$3 Million Allocated to Local Artists and Arts Organizations in under 2 Years
JERSEY CITY, NJ - Mayor Steven M. Fulop, City Council members, and the Arts and Culture Trust Fund Committee announce the third round of Jersey City’s Arts and Culture Trust Fund grants, providing over $1 million to support local artists and arts organizations throughout Jersey City. Applications will open on Monday, January 29, to support arts education, arts programming, general operations, and Individual Artist Fellowships.“We created the Arts and Culture Trust Fund to give Jersey City artists and arts organizations a lifeline where none existed. With this third round of grants, we are increasing the total amount of allocations to more than $1 million, which is a significant amount of support that ultimately benefits our community as a whole,” said Mayor Fulop, who implemented New Jersey’s first Arts and Culture Trust Fund in 2021 after residents voted for the funding source with an overwhelming majority.
Jersey City’s nonprofit arts and culture sector generated $46 million in economic activity in 2022, including 532 jobs supported and over $28 million in personal income to residents, as was recently announced in a nationwide study. The findings highlight the Fulop Administration’s efforts to attract interest and investment throughout Jersey City as a growing regional hub for the arts and cultural happenings.
“The Arts Trust grants have supported public art projects and arts education for all residents, supported local artists in securing studio space, and helped to produce free music and dance performances throughout the city for residents,” said Bryant Small, Executive Director of the Jersey City Arts Council, which administers the artist fellowships. “The grants and the Individual Artist Fellowships continue to demonstrate the value of supporting the artists making Jersey City such a vibrant, creative community.”
The first two rounds of grants worth nearly $2 million have provided critical assistance to nearly 200 local artists and arts organizations. The third phase will distribute over $1 million in the following categories:
- Program Grant Awards
- Arts Education Awards
- Operating Grant Awards
- Fellowship Grant Awards
Roxy Arrojo is the Executive Director of the Educational Arts Team at Camp Liberty, one of the many 2023 grant recipients. “We are grateful for the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund grant. It has created more opportunities for our teaching artists to go into different community centers in Jersey City, building connections with children and their families through the arts and deepening a love for reading. We are especially excited to be able to expand our reach by offering more workshops in our own backyard throughout Ward A.”
“The average award amount in 2023 was over $20,000 for general operating grants, a 29% increase from our first year. The average program grant also increased by 28%. We have been able to grow this grant program every year, and every year, we can see the tangible benefits of these critical investments in our arts and culture community,” added Christine Goodman, Director of Jersey City’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
In November 2020, the Arts Trust Funds received strong support from voters to implement the annual tax, which generates approximately $1 million in yearly revenue for arts and cultural programs.
“As chair of the JCACTF Committee, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to our present and past committee members. We truly appreciate their commitment and diligence to make these grants possible,” said Elizabeth Phillips-Lorenzo, Chair of the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund Committee. “We have witnessed the positive impacts of the funding and are proud to announce the release of applications for a third year in a row!”
The City’s Office of Cultural Affairs offers many services to assist applicants, including step-by-step webinars, in-person and online training sessions, and extended times for computer access at local library branches. Additionally, applications are available in multiple languages.
Grant applications will be available on the Cultural Affairs website from 9 a.m. on Monday, January 29, through 5 p.m. on Monday, March 4, 2024.