Green Acres provides low interest (2%) loans and grants to municipal and county governments to acquire open space and develop outdoor recreation facilities. Green Acres works with local governments from the time of application through project completion. Over 80,000 acres have been protected and hundreds of recreation development projects throughout the state have been financed through Green Acres' Local and Nonprofit funding program.

Green Acres also provides matching grants to nonprofit organizations to acquire land for public recreation and conservation purposes.

The Planning Incentive Program provides grant and loan funding to local governments that have enacted an open space tax and have adopted an open space and recreation plan.

Green Acres administers the $15 million in Coastal Blue Acres funds. Designated municipalities and counties can receive grants and loans from Green Acres to acquire land for storm protection and recreation purposes in New Jersey coastal areas that have been damaged by storms, are prone to storm damage, or buffer or protect other lands from storm damage.

Green Acres also administers the Tax Exemption Program (Pdf Format), which provides exemption from local property taxes to eligible nonprofit organizations that own recreation or conservation lands and permit public use of their private lands. The Tax Exemption Program (Pdf Format) has protected over 38,000 acres of private lands.

For more information about Local Parks & Nonprofit Funding please call (609) 984-0570, or, to email Project Staff click on the "Staff" button, below. For funding application packages, click on the "Forms" button, below.