TRENTON, NJ — The New Jersey Cultural Trust, in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (Arts Council), has released the guidelines for its Fiscal Year 2025 grant program, Institutional and Financial Stabilization Grants for Arts Organizations (IFS Arts): https://nj.gov/state/culturaltrust/assets/pdf/fy25-njct-ifs-arts-guidelines-english.pdf .

The IFS Arts program addresses the financial and institutional challenges that threaten nonprofit arts organizations’ stability, helping them build greater operational capacity. Past grant projects funded through this program have included establishing cash reserves and working capital funds, developing strategic plans, and upgrading technology, among many others. The program will open for applications on July 11, 2024. Applications for FY25 IFS Arts grants will be due August 15, 2024.

“The arts are essential to New Jersey’s economy, identity, and overall quality of life,” said Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, who oversees the Cultural Trust and Arts Council in her capacity as Secretary of State. “Investments in the stability and capacity of our state’s nonprofit arts sector support the sector’s long-term vibrancy and ensure that New Jerseyans will continue to enjoy the benefits of arts and culture for years to come.”

In order to apply for an IFS Arts grant, organizations must first be designated qualified by the Cultural Trust. Any arts organization whose qualification status is expired or will expire in 2024 must submit a paper qualification application by mail. Applications must be postmarked no later than June 24, 2024. The qualification application is available on the Cultural Trust’s website (https://nj.gov/state/culturaltrust/), along with a list of currently qualified organizations.

Since 2004, the Cultural Trust has awarded nearly 200 IFS Arts grants totaling more than $4.5 million to arts organizations, supporting capacity-building projects that are often not eligible for funding from other State agencies.

“The Cultural Trust’s Institutional and Financial Stabilization grants are unique,” said Isabel Kasdin, Executive Director of the New Jersey Cultural Trust. “Rather than funding a specific arts program or providing general operating support, a one-time IFS grant strengthens the underlying infrastructure of a cultural organization. That infrastructure, once established, then supports programming and operations well beyond the initial period of the grant.”

IFS Arts grants are open to New Jersey-based nonprofit arts organizations that have been qualified by the Cultural Trust. No match is required. In FY25, organizations may apply for grants funds up to $40,000 for projects in the following categories:
• Establishing, replenishing, or growing a working capital fund/cash reserve
• Debt/deficit reduction
• Strategic planning/assessment
• Technology upgrade
• Capital equipment purchase
• Professional development for staff/board
• New staff position

“The challenges and opportunities facing our state’s arts organizations are as diverse as the organizations and the communities they serve,” said Allison Tratner, Executive Director of the Arts Council. “Through the IFS Arts program, applicants can identify and make the specific investments that are most important to their success, whether that means creating a facilities plan, building a new website, creating a new staff position, or something else entirely.”

The Arts Council is the Cultural Trust’s recommending agency for the FY25 grant round. As outlined in the Cultural Trust Act, the Arts Council, as the recommending agency, will accept applications and oversee the independent panel review process, then determine which applications should be recommended to receive Cultural Trust funding. These recommendations will be submitted to the Cultural Trust Board for final approval.

Cultural Trust staff will host a workshop on qualification via Zoom on May 21, 2024 at 3 p.m. The workshop will provide detailed information about qualification and how to apply. Cultural Trust staff will be available to answer questions. The workshop is free, but registration is required. To register online, go to https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItdOivrTMiGddRa17y1Nd-mTXpCoAzCrYc.

A recorded version of the workshop is also available on the Cultural Trust’s website.
Further technical assistance specific to the FY25 grant opportunity and grant application will be offered in July and August 2024. Details are available in the grant guidelines.

About the New Jersey Cultural Trust
The New Jersey Cultural Trust, an authority in but not of the New Jersey Department of State, was created in July 2000 as a public/private partnership. Through the establishment of a permanent investment fund, the Trust helps to ensure a stable and healthy nonprofit cultural industry in New Jersey that is sustainable even in the toughest of economic times. The Trust provides grants to support capital projects, endowments, and institutional and financial stabilization of arts, history, and humanities organizations in New Jersey. Funding for grants comes from interest earned on the Cultural Trust Fund, which is a permanent investment fund. The invested principal of the Cultural Trust Fund grows through annual legislative appropriations, leveraged by private donations to the endowments of cultural nonprofits as well as by private donations directly to the fund. Each year, the State of New Jersey appropriates a dedicated portion of the revenue generated by the hotel/motel occupancy fee to the Cultural Trust Fund. To learn more, please visit the Cultural Trust’s website at nj.gov/state/culturaltrust/.

About the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
The New Jersey State Council on 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. To learn more about the Council, please visit artscouncil.nj.gov.