[Invite Only] Municipal Grant Opportunity: Advancing Public Health Through Master Planning
The New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA New Jersey) invites a select group of municipalities to participate in an exciting pilot program designed to advance health, equity, and resilience through master planning.
Through Plan4HealthNJ, a statewide initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, APA New Jersey is helping communities integrate public health into land use planning—connecting data, policy, and local action to strengthen community well-being.
Selected municipalities will receive grant funding, technical assistance, and access to data and tools to develop a Public Health Element of the municipal Master Plan or meaningfully integrate health-based strategies throughout existing plan elements.
This invitation-only opportunity will fund 6–8 municipalities (from a pool of no more than 25 invited participants) to serve as demonstration sites in shaping the future of health-based planning in New Jersey.
💰 Grant Range: $35,000–$50,000
🗓️ Submission Deadline: November 14, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
Complete the Online Interest form
Why Participate
Municipalities that partner with Plan4HealthNJ will join a movement redefining how land use planning supports health and equity. Participants will gain the resources, data, and expertise to:
- Improve access to care by addressing disparities in healthcare, walkability, and transportation to essential services
- Advance healthy food systems through local food access, urban agriculture, and zoning aligned with equitable nutrition opportunities
- Promote housing and community development that supports stability, affordability, and better health outcomes
- Foster environmental health and sustainability through green infrastructure and climate-resilient strategies
- Encourage active living and mobility by expanding opportunities for biking, walking, and connected streets
- Empower civic engagement by amplifying resident voices and fostering inclusive participation in local decision-making
Participants will also become part of a peer learning network of municipalities working at the intersection of planning and public health—gaining visibility as statewide leaders in equitable, data-driven community planning.
Selected Grantees Will Receive
- Direct grant funding between $35,000 and $50,000 to support professional planning services, outreach, and coordination
- The Plan4HealthNJ Toolkit, featuring curated data sets, mapping tools, and best practices across six focus areas:
- Healthcare Access
- Mobility
- Healthy Food Access & Agriculture
- Housing & Community Development
- Environmental Health & Sustainability
- Policy & Civic Engagement
- Technical assistance from APA New Jersey and a multidisciplinary team of planning and public health experts
Grant Requirements
Participating municipalities must commit to:
- Adopting a resolution of support from the governing body
- Forming a Public Health & Planning Team that includes municipal staff (planner, health officer, etc.) and community representatives
- Attending a kick-off meeting, training sessions, and ongoing team check-ins
- Developing a new or updated Master Plan Element focused on public health, to be submitted to the Planning Board
- Preparing brief progress updates and a final summary outlining implementation strategies
- Contributing to shared learning by:
- Submitting three blog-style updates for the Plan4HealthNJ website
- Presenting at the Statewide Planning and Public Health Conference
- Serving as a Plan4HealthNJ Champion, sharing insights with other municipalities
Review and Timeline
Please submit LOIs by November 14, 2025, at 5 p.m. using the online submission form.
Submissions will be reviewed by a Selection Committee appointed by the Plan4HealthNJ Project Team, composed of professionals in planning, public health, and community development. Each response will be evaluated and assigned a score based on demonstrated readiness, understanding of the project goals, and the municipality’s capacity and enthusiasm to undertake the proposed work.
Following submission, the Plan4HealthNJ team may contact you to schedule a brief interview to gather additional context about your municipality and clarify any outstanding questions.
Below are key dates in the grant application and review process:
- Interest Form Submission Deadline: November 14, 2025
- Interviews with Select Applicants: Early to Mid-December
- Notifications: Week of December 22, 2025
- Grant Start Date: 1st Quarter 2026
- Grant Period: Through December 31, 2026