HACKENSACK — Bergen County officials are reminding municipalities and qualified nonprofit organizations that letters of intent for the 2026 Open Space Trust Fund Grant Program are due Friday, March 27.
The annual program offers funding in three categories: land acquisition, historic preservation, and municipal park improvements. Grants are administered by the Bergen County Department of Parks, Division of Land Management.
Officials said municipalities that currently have more than $1.5 million in existing Open Space Trust Fund funding are not eligible to apply in this cycle.
The Bergen County Board of County Commissioners has set the 2026 open space tax assessment rate at 1 cent per $100 of total county equalized real property valuation. Approximately $22 million is expected to be collected, with the final amount to be determined by the county treasurer.
Of the available funds, 70% will be allocated to the county program and 30% to the municipal program. The municipal share will be further divided among six subregions.
Applicants seeking land acquisition funding are reminded that if a property includes historic or potentially historic structures, they must contact Elaine Gold of the Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs at least 10 days prior to submitting an application to verify the presence or absence of such structures.
For information, contact Nancy Witkowski at (201) 336-7255 or nwitkowski@bergencountynj.gov for municipal park improvement grants; Elaine Gold at (201) 336-7294 or egold@bergencountynj.gov for historic preservation grants; or Kenneth Aloisio at (201) 336-6454 or kaloisio@bergencountynj.gov for land acquisition grants.