(TRENTON, NJ) -- The New Jersey State Council on the Arts has been approved for a grant of $1,190,200 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). For nearly 60 years, the Council has received funding from the Endowment as part of its State and Regional Partnerships program, which extends the reach of federal resources through State Arts Agencies nationwide. This year’s award is the Council’s largest NEA partnership grant in its 57-year history. This competitive grant supports Council operations as well as statewide priorities in the areas of arts education and lifelong learning, folk and traditional arts, and community and economic development.
In addition to the Council’s Partnership Grant, the National Endowment for the Arts also announced 19 direct grants to New Jersey organizations to support arts programming. These 20 grants total $1,852,200 invested in New Jersey by the NEA for the coming year.
“The arts mean business in New Jersey, and this significant investment further demonstrates the importance of the arts and the vital role the arts play throughout our communities,” said Secretary of State Tahesha Way. “We are grateful to President Biden and Congress for their ongoing support of the National Endowment for the Arts, and we are thrilled that, through this year’s grant awards, the Endowment recognizes and celebrates the artistic excellence New Jersey is known for.”
“The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, demonstrating the many ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “These organizations play an important role in advancing the creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts, culture, and design.”
“We are honored to receive this historic level of support from the National Endowment for the Arts,” said Allison Tratner, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. “As our state’s arts industry continues working towards resiliency and stability, it is of the utmost importance that artists and arts organizations see that state and federal support is ongoing. We are extremely grateful to the NEA for their continued partnership.”
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State, and a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. 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 believes the arts are central to every element we value most in a modern society including: human understanding; cultural and civic pride; strong communities; excellent schools; lifelong learning; creative expression; and economic opportunity.
