NJ Schools Must Apply by July 25 to Access $94 Million in State Grants for Lead Remediation in Drinking Water
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — July 10, 2025
CONTACT:
Heather Sorge, Lead-Free NJ Program Manager
hsorge@njfuture.org
609-393-0008 ext 1016
NJ Schools Must Apply by July 25 to Access $94 Million in State Grants for Lead Remediation in Drinking Water
(Jersey Water Works and Lead-Free New Jersey Urge Swift Action to Protect Children’s Health)
TRENTON, NJ (July 10, 2025) — With children’s health on the line, Jersey Water Works (JWW) and Lead-Free NJ (LFNJ) are calling on all public school districts across New Jersey to act swiftly and apply for a newly announced $94 million in grant funding to remediate lead and other contaminants in school drinking water. The application window—opened by the New Jersey Department of Education on June 25—closes in just weeks, on July 25, 2025. JWW and LFNJ also call on the New Jersey Department of Education to extend the narrow application window and take immediate, targeted action to ensure schools with the highest reported lead levels are contacted directly and supported through the process.
“These funds represent a critical opportunity to protect New Jersey’s students from the lifelong harm of lead exposure,” said Yvette Jordan, Co-Chair of the Lead-Free NJ Advocacy Coordinating Committee and retired educator. “But the clock is ticking, and we cannot afford to let bureaucracy or tight timelines put children’s safety at risk. The time is now to prioritize equity, vulnerability, and urgency.”
Authorized under the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act (P.L. 2018, c.119), the $100 million fund was originally announced in 2019, yet only $6.6 million had been spent by 2021. This new application release provides access to the remaining $94 million—but without urgent, proactive steps, this funding could once again go underutilized.
JWW and LFNJ urge school districts that discovered lead through this year’s required testing cycle to apply immediately. In particular, we encourage prioritizing:
- Elementary schools, given young children’s heightened sensitivity to lead.
- Older school buildings, which are more likely to contain lead service lines or plumbing.
- Communities with the highest rates of elevated blood lead levels among children under six—such as Trenton, Irvington, East Orange, Plainfield, and Paterson.
“Lead in drinking water is a preventable health risk, especially for young children,” said Jersey Water Works’ Co-chairs Nicole Miller and Andy Kricun. “We know the science. The funding is there, thankfully. Now we need all eligible schools to show the will and urgency to obtain the funding and protect their students.”
Eligible uses of the grant include:
- Replacing drinking water outlets
- Installing point-of-use treatment devices
- Building-wide automated flushing systems
- Lead service line replacement
- Upgrades to public well systems
However, both collaboratives are raising concerns about the tight turnaround and mid-summer deadline, a period when many local school boards are not in session. This lack of flexibility may disproportionately impact under-resourced districts, which often lack the administrative capacity to prepare applications quickly.
“We are at a critical juncture where this year’s test results of lead in school drinking water will reveal the prevalence of lead and the risk of exposure to our New Jersey school children,” said Deandrah Cameron, New Jersey Future Policy Manager. “Appropriate time and guidance must be given to our school districts to take advantage of the resources needed to remediate. This funding must be accessible to the districts that need it most, not just the ones with the bandwidth to act fast.”
Exposure to even small amounts of lead can cause irreversible damage to developing brains, affecting memory, behavior, and academic performance. No level of lead exposure is safe, and ensuring clean, safe drinking water in schools is one of the most direct ways we can protect children’s futures.
“It’s important that when grant opportunities like this one—under the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act— become available to improve water access and provide clean drinking water for our students that parents/guardians and community stakeholders are also notified in a timely manner,” said Nikki Baker, Healthy Schools Now Organizer-NJ WEC. “Water is essential, and no opportunity should be overlooked—our children’s access to clean, safe drinking water is too important.”
“Given this new round of available grant funding, School Districts have all the more reason to move from truck-delivered jugs of water to improving school water infrastructure. This is where civil engineering and civic engagement connect,” said Jim Nelson, Lead-Free NJ member and leader with Jersey City Together. “The 2021 grant announcement was a catalyst for promoting our School District-Municipal Utility Authority-City collaboration in Jersey City. Additional community investment allowed us to do even more.”
About Lead-Free NJ
Lead-Free NJ strives to achieve lead-free policy wins through a solutions-oriented, collective-action approach that amplifies the voices of affected communities and individuals. Lead-Free NJ is a collaborative, community-driven coalition working to ensure that New Jersey is free from lead in homes, water, soil, and consumer products, especially in communities historically overburdened by environmental hazards.
info@leadfreenj.org | www.leadfreenj.org
About Jersey Water Works
Jersey Water Works is a collaborative effort of many diverse organizations and individuals who embrace the common purpose of transforming New Jersey’s water infrastructure through sustainable, cost-effective investments and policies that support healthy, resilient, and equitable communities.
