Mercer at Play for All

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Mercer County is pleased to present the Mercer at Play for All grant program – which enables non-profits and municipalities to continue providing programming and facility improvements that benefit vulnerable populations. This will be done through an allocation of $450,000.00 to the Mercer at Play for All grant program which will provide funding via three eligibility categories:

Equipment purchases and programing for Municipal Senior Physical Recreation programs
Inclusive Playground improvement grants to Municipalities
Programming support grants for Non-profits that provide after school mentoring and Sports programming to underserved youth

Please click HERE for the Mercer at Play for All Frequently Asked Questions Guide.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Submission Deadline: Grant will open on December 1, 2024 – and Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all program funds have been awarded, or April 1, 2025, whichever occurs first. Applications should be submitted to RDelcy@mercercounty.org.

Award Date:

Discretionary grants will be awarded to selected organizations to accomplish the objectives of the Program. The County will exercise its sole and best judgement to determine which organizations shall be selected for grant awards. Grant awards will be determined based on need, priorities of the County, assessment of the organization’s response, and availability of funds. The County makes no guarantee that it will fund any organization under this Program or the amount of grant funds that will be awarded.

Successful Applicants will be awarded on a rolling basis with complete applications until all funds are awarded. Funds will be disbursed up-front – however, the County may recapture and be reimbursed by Applicant for any payments made by the County should it be found that (1) false information was provided in the application and eligibility supporting documentation, (2) documentation required to close out the grant award are not provided or (3) the Applicant is found to be federally debarred or on the State of New Jersey debarment list.

Eligibility Criteria:

Track 1: Municipal Senior Physical Recreation	Track 2: Municipal Inclusive Playgrounds	Track 3: Non-Profit Youth Mentoring & Sports Programming
Must be a Municipality in Mercer County, NJ	Must be a Municipality in Mercer County, NJ	Must be a registered non-profit in good standing in New Jersey by March 3, 2021
Must have an existing senior center. Must have not gone out to bid for or purchased any new equipment. Proposed senior physical recreation programing must be a new program offered by the Senior Center.	Must have an inclusive playground project that has not yet gone out to bid	Must provide youth sports programming services in Mercer County; and provide after-school mentoring; and be affiliated with a school
Must have an existing senior center owned and operated by the Municipality		Must be headquartered in Mercer County since March 3, 2021 and remain in Mercer County through December 2026
May not be debarred in SAM.gov	May not be debarred in SAM.gov	May not be debarred in SAM.gov or via NJ DORES
Applicants must provide a projected budget on how funds will be expended by November 30, 2026; actual expenditures will be tracked via paid invoices and other requested documentation.	Applicants must provide a projected budget on how funds will be expended by November 30, 2026; actual expenditures will be tracked via paid invoices and other requested documentation.	Applicants must provide a projected budget on how funds will be expended by November 30, 2026; actual expenditures will be tracked via paid invoices and other requested documentation.
Entities are capped at $50,000	Entities are capped at $50,000	Entities are capped at $100,000 or less and can be used for up to 20 months of operational support

Eligible Uses:

Application Track	Eligible Uses of Funds
Track 1: Municipal Senior Physical Recreation	Equipment purchases that will be used specifically for senior’s physical recreation activities (e.g. yoga mats, weights, machines, etc.)
Track 2: Municipal Inclusive Playgrounds	Materials and/or Labor costs associated with completing an inclusive playground improvement(s).
Track 3: Non-Profit Youth Mentoring & Sports Programming	Expenses related to youth mentoring and sports programming services such as: salaries of new staff providing mentoring or supervising sports programming; equipment for provision of services; fees for insurance or instructional fees; facility utility charges

Ineligible uses:

Replacement of other, existing grant funding source(s) identified for the same purpose
Cost previously covered by alternative federal, state, or local grant funding
Acquisition of real property
Relocation or Building demolition
Payment of non-business expenses (Personal credit cards, home repairs, personal vehicle, personal phone bill, personal internet bill, etc)
Direct financing to political activities
Religious activities, such as worship, religious instructions, or to inhibit religious interest
Personal use purchases of drugs, tobacco, alcohol, food, entertainment and non-business travel
This is not a reimbursement program. Intended for expenses going forward.

CLICK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATIONS!

TRACK 1

TRACK 2

TRACK 3

NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY (NOFA)