Committed to Conservation: Funding a Sustainable New Jersey for Over 15 Years

At New Jersey American Water, we know firsthand that access to a clean water supply is essential for people and the well-being of our environment. Our mission to provide safe, reliable water is closely tied to our ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, including our annual Environmental Grant Program, which is now merged with the American Water Charitable Foundation’s Water and Environment Grant Program.

 

This program offers grants to support impactful, community-led projects that aim to safeguard or restore water resources across New Jersey. Over the past decade, New Jersey American Water’s Environmental Grant Program has contributed more than $471,000 in total funding to 56 New Jersey projects.

 

With funding from the American Water Charitable Foundation, we are excited to expand these contributions in 2024 through the Water and Environment Grant Program, as we approach grant announcements by April 30.

 

Looking Back on Our Contributions

The Environmental Grant Program has provided essential funding each year. These innovative, community-based partnerships led critical work for the betterment of our environment. New Jersey American Water is proud to be an active steward in this process, furthering projects in New Jersey and empowering individuals and organizations in the communities where we operate to care for the precious watersheds, waterways, and aquifers we all rely on.

 

Grants awarded since 2008 have funded a range of projects that protect, rehabilitate, and enhance water sources and ecological health, along with a unique focus on equitable access to water-based recreation.

 

In 2023, New Jersey American Water issued five grants totaling more than $40,000. These community improvement projects addressed a variety of water source and watershed protection initiatives, including:

 

• Littler clean up and tree planting through the Delaware River Greenway Partnership, benefitting the Pequest River — a key Delaware River tributary.
• Tree planting to assist in naturally retaining stormwater to help reduce flooding in Lumberton Township through the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.
• Research and testing to determine the exact source of existing E. Coli in the Rockaway Creek through the Readington Township Environmental Commission, ensuring the health and safety of recreational activities and drinking water supply for more than one million New Jerseyans.
• A reforestation project in Duke Island Park through the Somerset County Park Commission, creating habitat for beneficial insects and wildlife and improving water quality by filtering toxins through native root systems and taking up water to alleviate flooding.
• Construction of a pollinator garden in Ortley Beach through the Toms River Environmental Commission, including an outreach effort inspiring residents and travelers to incorporate more pollinator-inclusive behavior when planting their gardens.

 

Innovative projects in 2022 included a Native Seed Library, expanded biodiversity project, demonstration rain gardens, and stormwater runoff flooding mitigation. Read more about these projects, and other grant-funded projects, here.

 

The Water and Environment Grant Program reflects the broader funding priorities of the American Water Charitable Foundation. Through its three pillars of giving — water, people, and communities — we’re proud to demonstrate our commitment to being a good neighbor, citizen, and contributor.

 

In 2024 , we remain as dedicated as ever to investing in our state's future through community-based conservation. We look forward to the next wave of projects that will improve local water sources, ecological health, and environmental awareness for generations to come. The American Water Charitable Foundation’s Water and Environment Grant Program remains a cornerstone of our commitment to sustainability and responsible water stewardship.

 

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