Eligible applicants include New Jersey-based community colleges and training providers, which includes labor unions, non-profit or community organizations, and private training providers. All organizations must be registered to conduct business in New Jersey as evidenced by a Business Registration Certificate issued by the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (if applicable), and in good standing with the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, and the NJ Department of the Treasury as reported by the respective departments.

Applications from coalitions of local institutions are encouraged, such as a community college and labor union applying together, as an example. Each member of the coalition must individually satisfy the requirements of the preceding paragraph in order for the coalition to be considered, though only a single lead applicant will enter into the grant agreement with OSHE, and receive the grant, if successful. Coalitions will not be considered as joint ventures as only one member of the coalition will be the single lead on the program.  Applicants that form a coalition will be asked to provide a draft Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or other legally binding document between the single lead and the other coalition members that details all organizations’ roles, responsibilities, and contributions to the project. The draft document must be executed to show that the relationship between the single lead and other coalition members has been legally established prior to initial disbursement of grant.   

Furthermore, applicants are required to either have GWO accreditation OR collaborate with an organization that is accredited to provide all modules of GWO Basic Safety and Sea Survival training, which can include organizations that are not New Jersey-based. Only the single lead applicant will enter into the grant agreement with OSHE, and receive the grant, if successful. GWO maintains a database of training providers, which can be found on its website. To support collaboration with current GWO training providers outside of New Jersey, NJEDA will conduct outreach to current GWO training providers to identify those that have specifically expressed interest in working with local organizations in New Jersey. Any organizations that express interest will be listed in an Addendum. Applicants that collaborate with a current GWO training provider will be asked to provide a draft Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or other legally binding document between the applicant and GWO training provider that details all organizations’ roles, responsibilities, and contributions to the project. The draft document must be executed to show that the relationship between the applicant and the GWO training provider has been legally established prior to initial disbursement of grant.