Environmental Nonprofits Awarded For Community Work In Morristown

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The New Jersey Conservation Foundation awarded eight nonprofit applicants Franklin Parker Community Conservation Grants totaling $30,000. The grants will assist nonprofit organizations in New Jersey that are addressing environmental challenges and improving the quality of life for communities of color.

As part of this initiative, two nonprofits in the Morristown area will receive funds from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.

The nonprofits receiving grants are:

• Great Swamp Watershed Association, $4,200.00
• Grow It Green Morristown, $4,950.00

“These organizations are providing important land conservation, stewardship and educational programs serving communities of color and we are pleased to support them with funding to improve quality of life in these communities,” said Jay Watson, the foundation’s co-executive director. “These grants are part of New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s commitment to protecting land and providing nature in all areas of the state — urban, suburban and rural.”

The Franklin Parker Conservation Grants Program has awarded nearly $2 million to 478 conservation projects across the state since 1989.

Since adding a racial equity lens to the grant program in 2020, New Jersey Conservation has awarded more than $90,000 through 28 grants to benefit communities of color across the state and improve equitable access to quality open space and places to grow food locally.

The Great Watershed Association grant will be used to help the Paterson Green Team implement an "Adopt a Catch Basin" program by providing funds to residents who remove debris from catch basins.

The Grow It Green Morristown grant will be used to fund apprentice stipends in the Farm Apprentice Program, which provides underrepresented populations with opportunities to pursue careers in agriculture and its associated pathways.

Climate change and environmental degradation have disproportionately harmed underrepresented communities in New Jersey. Increasing urban access to green spaces has both health and environmental benefits.

The inclusion of green spaces cools surrounding areas, cleans the air and water, and makes urban areas more resilient to climate change and extreme weather, such as heat waves, floods and wildfires. People who have easy access to parks and trails exercise more and are generally healthier.

Grow It Green Morristown was founded in 2009 when three Morristown women had the vision to turn an abandoned lot into a garden. Since its inception, Grow It Green has emerged as a leader in the northern New Jersey sustainability movement.

Grow It Green has managed the greenhouse on campus since 2016, thanks to a partnership with Saint Elizabeth University, providing space to grow year-round and running experiential learning programs with college students.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association, which was founded in 1981, works to protect and improve the health of the Passaic River through science, education, land preservation and stewardship and advocacy.

The mission of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, a private nonprofit, is to preserve land and natural resources throughout New Jersey for the benefit of all.

Aside from protecting over 125,000 acres of open space, farmland, and parks, New Jersey Conservation advocates for strong land conservation policies at the local, county, state and federal levels, as well as providing support and technical assistance to partner organizations.