Since January 2021, $10.9 Million in Total Grants Have Been Awarded to 39 Organizations to Help Improve the Overall Health of Individuals with Disabilities

June 10, 2025

 (TRENTON) – Commissioner Sarah Adelman today announced the Department of Human Services has awarded an additional 14 grants to help organizations across the state implement inclusive initiatives that support individuals with disabilities in the communities in which they live, work, learn, and play.

“The Inclusive Healthy Communities (IHC) Grant Program is helping bring innovative and evidence-based ideas to life — -projects that are making a real difference in individuals’ daily lives,” said Commissioner Sarah Adelman. “By supporting these efforts, we’re continuing to build a New Jersey where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. This work is more important than ever, and we’re proud to partner with the Bloustein School at Rutgers University as we support the 2025 grantees in creating meaningful, lasting change across our communities.”

First launched in January 2021, the IHC Grant Program is an initiative spearheaded by Human Services’ Division of Disability Services (DDS) to support communities and ensure the voices and needs of individuals with disabilities are included in healthy community planning. The grant program is available to non-profits as well as local county and municipal government agencies. 

“With this fourth round of IHC grant funding, we’re further cementing New Jersey as a national leader in true, universal inclusion,” said Deputy Commissioner for Aging and Disability Services Kaylee McGuire. “These grants demonstrate our shared commitment to inclusive healthy community planning that’s driven by the voices and needs of individuals with disabilities. We’re honored to work alongside local organizations taking on this important work. Through collaboration, we can keep building a New Jersey where all communities are inclusive and everyone thrives.”

“We congratulate the 2025 IHC grantees as they join a vast cohort of organizations actively fostering safe, healthy, and accessible communities for everyone. Through their work, we are seeing powerful ideas take shape — ideas that promote health, equity, and meaningful inclusion for people with disabilities,” said DDS Interim Executive Director Jacqueline Moskowitz. “We look forward to seeing the impact of this work become part of the fabric of our state.”

The following organizations were selected to receive grant funding:

• Appel Farm is a year-round, non-profit performing arts facility serving Cumberland and Salem Counties. Using IHC funds, they will implement their Train the Trainer program to help arts organizations in South Jersey become more inclusive by training local leaders who can then teach others. They will also create an online collection of inclusion resources that anyone across New Jersey, and beyond, can use.
• Bright Side Family will bridge knowledge gaps concerning resources and supports for people with disabilities within the older adult community. Their goal is to also enhance supports for individuals with disabilities as they age — promoting independence, safety, and social connections. Utilizing a community-driven, systems-based approach and leveraging a robust age-friendly network, they will establish a disability justice advisory board, conduct targeted outreach, and develop new referral strategies while fostering community partnerships.
• Gateway Community Action Partnership will bring students with and without disabilities together to take part in activities and paid job opportunities within the community. By offering real wages and the chance for ongoing work, this initiative aims to provide transition-aged students with valuable long-term opportunities.
• Jewish Services for the Developmentally Disabled will engage adults with disabilities to shape an initiative that leverages various technologies to support the independence of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live in the community.
• Kaplen Jewish Community Center on the Palisades is building on a previous IHC grant that transformed their outdoor basketball court into an inclusive, adjustable multi-sport space. With this new phase of work, it is expanding the focus to ensure accessibility and inclusion across all areas of operations. This includes developing inclusive programming, adaptive sports, accessible marketing practices, and expanding equitable access to the arts—prioritizing changes that strengthen their internal inclusion policies and address the needs identified by people with disabilities and their families. Its primary focuses moving forward are on creating access and inclusion in the arts, forming new partnerships to support integrated artistic programming, and striving to ensure that every aspect of their organization reflects a disability-forward approach.
• National Disability Institute will implement a Train the Trainer program, which will improve financial literacy and well-being for people with disabilities in New Jersey through future policy and system changes.
• Nutley Family Service Bureau will address a need for disability-informed mental health services through training professionals, creating a statewide training center, and hosting educational events.
• The Progressive Center for Independent Living will develop stronger disability-centered emergency management in Mercer and Hunterdon counties through the assessment of existing response plans, emergency shelter accessibility, and the accessibility of businesses and other public spaces. They will also train professional responders and deliver mental health first aid training.
• Raritan Valley YMCA will build upon a previous IHC grant to create greater capacity for additional inclusive services and programs for ethnically-, racially-, and ability-diverse community members. They plan to create internal policy change that better supports clients at all levels of engagement, and are building greater investment in their staff to teach adaptive fitness classes across sporting activities.
• Rowan – Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine will center the needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and individuals with substance use disorders in systems and environmental changes at a pain management center in partnership with the Rowan Virtua Integrated Special Needs Center.
• Supportive Housing Association will target systemic inequities in decision making and thought leadership throughout social service organizations by curating opportunities for individuals with disabilities to serve on advisory boards and boards of directors.
• Township of Verona will employ a Disability Coordinator to assess needs, identify barriers in policies and systems, and develop strategies to improve disability inclusion.
• United Way of New Jersey will ensure that intersectional data on people with disabilities and limited assets will be shared with advocacy and social service groups across New Jersey, supporting effective policy and systems change.
• Wood Services, Inc. will build upon a previous IHC grant and expand the number of community health workers trained in disability-competent care, improving healthcare experiences for people with disabilities across New Jersey and beyond.

To learn more about the IHC grant recipients, visit here.

The Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University partners with DDS to manage the IHC grant program and provide technical assistance to grant recipients in implementing projects across New Jersey.

            The program aims to promote change at the local level by addressing pre-existing physical, environmental, social, and economic challenges that prevent people with disabilities from having full access to the conditions that support health and well-being.

             Under the program, applicants were able to submit proposals for grants of up to $250,000, which will fund efforts for two years. Funds used may not exceed $125,000 per year.

Work for this funding cycle will be conducted July 2025 through June 2027, allowing grantees 24 months to implement proposed work plans.

             The DDS bridges the gap for those with adult-onset disabilities in need of services. It also creates and publishes New Jersey Resources, a comprehensive guide to services available throughout the state. Download a copy here. The Division also offers assistance through its toll-free hotline, 1-888-285-3036.