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

Webinars – Arts as Business: The Business of Being an Artist, offered by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, is a series of virtual workshops that is free and open to any artist, teaching artist, or folk artist who lives and/or works in the state of New Jersey. There are two workshops coming up in April: Writing for Artists: Crafting Artist Statements (creating a calling card) and Writing for Artists: Crafting Artist Proposals (grants, proposals, fundraising.) Artists can sign up for either or both online here.

Webinar – Thriving Cities & Quality of Life: This free webinar by Cities for Everyone and 8-80 Cities will explore how thriving, people-centered cities can foster better health outcomes, reduce inequalities, and enhance quality of life, while enhancing economic prosperity at the same time. The webinar will happen on March 18^th at 11AM. Register here!

A Placemaking Primer from Up North: Let's Talk About Placemaking is a visually engaging publication developed by Canada’s Placemaking Community, the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), PlacemakingUS, and global practitioners. It offers a comprehensive look at the value of contemporary placemaking in Canada, and is incredibly applicable to (and inspiring for) our work here in New Jersey as well. Through project spotlights, policy innovations, and strategic insights from experts, the publication highlights the potential for placemaking to create thriving, resilient communities.  Download Let’s Talk About Placemaking (or watch the summary video there!)

Masterplanning Made Leaner: The Lean Comp Plan Tool by the Project for Lean Urbanism, provides methods for simplification and streamlined implementation of comprehensive/general/master plans. It also provides suggestions for improvements to the elements most commonly required in comprehensive plans for livability, equity, and resilience. This tool outlines a lean process that planning staff can use to reduce the expense of policy development and increase the likelihood that it will be implemented.

Featured Grants & Support

Cultural Arts Facilities Grant Overview: On March 13^th at 1PM, in partnership with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the NJ State Council on the Arts will host a virtual information session about the NJEDA’s new Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion (CAFE) Program. This incentive program will provide financial resources to support capital projects for arts and culture venues across New Jersey.  Learn how arts organizations can benefit from transferable tax credits, covering up to 100% of eligible costs for new and rehabilitation construction projects ranging from $5 million to $75 million. Register for the workshop here for webinar.

Planning Grants Available: The Fiscal Year 2026 round of the Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI) grant program is open for eligible entities (municipal and county governments, transit agencies, and Transportation Management Associations) in the four-county New Jersey area of the DVRPC region, which includes Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer Counties. The application portal will remain open through March 31, 2025. TCDI is a grant opportunity that funds local planning initiatives that advance the goals of the region’s Long-Range Plan, Connections 2050, and enhance the multimodal transportation network. Up to $600,000 may be available this round, and local match is not required. Details on the current round can be found in the FY26 NJ Program Guidelines - TCDI.

Feed NJ Grants: Grocers, food cooperatives, meal services, and similar organizations can apply for grants ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 for projects that deliver fresh, affordable, and healthy food to underserved New Jersey communities. Eligible applicants, both for-profit and nonprofit, must have been operational for at least two years and focus on serving one of 14 designated Food Desert Community areas in parts of Bridgeton, Camden, Fairfield Twp., Lawrence Twp. (Cumberland), New Brunswick, Newark, Passaic, Paterson,  Pennsauken, Salem, Trenton, and Woodlynne.  Projects can involve new initiatives or expansions of existing services, with a completion timeline of 12 or 24 months. Program information is online. Apply here by April 3, 2025.

Job Opportunities

Assistant Downtown Manager/Marketing Coordinator and Intern: The Plainfield Special Improvement District is looking to bring on both a Full-Time Assistant Downtown Manager with a focus on coordinating the downtown’s marketing and an Intern for a 16-week term. Learn about the details and application information for each opportunity here for marketing positions.

Spring Marketing Intern: The Hoboken Business Alliance is looking for a Part-Time Marketing Intern this spring. Interested applicants can learn about the position here for internship.

Business Support Liaison: The Perth Amboy Business Improvement Corporation is seeking to hire a Business Support Liaison. This is a full-time position of a clerk who will work to provide administrative support, perform clerical duties, assist with programmatic/event coordination, canvassing, marketing of services offered to local business owners and potential business owners. Get the information to apply here for application.

Executive Director:  The Pompton Lakes Business Improvement District has begun the search for a Part-Time Executive Director (5-10 hours/wk.) Take a look at and download the job description for this unique opportunity here for executive director.

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.