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

More Winter Placemaking & Activation Tips: Winter can be a challenging season for many communities (and we are definitely having a true winter in NJ this year), especially those that experience significant snowfall. However, with thoughtful planning and creative placemaking, winter can also be a time of vibrant community engagement and activity. The 8 80 Cities Winter Placemaking Guide, created with support from AARP, offers valuable insights and strategies to help cities and towns keep residents engaged and connected during the colder months. 

Best Practices for Temporary Street Design: This downloadable handbook is designed to inspire and equip professionals involved in the planning, design and implementation of a temporary street design project in Montréal that could evolve into long-term or permanent changes. Yes, NJ isn’t Canada and Montréal is a huge city, but the principles and tactics in the handbook are valid at almost any scale, and the real-world photos and designs included can offer inspiration for local adaptation and implementation. It’s a huge document that gets into the weeds of several aspects that impact the public realm, but is very much worth a review if you are looking at how to better utilize the road right of way in your districts and communities. It also includes a helpful implementation checklist to support an organized approach to getting things done.

Need the NJ Small Business Guide in Spanish?: The Spanish version of NJBAC’s Small Business Guide is now available to order as a hardcopy at no cost! Feel free to order a Manual de Pequeñas Empresas de Nueva Jersey for your business – or to share with your businesses. Please promote the order link with any and all Spanish speaking businesses in you district or community. As before, a business can download the same guide in Spanish as a digital document here for spanish guide.

Featured Grants & Support

Creative Aging Initiative Grant:  The Creative Aging Initiative Grant (CAI) provides $10,000 to eligible arts organizations, libraries, veterans homes, senior and community centers, colleges/universities, and units of government to cover costs for arts learning experiences with New Jersey older adults aged 55 and over. Successful applicants will receive $10,000 of funding for each year of the two-year grant cycle, pending available resources. See the grant guidelines for details on how to apply (or here for spanish application for the Spanish version), and the application review rubric to see how applications will be evaluated. For live online help and questions about the grant and its application, sign up for “office hours” assistance on February 13 at 2PM or February 20 at 11AM.

AARP Community Challenge Grants:  The AARP is offering three Community Challenge grant types for the 2025 grant round: Flagship Grants of up to $25,000 for creating vibrant public places and other goals, Capacity-Building Microgrants of $2,500 with technical support for Bike and Walk Audits and other topics, and Demonstration Grants of up to $25,000 focused on Enhancing Pedestrian Safety and other themes. Both non-profit organizations and government entities are eligible to apply.  The application deadline is March 5, 2025. Already know enough to apply? Apply here!

Job Opportunity

Marketing and Events Coordinator: Bloomfield Center Alliance (BCA) is looking for a Marketing and Events Coordinator (25-35 hrs/wk.) for planning, managing and growing the organization’s roster of current and new events/activities as well as social media messaging and communications promoting the district. Contact BCA Executive Director Ollyn Lettman to apply and take a look at the job description for all of the details.

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 English copy as well by clicking this link for english or the Spanish version by clicking this link for spanish. For bulk orders of up to 10 printed copies in any language, 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.