceed. There is no fixed application deadline, and submissions may be made at any time during the funding period. Because the program operates on a rolling basis, applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as all prerequisites are met. Funding decisions are contingent on application completeness and alignment with program requirements. For additional information or assistance, applicants may contact the program via the official email address provided by the Department of Environmental Protection. The program does not specify a formal award timeline or performance period, but it is implicitly tied to project planning and design phases leading to eventual Water Bank financing.

Ensure all project documentation and agreements are approved in H2LOans prior to submission and apply early due to first come first served funding