(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- On July 30, 2024, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts awarded more than $30 million in grants to support approximately 900 arts organizations, projects, and artists throughout the state. The grants were approved at the Council's 58th Annual Meeting in Trenton. Jersey City Theater Center received two grants totaling $124,440, with $25,000 earmarked for projects serving artists. This is the first time Jersey City Theater Center has received funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

"Receiving funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for the first time is a monumental moment for the Jersey City Theater Center,” remarked Olga Levina, Executive Producer, Jersey City Theater Center. “These grants not only validate the hard work and dedication of our team but also empower us to continue fostering a vibrant arts community. With $25,000 dedicated to projects serving artists, we are thrilled to support and amplify the voices of local and international talent. This investment ensures that our vision of inclusive, dynamic artistic expression and storytelling continues to flourish in Jersey City and beyond."

State funding for the Arts Council comes from the revenue generated through the State’s Hotel/Motel Occupancy Fee, and supports arts activity in all 21 counties. From the smallest neighborhoods to the largest cities, artists and arts organizations strengthen communities and offer solutions for complex issues we all care about – quality education, health and wellness, thriving economies, cross-cultural understanding, and more.

“The investment made in our state’s artists and organizations has a direct, positive impact on New Jersey residents, families, businesses, and communities,” said Acting Governor Tahesha Way, who oversees the Council in her role as Secretary of State. “It’s an honor to work closely with the Council to help our state’s creative industries thrive, and to ensure New Jersey’s diverse constituencies can access the many benefits of the arts.”

As the largest funder of the arts in New Jersey, the majority of Council grants provide the type of funding most challenging for nonprofits to find: multiyear, flexible support to help organizations pay for basic operations in service to their missions. Council Executive Director Allison Tratner remarked, “The grants voted on reflect the Council’s commitment to listening to field needs and then taking action. Over $20 million dollars in operating support was approved, signaling a historic mark of progress for the Council and our sector. We are extremely grateful to the Murphy Administration for the ongoing support of New Jersey’s vital arts community.”

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.

Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization committed to inspiring conversations about important issues of our times through the arts. Co-founded by Executive Producer Olga Levina, an immigrant from Belarus, Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) produces and presents universal yet locally relevant works, emphasizing social justice and human rights.  Since 2006, JCTC has provided a platform for all artistic voices to be heard in Jersey City, with the aim of sparking meaningful cross-cultural dialogue that helps build a greater understanding, mutual respect and better communities in New Jersey.

Programming made possible by numerous supporters, including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development, Hudson County, the City of Jersey City, and the Office of Cultural Affairs. For those who are interested in attending any of the performances, sponsoring any of the upcoming productions, or purchasing tickets for large groups, please email [email protected].