TRENTON, N.J. 鈥 Advancing its ongoing commitment to ensuring a stable and healthy cultural industry, the New Jersey Cultural Trust has announced $541,427 in FY 2023 Institutional and Financial Stabilization grant awards to 16 qualified arts organizations statewide. The Cultural Trust Board voted to approve these awards at an open public meeting held virtually on January 23, 2023. With the FY 2023 awards, the Cultural Trust has now awarded over $9.6 million in funding for financial stabilization and historic preservation projects across New Jersey to date.
鈥淭he work of the New Jersey Cultural Trust is critical to maintaining New Jersey鈥檚 celebrated cultural and creative industry,鈥 said New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way. 鈥淔inancially and operationally stable cultural organizations are the ones that have the capacity to contribute the most to their communities. Especially in such unpredictable times, we are proud that the Cultural Trust is able to make these essential, focused investments in the sustainability of our state鈥檚 cultural assets."
Unique among the other grant programs within the Department of State, Cultural Trust grant funding is not the result of a direct budget appropriation, but rather derives from the interest earnings accrued annually by the Trust Fund, which was created by the Cultural Trust Act of 2000. The purpose of the legislation was to provide an additional, permanent funding source for arts, history, and cultural institutions, with a concentration on initiatives that build long-term resilience.
Pursuant to the Cultural Trust Act, annual Cultural Trust grants are awarded following a third-party, independent peer review process by qualified persons employing uniform evaluation criteria. Awards are based on recommendations from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, New Jersey Historical Commission, and the New Jersey Historic Trust.
For FY 2023, recommendations were made by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Awards of up to $40,000 were available for projects that addressed the financial, operational, and capacity challenges that have a significant impact on organizations鈥 ability to serve their communities. Eligible projects for consideration included proposals for deficit reduction, capacity building, establishing working capital, establishing cash reserves, strategic planning, professional development, and technological advancements, among others.
To learn more about the work of the New Jersey Cultural Trust, visit .
To learn more about the varied programs and services under the purview of the Department of State, visit .
The FY 2023 Cultural Trust Institutional and Financial Stabilization grant recipients are listed below:
Organization | Project | Town/City | County | Award Amount |
---|---|---|---|---|
Algonquin Arts | Cash reserve | Manasquan | Monmouth County | $40,000 |
Appel Farm Arts and Music Center | Technology upgrade | Elmer | Salem County | $40,000 |
Camden FireWorks, Inc. | Cash reserve | Camden | Camden County | $40,000 |
Camden Repertory Theater | Cash reserve | Camden | Camden County | $40,000 |
coLAB Arts | New staff position | New Brunswick | Middlesex County | $31,200 |
Jazz House Kids | Capital campaign and fundraising planning | Montclair | Essex County | $36,000 |
John Walter Cape Community Band | Technology upgrade | North Wildwood | Cape May County | $13,846 |
New Jersey Arts Education Partnership | Strategic planning | Burlington | Burlington County | $37,000 |
New Jersey Performing Arts Center | New staff position | Newark | Essex County | $40,000 |
New Jersey Repertory Company | Technology upgrade | Long Branch | Monmouth County | $16,421 |
New Jersey Theatre Alliance | New staff position | Allenhurst | Morris County | $40,000 |
North Jersey Concert Band, Inc. | Equipment purchase | Oakland | Bergen County | $14,960 |
South Street Theater/The Community Theatre | Technology upgrade | Morristown | Morris County | $40,000 |
Symphony in C | Diversity, equity, and inclusion planning | Collingswood | Camden County | $32,000 |
Trenton Music Makers | Equipment purchase | Trenton | Mercer County | $40,000 |
Vanguard Theater Company | Cash reserve | Montclair | Essex County | $40,000 |