The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) on March 19 announced $5 million in grants to fund more than two dozen projects that will expand cooling infrastructure, reduce energy demand, and improve public health while strengthening climate resilience in the state’s most heat-vulnerable communities.
The awards were issued through NJBPU’s Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mitigation Program to 10 municipalities statewide — with major investments in Newark, Camden and Trenton, and additional projects in Paterson, Atlantic City, Elizabeth, Roselle, Egg Harbor City, Lakewood Township and Pennsauken Township.
Projects include tree planting along major street corridors, conversion of public buildings into resilience hubs, shade structures, water features, community gardens, and pop-up cooling oases, all designed to lower surface temperatures and cooling costs on the hottest days of the year.
“Extreme heat doesn’t just threaten public health, it drives up costs for New Jersey families — from energy bills to healthcare expenses, especially in urban areas that are hit the hardest,” said Gov. Mikie Sherrill. “That’s why my administration is investing $5 million in smart, targeted projects to expand cooling infrastructure — from tree canopies to climate-resilient green spaces — to lower electricity costs and protect our most vulnerable communities from the dangers of extreme heat.”
Urban heat islands are densely developed areas with limited green infrastructure that can run up to 8°F hotter than surrounding areas. The most severe impacts fall on low-income communities.
“The Urban Heat Island effect is an energy problem as much as it is a public health problem — and that’s exactly why the Board of Public Utilities is in this space,” said NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “When surface temperatures drop, so does peak electricity demand, and so do the bills that hit hardest in communities that can least afford them. These 26 projects are how we close that gap.”
UHIs worsen temperature and air quality, contributing to serious health risks in cities like Newark, Camden, and Trenton — which rank among the state’s highest for childhood asthma emergency visits. Higher temperatures accelerate ozone formation and intensify air pollution, aggravating asthma, COPD, and cardiovascular disease. Urban trees and greening initiatives help counter these impacts by filtering harmful particulates, lowering temperatures, and improving air quality.
Research shows sustained greening efforts, such as tree-planting, can reduce asthma-related emergency room visits, lower medical costs, and decrease missed school days.
Trenton will receive a $1 million award to plant about 700 trees along key street corridors in the North and West wards, connecting homes to cooling centers, medical facilities, schools and public housing. The city will also receive a $500,000 award to transform the former Hermitage Library into a resilience hub providing cooling relief and emergency resources during extreme heat events.
Camden will receive a $1 million award to redevelop Farnham Park with shade structures, improved youth recreation spaces, and expanded green areas. Additional community-based funding will support the “Blooming Bus Stops” initiative, adding shade trees, seating, and amenities at up to 20 bus stops in North Camden.
Newark will receive a $500,000 award to redevelop Hennessey Street Park into a climate-resilient community space in the Ironbound neighborhood, adding cooling infrastructure, trees, and emergency cooling amenities. Additional community-based projects will install shade structures and hydration stations at community gardens and deliver tree planting in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by extreme heat.
Full list of awardees and projects
Category 1 – Comprehensive UHI Interventions in Public Spaces (up to $1 million each)
- City of Trenton – Trenton North and West Wards Tree Arteries Project ($1 million)
- City of Camden – Farnham Park Redevelopment ($1 million)
Category 2 – Cooling the Built Environment / Resilience Hubs (up to $500,000 each)
- City of Trenton – Hermitage Library Resilience Hub ($500,000)
- Pennsauken Township – Elm Avenue Resilience Hub ($500,000)
- City of Newark – Firefighters Memorial Park Climate-Resilient Community Space ($500,000)
- Housing Authority of the City of Elizabeth – Bayway Community Center Cool Roof and Heat Resilience Project ($500,000)
Category 3 – Urban Micro-Climate Interventions (up to $50,000 each)
- New Jersey Conservation Foundation (Trenton) – Green Streets to Battle Monument Intermediate School ($50,000)
- Isles, Inc. (Trenton) – H2Grow – Bellevue ($50,000)
- Trenton Artworks, Inc. (Trenton) – Trenton Heat Resilience Garden ($50,000)
- Passage Theatre Company (Trenton) – Cool Theatre Passageways ($50,000)
- Center for Environmental Transformation (Camden) – East Camden Community Heat Preparedness ($50,000)
- Neighborhood Collaborative / Camden Urban Agriculture Collective (Camden) – Blooming Bus Stops ($50,000)
- Greater Newark Conservancy (Newark) – Water-Enhanced Newark Community Gardens and Green Spaces ($50,000)
- Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc. (Newark) – Newark SaS Shade Infrastructure Project ($50,000)
- Rabbit Hole Farm (Newark) – Newark Cooling Improvements ($50,000)
- Project for Empty Space (Newark) – Newark Grounds Art Canopies and NIGHT FEST Markets ($100,000)
- FARD United (Newark) – Urban Heat and Community Safety Initiative ($50,000)
- City Green (Paterson) – Tree Canopy Expansion in City Green Learning Garden ($50,000)
- One Ocean County, Inc. (Lakewood Township) – John Patrick Sports Complex Cooling Garden ($50,000)
- Ducktown Neighborhood CDC (Atlantic City) – Ducktown Cooling Corridor Pop-Up Oasis ($50,000)
- Key Recreation, Inc. (Egg Harbor City) – Buffalo Avenue Playground Urban Heat Relief Project ($50,000)
- Groundwork Elizabeth (Elizabeth and Roselle) – Urban Heat Mitigation Through Native Tree Canopy Expansion ($50,000)
