NJDOL Announces $3 Million in Available Grant Funding to Increase Access to Benefits and Protections for New Jersey Workers

TRENTON – The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) has announced $3 million of funding for a fifth round of the Cultivating Access, Rights, and Equity (CARE) program. Launched in March 2022, this program aims to increase equitable access to labor rights and benefits for all New Jersey workers.

Funds are available for outreach, education, and technical assistance on paid family and medical leave, work rights, Unemployment Insurance, and the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights.

“With this additional round of funding, we are empowering organizations that serve as lifelines to our communities, especially to those who have been historically underserved,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “By supporting the vital outreach and education efforts these organizations provide, we strive to create a more just and inclusive environment where every worker in New Jersey can thrive.”

The CARE grant program welcomes applications from public and private nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, and state-recognized tribal government partners that provide community-centered, culturally relevant, and in-language programming. The program aims to reach workers who need tailored support to understand and access their work benefits and rights, as well as employers that would benefit from compliance information.

“The CARE Grant has strengthened EANJ’s ability to deliver on our mission of supporting employers through education and outreach,” said Amy Vazquez, Vice President of EANJ. “As three-time grant recipients, this support has enabled hundreds of employers, especially small businesses, to build greater awareness and understanding of New Jersey’s mandated benefit and worker protection laws, including Earned Sick Leave, and to access the practical guidance needed to remain compliant and competitive. We look forward to continuing this important work.”

Focus populations include low-wage workers; workers of color; immigrants; women; refugees; survivors of domestic/sexual violence; young workers; temporary workers; domestic workers; small- and immigrant-owned businesses; and other employers in need of assistance and resources.

The CARE grant program helps community organizations and agencies build capacity to share critical information on work rights and benefits with diverse employees and employers across industries. CARE grantees and their clients also provide valuable feedback to NJDOL to help inform how the department’s programs can better meet the needs of the communities it serves across the state.

“The CARE Grant has helped Rise reach more workers and families with information that protects their rights and strengthens their voices,” said Executive Director Leslie Koppel of Rise (Community Action Service Center Inc.), a CARE grantee. “Many of our neighbors face language barriers or uncertainty about how the system works. This support allows us to meet them where they are, build trust, and make sure everyone understands the rights and opportunities they’re entitled to in the workplace.”

In the first four years of the program, CARE grantees made more than 225,000 in-person connections with workers and employers through community events; one-on-one outreach; counseling and workshops; in addition to social media, mass messaging, and local print and radio advertising. Grantees have assisted over 6,500 individuals with benefits applications or complaint forms. Grantees have conducted outreach in more than a dozen languages including Arabic, Haitian Creole, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

The CARE grant helps to educate New Jersey workers and employers on work benefits and rights, such as:

• Paid family and medical leave benefits, also known as New Jersey Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance, which are available to eligible employees who need to care for themselves or a loved one, during pregnancy and childbirth recovery, to bond with a new child, or to cope with domestic or sexual violence.

• Unemployment Insurance, which provides partial wage replacement to people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.
• New Jersey Wage and Hour Law, which provides labor protections to all workers, regardless of immigration status, including on issues relating to Earned Sick Leave, minimum wage and overtime pay, wage theft and payment, employee misclassification, the Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights, and the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights.

Eligible CARE grant applicants must demonstrate their role as a trusted resource within their community, as well as their capacity, experience, and success in providing outreach, education, technical assistance and/or support. Applicants can submit proposals as individual organizations or as a collaborative with a lead partner.

CARE grant awards are expected to range between $50,000 and $200,000, but NJDOL may consider applications above or below this range where appropriate justification is provided.

Key dates:  

November 17, 2:00 - 3:30 pm: Information session (Registration required. To register, click here. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend an information session.)

November 20 by 11:59 pm: Application Interest Form due. To complete the interest form, click here.

November 21 by 5:00 pm: Applications due

To view complete details and the full Notice of Grant Opportunity, click here.

For more information on the CARE grant program, visit: www.nj.gov/labor/care.