Federal Funds Come at Crucial Time for NJ Nonprofit Arts Industry Impacted by COVID-19

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts will distribute $5 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to help arts organizations throughout the state recoup some of the significant losses they’ve experienced due to the current pandemic. The announcement was made at the Arts Council's public meeting held virtually earlier today. The $5 million in federal aid was directed to the State Arts Council by the Murphy Administration specifically to support the state’s hard-hit arts sector.

"New Jersey’s arts community is world renowned, attracting extraordinary talent and making a significant economic contribution to cities and towns throughout the state," said Governor Murphy. “These funds will support organizations statewide, allowing them to recover from their losses and keep New Jersey arts alive."

“Arts organizations and artists throughout our state quickly sprang into action earlier this year, making and donating masks and other crucial protective equipment, all while continuing to create and share their art in new ways,” said Secretary of State Tahesha Way. “I am proud to work closely with the Governor and the Council to provide additional support for our state’s arts sector.”

"The Council is incredibly grateful to Governor Murphy and his Administration for recognizing the importance of New Jersey’s arts community,” said Council Chair Elizabeth Mattson. “As organizations have continued keeping safety top of mind by keeping their doors closed or limiting access, the financial need has become staggering. Sadly, the nature of what the arts do best – bring people together – means our sector will likely be one of the last to see a more complete recovery. These funds are coming at a critical moment, allowing these organizations to continue serving their communities during a time when the arts are needed more than ever.”

“As a member of the Governor’s Restart and Recovery Commission, I would like to thank Governor Murphy and his Administration for recognizing the significant need for financial support in the arts and culture sector,” said Evelyn McGee Colbert, Member of the Governor’s Restart and Recovery Commission. “While the pandemic required the arts sector to be one of the first to close, the sector’s innovative and collaborative efforts to continue to find ways to share information and support each other has been truly impressive. These grants will help many organizations at a critical moment when they are facing catastrophic losses.”

The Council has identified 94 nonprofit arts organizations as eligible to receive the CARES Act funds. Per federal directives, funds will be distributed broadly, meaningfully, and quickly. Knowing that this allocation cannot fully mitigate the ongoing and significant financial loss sustained by the arts sector, the Council developed a strategy that will ensure these grants have the intended impact. Awards were determined through a tiered, need-based formula that considered each eligible applicant’s reported losses over the last nine months.

The following organizations will receive federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds:

Organization Name	CARES Act Grant
Algonquin Arts	$40,684
American Repertory Ballet Company	$47,345
Appel Farm Arts and Music Center	$40,250
Art House Productions	$51,043
ArtPride New Jersey Foundation	$15,733
Arts & Education Center	$56,771
Arts Council of Princeton	$73,750
Arts for Kids Inc.	$23,000
ArtsPower	$88,029
Artworks Trenton Inc.	$41,090
Atlantic City Ballet	$41,500
Axelrod Performing Arts Center	$65,000
Barat Foundation	$39,000
Bay Atlantic Symphony	$50,500
Bergen Performing Arts Center Inc	$52,273
Boheme Opera Company	$40,863
Cape May Stage	$83,814
Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company	$40,179
coLAB Arts	$4,702
Count Basie Theatre, Inc.	$128,632
Crossroads Theatre Company	$63,000
Dance New Jersey	$1,145
East Lynne Company, Inc.	$48,326
Freespace Dance	$43,750
Frontline Arts	$52,443
George Street Playhouse	$71,233
GlassRoots, Inc.	$6,713
Grounds for Sculpture, Inc.	$39,493
Growing Stage Theatre for Young Audiences Inc.	$53,235
Hunterdon Art Museum	$51,116
Institute of Music for Children	$59,500
International Sculpture Center, Inc.	$50,624
J.C.C. Metrowest	$42,858
Jazz House Kids, Inc.	$44,799
JCC on the Palisades-Thurnauer School of Music	$42,281
Levoy Theatre Preservation Society, Inc.	$39,900
Long Beach Island Fnd. of the Arts and Sciences	$19,384
Luna Stage Company, Inc.	$31,019
Mainstage Center for the Arts	$90,595
Matheny Medical and Educational Center	$47,414
Mayo Performing Arts Center	$135,007
McCarter Theatre Center/Performing Arts	$147,967
Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities	$36,765
Monmouth County Arts Council	$6,351
Monmouth Museum & Cultural Center	$55,200
Montclair Art Museum	$68,935
Montclair Film Festival	$40,548
Morris Museum	$41,821
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company	$18,204
New Jersey Ballet Company	$79,641
New Jersey Festival Orchestra	$66,000
New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra	$15,600
New Jersey Performing Arts Center	$193,369
New Jersey Repertory Company	$35,350
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra	$49,530
New Jersey Theatre Alliance	$12,000
Newark Arts Council, Inc.	$50,000
Newark Public Radio, Inc. WBGO-FM	$60,000
Newark School of the Arts, Inc.	$62,500
Nimbus Dance Works	$44,416
Ocean City Arts Center	$42,000
Paper Mill Playhouse	$137,787
Passage Theatre Company	$17,326
People and Stories Gente y Cuentos	$22,012
Perkins Center for the Arts	$36,071
Peters Valley Craft Center Inc.	$67,525
Princeton Symphony Orchestra	$78,796
Pushcart Players	$48,255
Ritz Theatre Company, Inc.	$71,325
Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts	$15,010
Riverside Symphonia	$47,680
Roxey Ballet Company	$65,209
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey	$54,798
Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts	$71,050
South Orange Performing Arts Center	$43,636
State Theatre	$112,259
Strand Ventures, Inc.	$62,130
Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council	$24,269
Symphony in C	$54,632
The Children's Home Society of New Jersey	$50,000
The Discovery Orchestra, Inc.	$10,036
The Garden State Film Festival	$50,407
The Kennedy Dancers, Inc.	$57,300
The Newark Museum Association	$82,123
The Princeton Festival A NJ Nonprofit Corporation	$59,745
The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts	$69,107
Thomas A. Edison Media Arts Consortium	$13,505
Trenton Civil Circus Project	$59,432
Trilogy: An Opera Company	$47,250
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey	$70,140
West Windsor Arts Council	$62,909
Westrick Music Academy	$58,000
Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center	$66,173
Young Audiences of New Jersey	$32,379
Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey	$19,546

As an essential part of our state’s economy and overall quality of life, New Jersey’s arts sector, when it is stable and thriving, employs thousands of people, engages millions, and provides irreplaceable value for communities, families, residents, and visitors.

The grants listed here are current as of December 14, 2020.

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About the New Jersey State Council on the Arts

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council receives direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated, renewable Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee, as well as competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.