Recognizing the bravery and heroism of the volunteer firefighters and first responders in our communities, New Jersey American Water announces its 2017 grant program for volunteer fire departments and emergency responders located in the company’s service areas.

“We are proud to once again offer this program, which provides assistance to the brave men and women volunteering their time and skills to safeguard the people who live and work in the communities we serve, including our employees,” said Denise Venuti Free, director of Communications and External Affairs, New Jersey American Water.

Grants will be awarded to cover the costs associated with purchasing personal protective gear, communications equipment, firefighting tools, water handling equipment, training and related activities and materials that will be used to support volunteer firefighter and emergency responder operations (e.g., ambulance and first aid squads). Reimbursement for specific fire training classes, including the cost of training manuals and student workbooks, is also eligible. Regional or countywide applications are encouraged to maximize the number of fire and emergency organizations that would benefit from the grants.

To apply, organizations must submit an application, complete with the following information:

  • Contact information, including name and phone number.
  • Description of the organization(s) seeking support, including company name, address of company and county in which the company is located.
  • Overview of the specific project to be funded.
  • Grant amount requested.
  • Problem/challenges that the project will address.
  • Timeframe for implementation of the project.
  • Summary of other sources being approached for support of the project.
  • In addition to the letter of application, a project budget should be included.

Completed applications can be emailed to susan.barton@amwater.com, or sent by mail to: New Jersey American Water, 1025 Laurel Oak Road, Voorhees, NJ 08043; Attn: Susan Barton.

The maximum grant amount awarded to any organization is $1,000 and the deadline to apply is March 10, 2017. Additional details and the application may be found at www.newjerseyamericanwater.com, on the “News & Community” page. Grant recipients will be notified at the end of March.

New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.7 million people. More information can be found at www.newjerseyamwater.com. American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. Marking its 130th anniversary in 2016, the company employs 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.