The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) on Wednesday announced that its $5 million Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mitigation Grant Program is officially open and accepting applications. The program, funded by the New Jersey Clean Energy Fund, is designed to help New Jersey’s most vulnerable and densely developed communities combat extreme heat, mitigate rising energy costs, and alleviate stress on the power grid.
The final deadline for all proposals is Dec. 15.
Urban heat islands occur in densely built areas—such as Newark, Trenton, Camden, and Jersey City—where the prevalence of concrete and pavement absorbs and retains heat, and a lack of green space limits cooling. These areas can register temperatures 5 degrees to 20 degrees hotter than surrounding rural regions.
NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy emphasized the program’s vital role in energy reliability and affordability. “Extreme heat doesn’t just threaten our health and safety—it drives energy costs up, hitting hardest in communities already facing intensified heat from the Urban Heat Island effect,” Guhl-Sadovy said. “The NJBPU has a fundamental responsibility to ensure reliable, affordable energy for all New Jerseyans, which means tackling the contributory causes of energy demand through programs like the UHI Mitigation Grant.”
The program provides grants across three distinct categories for Fiscal Year 2026 to support municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and community groups:
| Grant Category | Maximum Award | Projects Funded (Estimate) | Example Interventions |
| Comprehensive UHI Interventions | Up to $1 million each | Two major projects | Expanded tree canopy, green infrastructure, cool pavements, smart-misting systems. |
| Cooling the Built Environment | Up to $500,000 each | Four projects | Cool roofs, green roofs, geothermal heat pumps, battery storage for resilience hubs. |
| Urban Micro-climate Interventions | Up to $50,000 each | Twenty community-led projects | Shaded bus stops, community gardens, water stations. |
All projects must be located on public land or in publicly accessible spaces.
To support applicants, NJBPU and Sustainable Jersey (of the Sustainability Institute of The College of New Jersey) are hosting a series of no-appointment-necessary Zoom drop-in sessions for technical assistance, proposal review, and Q&A.
Upcoming Informational Sessions:
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Friday, Nov. 21: 2:00 – 3:00 PM
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Thursday, Dec. 4: 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to bring project concepts and preliminary site information to these sessions and to apply early for the Dec. 15 deadline.
