$2.5 million is now available from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development that will increase equitable access to work benefits and protections for all New Jersey workers.
The funding is part of the fourth year of the Cultivating Access, Rights, and Equity program which was launched in March 2022.
CARE grants support outreach, education, and technical assistance by community-based organizations.
Interested organizations can apply for funding to raise awareness and access to paid leave; work rights; unemployment insurance; and new this year, the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, which became law on July 1, 2024.
“Continuing to expand CARE grant funding ensures that New Jersey workers and employers have support in understanding critical information about workplace benefits and rights,” Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said. “This program helps reduce barriers like language access by allowing community partners to meet workers and employers where they are with the information necessary to foster an empowered New Jersey’s workforce.”
In the first three years of the program, CARE grantees made more than 100,000 in-person connections with workers and employers through community events; one-on-one outreach; counseling and workshops; in addition to countless interactions through social media, mass messaging, and local advertising and outreach.
The CARE grant helps to educate New Jersey workers on how to use their work benefits and rights, such as:
- Paid family and medical leave benefits;
- Unemployment insurance; and
- New Jersey wage and hour law.
CARE grant awards are expected to range between $50,000 and $200,000, but NJDOL may consider applications above or below this range where appropriate justification is provided.
View the complete details and the full Notice of Grant Opportunity here.
