Mercer County, NJ | Grants Information

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FY09 History Regrant Application form (Word 344k)

FY09 History Regrant Application form (PDF 128k)

FY09 History Regrant Guidelines (PDF 145k)

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Mercer County Executive and the Board of Chosen Freeholders have made funds available for support of the Arts through a State/County Block Grant Partnership for Arts Organizations and County Arts Agencies. The three-year block grant is an essential part of the State arts community and a most effective vehicle through which to promote the programs of local arts groups. Applications are carefully evaluated to insure programs of high quality, ethnic diversity and community participation with maximum availability and accessibility to all county residents. The grants are intended to promote the growth and expand the public impact of community arts organizations and community arts projects. Grant Guidelines and Grant Applications are available online in PDF. Check the Grant Program Calendar for program deadlines.

Eligibility Requirements:: The application process is open to all Mercer County based non-profit organization that are 501(c) (3) or 501(c) (4) non-profit tax-exempt that have been in operation for a minimum of one (1) year. Applicants cannot be funded or apply to both the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts during the same funding year. Grantees must comply with Labor Standards under section 5(1) of the National Foundation of Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1993, and may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex or disability.

All grants applied for through this program are matching grants. Documentation of all grant and match expenses will be required in the final report at the conclusion of the grant cycle.
Grant Categories:: The categories for the grants are Special Projects Support, General Operating Support, or Technical Assistance. An organization can only apply for one category in any given grant year.
Funding Process:: The funding process followed by the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission is similar to that of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. A panel that reflects the arts community in respect to artists, arts disciplines and the county community, review the grants. Panel members are selected to reflect the viewpoints of professional, aesthetic, geographic, minority, disabled and special constituencies. They are familiar with the programs that Mercer County supports.

Based on application and support materials, information gained from program evaluations, funding priorities and evaluation criteria provided with the grant guidelines, panelists are asked to rank each application. The Cultural and Heritage Commission make final funding decisions using the information received from the grant review panel in addition to their own further review of applications.
Grant applications:: Grant applications are available online and completed applications (original plus 9 copies) can be mailed or hand delivered to the office between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission
640 South Broad Street
Room 417
Trenton, NJ 08650

Grant Program Calendar:

December 31,2007	Deadline to submit FY07 Final Report to MCC&HC office or submit letter requesting extension of deadline. FY07 Final Report form Deadline to submit Letter of Intent, to apply for FY09 grant funds, to MCC&HC office
January 2, 2008	FY09 Grant Application available The FY09 Local Arts Program Grant Guidelines and Application will be available in Word format for PC and MAC platforms, which can be emailed to you upon request at mrunyon@mercercounty.org. A hard copy can be mailed to you upon request at 609-989-6899. FY09 Local Arts Program Grant Guidelines FY09 Local Arts Program Grant Application
April 2008	Final payment for FY07 grant funds to re-grantees* * Payment is contingent upon Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission receiving funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and upon receipt of a completed final report from grantee
April 25, 2008	Deadline to submit FY09 Grant Application to MCC&HC office
May 2008	First payment for FY08 to re-grantees Payment is contingent upon Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission receiving funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and a signed Grant Contract Agreement from the organization. Final payment for 2008 will not be until April 2009.
June 2008	Grant Review Panel meets
July 2008	New Jersey State Council on the Arts announces County Cultural Associations Grant Awards for FY09
September 2008	Mercer County Cultural & Heritage Commission meets to make final funding decisions on Re-grantee award amounts.
October 2008	Award Letter and FY09 Contract Agreement sent to Re-grantees
November 2008	Deadline for submission of FY09 Contract Agreement to MCC&HC office FY08 Final Report forms sent to re-grantees Final Report FY08
December 31,2008	Deadline for submission of FY08 Final Report to MCC&HC Deadline for Letter of Intent to apply for FY10 funding