Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Have A Business Need? NJBAC Can Help.

The NJBAC is offering no-cost technical assistance, training, and problem-solving – we are here to support all of your Business Enhancement needs. Whether you have a one-off resource question, are looking for a strategic assessment of a district, or could use some quick visualized tactical inspiration to foster visible and tangible change, NJBAC can help. Contact NJBAC Assistant Director Jef Buehler to start the conversation and move towards action.

Today’s email has information on assistance we can provide, as well as about technical and financial resources that may be a fit for your community or district. Please feel free to share this information with other officials, district management stakeholders, and businesses. To see all prior Business Enhancement Connection emails, click here!

Best Practices

Make Your Strip Center POP With Placemaking: PlazaPOPs in Canada works with local businesses, Business Improvement Districts, students, and residents to temporarily convert strip center parking lots into pop-up parks. The project began during the pandemic crisis, but has since continued as an annual summer initiative, adding garden boxes, flowers, seating, games, movie nights, and music performances to transform parking spaces into free, publicly accessible places that foster economic prosperity for local businesses and community social engagement and connection – all in parking lots. You can look at the original concept in detail here for a guide on how to do this, and check out the 2023 economic impact report as well. (To be clear, this concept can and does work equally well with public or private parking lots in a more traditional downtown setting, too, but the fact that is has proven successful in strip centers is impressive.)

There’s Still Time to #ShopSmall in New Jersey: Join small businesses across the state in celebrating Small Business Saturday on Saturday, November 30, 2024. Free resources to help promote your Small Business Saturday event are available from the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) including this handy #ShopSmall guide. In addition, connect your businesses to the free marketing resources provided by American Express for the event.

Compete Streets Training for South Jersey Municipalities:  The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, Sustainable Jersey, the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University and the Cross County Connection Transportation Management Association are offering a program on December 9, 2025 in Vineland for municipalities in Salem, Cumberland, Cape May and Atlantic counties wishing to explore Complete Streets approaches through training, technical assistance, and the creation of a demonstration materials lending library.

Downtown NJ Conference: Join experts and practitioners in district revitalization and management on December 5th in Montclair to explore the theme of “Downtown Connections.” Engage with professionals from across the state as the sessions delve into strategies for building inclusive, resilient downtowns through equitable investments, partnerships with Chambers of Commerce, and community-centered development. Discover real-world case studies and actionable insights to drive growth and inclusivity in your communities and districts: Register here.  NJBAC is a proud sponsor of the 2024 Downtown NJ Conference.

Featured Grants & Support

Transportation Set-Aside Grant Workshop for 2025 Grants: Register for a free online session on December 4, 2024 which will provide municipal participants with information about applying for the Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside Program grant, administered by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) in partnership with the State’s Metropolitan Planning Organizations. The session with include: Detailed Review of the TA Set-Aside Application, Grant Application Process, Grant Resources, Tips & Strategies, Q&A with NJDOT Local Aid Staff. These projects are community-based, and can address pedestrian-centric goals, including streetscapes and corridor amenities and ADA enhancement, sidewalks, bike lanes, bike parking and racks, rail trails, as well as the rehabilitation of historic transportation buildings (such as train stations.) Potential applicants must also contact NJDOT to participate in a one-on-one pre-application meeting. If you can’t make the live webinar on the 4^th, here’s a recorded session from November. Grant applications will be due May 22, 2025.

Complete Streets Technical Assistance Grant for South Jersey:   Through a competitive application process, municipalities in Salem, Cumberland, Cape May and Atlantic counties will be selected to receive technical assistance in order to complete a Complete Streets initiative. This is a technical assistance (not cash) grant. The Complete Streets Technical Assistance (CSTA) team will help municipalities bring together key stakeholders to explore a local safety concern, and may include results such as the creation of a: Bicycle Network Plan, Complete Streets Community Workshop Walk Audit, Complete and Greet Streets for All Guidance, and other services if approved. The application deadline is February 7, 2025, and the kick-off workshop will be held online on December 5, 2024.

EDA Small Business Grants Are Still Available: There are three well-funded and non-competitive grants from the NJ Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) that focus on small businesses.  Please share this information directly with your businesses in your districts and municipalities.  If you would like NJEDA to come to speak with your businesses as a group reach out to Kathy.Guzman@njeda.gov to set up an in-person or online walkthrough of these grants:

Small Business Improvement Grant

• Open to NJ small businesses, nonprofits, and home-based businesses.
• Reimbursement grant for interior and exterior renovations, the purchase and installation of new furniture, fixtures, and equipment.  The work must be completed, and items paid for within two years from the date of application.
• Reimbursement is 50% of total cost, up to $50,000 maximum award. 
• Program details and grant application are on the NJEDA website for improvement grant.

Small Business Lease Grant

• Open to NJ small businesses with a new 5-year (or longer) lease of street level space, between 250 and 10,000 square feet. Amended leases may be eligible if additional space is added.
• Lease must be executed within the previous 12 months from the grant application date.
• Grant award is 20% of annual lease payment upon grant approval, and a second 20% payment of the annual lease amount after one year.
• Program details and grant application are on the NJEDA website for Lease Grant.

Small Business E-Commerce Support Program

• Open to NJ restaurants, retail, and personal care businesses that operate from a commercial location.
• Free E-Commerce and digital marketing consulting such as website development, website optimization, E-Commerce platform, online ordering, online appointment booking, and digital marketing plans. 
• This program is consultant led; business owners should reach out directly to one or more of the approved vendors to get started. There is no online application through the NJEDA.

NJBAC Can Work With All the Businesses in Your Community

We are here to support your communities’ and districts’ businesses. NJBAC offers free online chat and telephone (800-537-7397) assistance in English and Spanish to any business in NJ – any size, any location, and any type. Businesses can always download the NJBAC Small Business Manual – a one-stop tool for many business concerns – online here for english. A Spanish version of the manual is also available here for spanish. Individual businesses or organizations can order a printed copy as well by clicking this link. For bulk orders of up to 10 printed copies, please contact NJBAC’s Tracy Thomas directly.

Our NJBAC team can advocate for businesses, concierge them to funding and technical solutions, help them find locations for growth or developing export markets, guide them to navigating the commercial cannabis sector, and much more. Want to set something up online or on-site for your businesses? Reach out to NJBAC Assistant Director Jef Buehler to get plugged in to all of our business success services.

NJBAC’s Business Enhancement Services is online:  Now you can refer to Business Enhancement Services directly online with just a click!  Please favorite the website – it will be expanding over time as we add new resources and tools that support municipal and district revitalization and place-based business enhancement.