STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOE DANIELSEN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Makes supplemental appropriation of $500,000 from General Fund to Rutgers University - New Brunswick for Nurture thru Nature program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Supplement to the annual appropriations act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, P.L.2024, c.22.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. In addition to the amounts appropriated under P.L.2024, c.22, the annual appropriations act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, there is appropriated from the General Fund the following amount for the purpose specified:
74 DEPARTMENT OF STATE
30 Educational, Cultural, and Intellectual Development
36 Higher Educational Services
2410 Rutgers, The State University – New Brunswick
GRANTS-IN-AID
82-2410 Institutional Support ............................................... $500,000
Total Grants-in-Aid Appropriation, Rutgers, The State University – New Brunswick
.......................................................................... $500,000
Grants-in-Aid:
82 Nurture thru Nature (NtN)....................... ($500,000)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill makes a fiscal year 2025 supplemental appropriation of $500,000 from the State General Fund to Rutgers University, New Brunswick for the Nurture thru Nature (NtN) program. The NtN program was founded by Rutgers faculty in 2009 to provide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational opportunities and hands-on learning opportunities to students in grades three through 12.
The program addresses unique challenges facing students in nearby inner-city school districts, including under-representation in STEM fields, insufficient preparation for STEM careers, and summer learning loss. The program has demonstrated significant benefits in increasing science and mathematics grades, increasing interest in STEM disciplines, increasing the rate of pursuit of higher education in STEM fields, and developing non-cognitive skills including problem solving, pro-social behavior, and leadership skills.