(GALLOWAY, NJ) -- South Jersey Cultural Alliance (SJCA) – an organization committed to connecting the South Jersey cultural community to information, resources, and each other – has received a $50,000 grant from the New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund (NJACRF) to directly support artists and history professionals that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.

Applications are open now and available here. Deadline is June 26, 2022. 

SJCA will award $1,000 “South Jersey Artist & History Professional COVID Relief Grants” to 50 working artists and history professionals based in South Jersey (Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, Salem Counties), with priority to those from historically excluded and oppressed communities, including those who self-identify as Black, LatinX, Asian Pacific Islander, Indigenous, and/or People of Color, LGBTQ+, and People with Disabilities.

“SJCA is delighted to receive the generous Phase III Intermediary Grant from New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund,” SJCA’s Executive Director, Julie Hain said. “As South Jersey's regional arts & culture support organization, connecting artists and cultural professionals with the resources they need to thrive is central to our mission. With the help of SJCA's inclusive community of over 1,000 cultural assets, we will distribute these funds broadly, equitably, and quickly to artists and history professionals in need!”

SJCA is partnering with Rowan University’s Arts Engine to administer the $1,000 grants. The organization is working with members of the Perkins Center for the Arts’ Heritage Evident And Relevant (H.E.A.R.) committee as well as members of SJCA’s Engagement, Equity, & Advocacy committee to review grant applications and make award determinations. Two other South Jersey Organizations were also awarded the Grant as well. Please check out their websites for more information please visit, Atlantic City Arts Foundation & Superior Arts & Institute. 

SJCA’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Other generous funders include PNC Foundation, OceanFirst Foundation, New Jersey Historic Commission, New Jersey Cultural Trust, and the New Jersey Arts and Culture Recovery Fund. 

The South Jersey Cultural Alliance unites cultural community members to create the synergy needed for an inclusive, thriving sector. They connect arts, history, cultural organizations, artists, and tradition bearers to each other and their communities, linking them to the resources and opportunities they need to flourish in the eight southern counties of New Jersey.