(TRENTON, NJ) -- The New Jersey State Council on the Arts has been approved for a grant of $1,195,200 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 largest NEA grant the Council has received in its 58-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.

“We are all impacted by the arts every day - and in New Jersey, we recognize the vital role of the arts in our overall quality of life,” said Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, who oversees the State Arts Council in her role as Secretary of State. “We are grateful to President Biden and Congress for their ongoing support of the National Endowment for the Arts, and we are honored by the trust the Endowment has placed in the State Arts Council to use these crucial funds in ways that will reach communities throughout New Jersey.”

“Funding to our state and regional partners nationwide is crucial to sustaining vibrant local arts ecosystems,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “So many aspects of our communities including cultural vitality, health and wellbeing, infrastructure, and the economy are advanced and improved through investments in art and design, and the National Endowment for the Arts, in cooperation with these agencies, is committed to ensuring people across the country benefit.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing partnership and support from the National Endowment for the Arts,” said Allison Tratner, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. “Through this historic level of funding, the Endowment has once again recognized the wide range of quality arts experiences that can be found across our state.”

In addition to the State Arts Council’s Partnership Grant, the NEA also announced its Fiscal Year 2024 second round of Grants for Arts Projects and Our Town Grants. 22 New Jersey arts organizations received funding totaling $869,000.  

You can view the full list of NEA announcement and grantees here.

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.