Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation Awards $2.27 Million in SMILE Workforce Grants to Expand Dental Career Pathways Across New Jersey and Connecticut

 

PARSIPPANY, NJ & GLASTONBURY, CT— February 24, 2026 — The Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation announced it is awarding $2.27 million in SMILE Workforce Grants in 2026 to support the pipeline of dental assistants and hygienists in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Foundation plans to award more than $3.5 million in workforce funding over the next three years, when combined with other multi-year grant commitments. 

Among the most substantial investments this year is a $1 million grant to the County College of Morris (CCM) Foundation—the largest corporate foundation grant in CCM’s history—to support the launch of dental hygiene and dental assisting programs at the college’s Center for Health Professions, which is slated to open in 2027.  

“For 40 years, the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation has been committed to expanding access to oral health care for our most vulnerable neighbors. At Delta Dental, we believe that when we do well as a company, we want to do good for the communities we serve,” said Paul Di Maio, President and CEO, Delta Dental of New Jersey and Delta Dental of Connecticut. “By investing in programs that support the full career journey of dental professionals—from early exposure in middle or high school to accredited collegiate and on-the-job training programs—we’re advancing access to dental care for all.” 

According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projections, there’ll be a national shortage of 33,220 dental hygienists and 19,860 general dentists by 2038. In response, this round of SMILE Workforce Grants from the Foundation ranged from $6,500 to $1 million and were given to 16 organizations in New Jersey and five in Connecticut to fund dental education programs and modernize educational infrastructure: 

New Jersey 

  1. Atlantic County Institute of Tech 
  1. Bergen Community College Foundation 
  1. Bloomfield Health Careers Foundation 
  1. Brookdale Community College Foundation 
  1. CAMCare 
  1. Cape May County Tech School District 
  1. Central High School’s Dental Academy in Newark 
  1. County College of Morris Foundation 
  1. HISPA, Inc. 
  1. KinderSmile Foundation 
  1. Lincoln Foundation for Education 
  1. Monmouth County Vocational School 
  1. Ocean County College 
  1. Rowan College at Burlington Foundation 
  1. Rowan College of South Jersey 
  1. Zufall Health Center 

 

Connecticut 

  1. Goodwin University 
  1. Manchester Community College Foundation  
  1. New England Teaching Institute  
  1. University of Bridgeport  
  1. University of New Haven  

 

“With both New Jersey and Connecticut facing dental workforce shortages, these grants not only reflect an investment in the nearly 4,000 students who will benefit over the next three years but will result in the communities we serve having more reliable access to dental care,” said Lisa N. Gallucci, DMD, D.ABDSM, Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation chair. 

2026 also marks the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation’s 40th anniversary. For four decades, the Foundation has provided grants to support access to dental care and education for underserved children, seniors, veterans, and those with special health care needs. The Foundation began awarding its special series of Workforce grants in 2024, and the total investment in Workforce grants across both states now exceeds $5 million.  

For more information about the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, visit https://www.deltadentalnj.com/our-foundation 

 

Photo Caption: For caption: (left to right): Melissa Mazur, Marketing and Graphics Coordinator, Delta Dental; Randy Stodard, CMO, Delta Dental; Paul Di Maio, President and CEO, Delta Dental; Mike Rodrigues, CFO, Delta Dental; and Kimberly Elmore, Corporate Communications and Foundation Manager; Delta Dental representatives visited County College of Morris to mark the Delta Dental Foundation’s $1 million SMILE Workforce grant to the CCM Foundation. The funding will launch new dental assisting and hygiene programs in the forthcoming Center for Health Professions, support the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment, expand opportunities for local students, and help address New Jersey’s dental workforce shortage while improving access to community oral health services. 

Photo Credit: John Hester 

 

 

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ABOUT DELTA DENTAL OF NEW JERSEY

Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc. is New Jersey's leading dental benefits company, providing or administering coverage to more than 2.2 million people through contracts with groups and individuals in New Jersey and Connecticut. In Connecticut, Delta Dental of Connecticut, Inc. is a licensed insurer that writes dental and vision coverage on an insured basis, and Delta Dental of New Jersey administers self-funded dental benefit programs. 

 

Offering dental benefits since 1969, Delta Dental of New Jersey's mission is to promote oral health to the greatest number of people by providing accessible dental benefit programs of the highest quality, service, and value. Through its philanthropic arm, the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation awards more than $1M in grants annually to support access to dental care and education for underserved children, seniors, veterans, and those with special needs, as well as funds workforce development programs for dental assisting and dental hygiene across New Jersey and Connecticut.

 

 

 

 

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Jackie Zygadlo, MikeWorldWide
(201) 231-6035, jzygadlo@mww.com

Kim Elmore, Delta Dental of New Jersey
(973) 534-9682, kelmore@deltadentalnj.com