DCA Announces New Application Round for Organizations Seeking to Become a Main Street New Jersey District

• Posted on: 01/3/2024

TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today announced that it will open a new application round for Main Street New Jersey (MSNJ) designations on February 1, 2024. With this application round, DCA will accept applications and designate qualified communities to join the MSNJ program. The prestigious MSNJ designation allows communities to receive on- and off-site technical assistance and training in historic downtown revitalization and management. MSNJ communities can also apply for grants to assist with physical improvement projects in their designated districts.

“Having a Main Street New Jersey designation promotes partnerships across local businesses, historic preservation, and community engagement, and we are eager to open this new applicant round,” said Acting Commissioner of DCA Jacquelyn A. Suárez. “MSNJ programs reinvest in their New Jersey downtowns through public and private investment resulting in community-led economic development, revitalization, and historic preservation.”

The MSNJ program, within DCA’s Office of Local Planning Services, promotes the historic and economic redevelopment of traditional business districts in New Jersey by providing training and technical assistance to designated MSNJ districts. The purpose of the program is to assist the development of preservation-based downtown revitalization initiatives, including strengthening the existing tax base, increasing sales, creating a positive community image with attractive and viable downtown buildings, attracting new businesses, creating new jobs, increasing investment in the downtown, and preserving historic architectural resources.

To apply, applicants must be a recognized 501(c)(3), (c)(4), or (c)(6) organization with the primary mission of revitalizing a commercial district and shall have municipal support codified by a resolution of the host municipality. Application guidelines and criteria can be found on the DCA website at nj.gov/dca/divisions/lps/msnj.html. All documents must be sent via email to MSNJMail@dca.nj.gov. Applications will be accepted from February 1, 2024, through March 15, 2024, and will be evaluated independently by MSNJ staff and various state agencies. DCA will designate and announce the new MSNJ communities in April 2024.

New district application workshops with Jackie Swihart, Program Officer for Revitalization Services at Main Street America, will be held via Zoom on:

• Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. (click here to join) and
• Friday, January 26, 2024 at 10 a.m. (click here to join).

Please be aware that attendance at one new district workshop is mandatory for applicants. These workshops will be recorded. Please email MSNJMail@dca.nj.gov to resolve scheduling conflicts.

In addition to the ongoing technical support and training provided by DCA, designated MSNJ district organizations are eligible for grant opportunities to assist with operational costs and physical improvement projects that occur within designated districts, as well as to support the development and implementation of their transformation strategies to the extent funding is available.

There are currently 25 designated communities in the MSNJ Program. Since the program’s inception in 1989, there has been more than $1 billion in public-private investment in Main Street designated communities, with a net gain of 1,400 new and expanded businesses and a net increase of 6,680 jobs. Between 1997 and 2020, residents, merchants, and property owners have also donated nearly $9.4 million in volunteer wage time to support their local Main Street programs.

For further information on the Main Street New Jersey Program and its participating communities, please call 609-292-3000 or visit: nj.gov/dca/divisions/lps/msnj.html.

For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: