Community and policy planning is a process where the Gateway Institute, its partners, public policy makers, other organizations and individuals come together to plan, provide and promote the well-being of people and their communities. As part of this operation a critical element is the active involvement of communities in the decisions of services that will ultimately affect their lives in areas such as health care, safety, transportation, the economy, education, the environment and global issues.

A diverse collaboration assures that various avenues are explored where theory and practice, experimental and professional knowledge are employed to produce practical long-term solutions. Ultimately, the Gateway Institute actively engages in a wide range of activities in hopes that the solutions presented to communities will make them safer, stronger, prosperous and more sustainable.

• Gateway Institute played a vital role in assisting Union County government win a $200,000 state grant for the reclamation of environmentally damaged "brownfields" in Plainfield and Hillside.
• In collaboration with several community-based organizations, the Gateway Institute facilitated community-planning sessions whose focus was to examine several issues affecting the city of Passaic. As a result, the Passaic Community Multicultural Alliance was formed and one of their goals is to enhance and celebrate diversity in the Passaic community.
• Working with the Housing Authority of the City of Elizabeth, the Institute provided intake assessment services for the Elizabethport HOPE VI Neighborhood Revitalization Family Self-Sufficiency Program. The assessments helped the Housing Authority plan the components of the HOPE VI Self-Sufficiency program for their residents.
• Kean University through the Gateway Institute hosted the eighth annual New Jersey History Issues Convention. The focus of the annual convention rests on history issues. The eighth convention’s focus was in addressing how historical societies, museums, historic sites and other organizations could best serve the public.