Funding Addresses Essential Institutional Financial Needs to Help Navigate the Pandemic’s Impact

Trenton, NJ – Advancing its ongoing commitment to addressing the essential financial needs brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey Historical Commission has approved $230,000 in supplemental fiscal year 2021 funding for history organizations across the state. The grants, in the sum of $5,000 each to 46 grantees, will be focused on maintaining staffing and other critical services, such as collections care and security costs; purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure the safety of staff and visitors; and expanding virtual history programs and services to students, parents, teachers, and the public.

“This funding will further support New Jersey’s efforts to alleviate the pandemic’s considerable financial impact on the state’s non-profit history community,” noted Secretary of State Tahesha Way. “Supporting essential jobs and safety protocols, while securing key technology advancements that will expand programmatic reach and diversify audiences is exactly what is needed to provide the foundation for a successful future.”

The supplemental grant funds come as the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) recently documented the profound effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the industry nationwide. Over 75% of museums reported that their operating income fell an average of 40 percent in 2020; nearly half of museums surveyed noted that their total staff size decreased by an average of 29 percent; and almost 60 percent responded that they were forced to cut back on education, programming, and other public services due to budget shortfalls and/or staff reductions. Outreach by the New Jersey Historical Commission found similar results among its statewide history grantees: fifty-seven percent of its general operating support (GOS) recipients had laid off and/or furloughed full or part-time staff, while 81 percent were forced to drastically reduce fundraising operations.

“Providing our history non-profits with this additional state support at a time when other funding resources are stretched or non-existent was paramount, ,” said Sara Cureton, executive director of the New Jersey Historical Commission. “The devastation caused by the pandemic will take some time to repair. The focus on essential needs such as staffing, safety, and virtual capabilities is exactly what organizations need as they advance their reopening plans.”

For more information on the New Jersey Historical Commission’s grant programs, including the grant guidelines, please visit its homepage: History.NJ.gov.

The New Jersey Historical Commission’s grant awards are determined through an independent peer-review process. All funding is made possible by a portion of the revenue produced by the state’s Hotel/Motel Tax legislation.

The full list of COVID-19 Grant Program grant recipients is provided below:

COVID-19 Grant Program Recipients (Alphabetical Order)	Award
Absecon Lighthouse (Atlantic City)	$5,000
Alice Paul Institute (Mt. Laurel)	$5,000
Alliance for Morris County Parks (Morris Township)	$5,000
American Labor Museum/Botto House (Haledon)	$5,000
Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum of New Jersey (Teterboro)	$5,000
Bayshore Center at Bivalve (Port Norris)	$5,000
Burlington County Historical Society (Burlington)	$5,000
Camden County Historical Society (Collingswood)	$5,000
Camden Shipyard & Maritime Museum (Camden)	$5,000
Cranford Historical Society (Cranford)	$5,000
Delaware River Mill Society (Stockton)	$5,000
Enslaved African Memorial Committee (Teaneck)	$5,000
Friends of Thomas Edison National Historical Park (West Orange)	$5,000
Gloucester County Historical Society (Woodbury)	$5,000
Harriet Tubman Museum (Cape May)	$5,000
Historic Morven, Inc. (Princeton)	$5,000
Historical Society of Haddonfield (Haddonfield)	$5,000
Historical Society Of Winslow Twp. (Waterford Works)	$5,000
Hoboken Historical Museum (Hoboken)	$5,000
Hunterdon County Historical Society (Flemington)	$5,000
Jersey City Free Public Library (Jersey City)	$5,000
Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey (Fair Lawn)	$5,000
Kenilworth Historical Society (Kenilworth)	$5,000
Long Beach Island Historical Association (Beach Haven)	$5,000
Mahwah Museum (Mahwah)	$5,000
Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum (Rahway)	$5,000
Montclair History Center (Montclair)	$5,000
Museum of Early Trades & Crafts (Madison)	$5,000
NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum (Rio Grande)	$5,000
Newark Boys Chorus School (Newark)	$5,000
Old Barracks Museum (Trenton)	$5,000
Princeton Battlefield Society (Princeton)	$5,000
Red Mill Museum Village (Clinton)	$5,000
Roebling Museum (Roebling)	$5,000
Sandy Hook Foundation, Inc. (Fort Hancock)	$5,000
Save Ellis Island (Augusta)	$5,000
T. Thomas Fortune Foundation (Red Bank)	$5,000
The New Jersey Historical Society (Newark)	$5,000
Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park (Edison)	$5,000
Trenton Museum Society (Trenton)	$5,000
Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen’s Museum (Tuckerton)	$5,000
Ukrainian History and Education Center (Somerset)	$5,000
Washington Association of New Jersey (Morristown)	$5,000
Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center (Millville)	$5,000
Whitesbog Preservation Trust (Browns Mills)	$5,000
Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center (Little Falls)	$5,000
	$230,000

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About the New Jersey Historical Commission

The New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) is a state agency dedicated to the advancement of public knowledge and preservation of New Jersey history. Established by law in 1967, its work is founded on the fundamental belief that an understanding of our shared heritage is essential to sustaining a cohesive and robust democracy.