Funding to Support History Organizations, Projects, and Programs across all 21 Counties
TRENTON, N.J. – Advancing the Christie Administration’s ongoing effort to support the state’s unique and diverse historical legacy, the New Jersey Historical Commission board today approved $2.5 million in Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 18) grant funding to 81 historical organizations, museums, historic sites, archives, libraries, individuals, and county re-grant agencies across the state.
The $2.5 million in FY 18 funding will support the New Jersey Historical Commission’s General Operating Support (GOS) program, which covers an array of operational expenses for qualified history organizations; Projects and Co-Sponsored Projects, which includes New Jersey-based historical research, exhibits, programs, and archival work; and the County History Partnership Program (CHPP), which provides all 21 counties with funding to support smaller history groups statewide.
“This funding supports the Department of State’s larger mission to strengthen New Jersey’s essential history, arts, and cultural communities,” said Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, who serves concurrently as Secretary of State. “Moreover, these grants will touch a wide array of disciplines and fund programs supporting history organizations of all sizes, individual scholars, educators and students of all ages. While the economic return is significant, you cannot ascribe a dollar figure to educational and quality-of-life benefits gained through this funding.”
In Fiscal Year 2016, history organizations that received General Operating Support funding alone offered on-and-off-site programs to more than 2 million people, enjoyed over 12 million website visitors, and supported over 700 full and part-time jobs statewide.
The FY 18 awards are the second to be given after a comprehensive grant reevaluation process, which sought input from grantees, current and prospective applicants, and experts from various history-based disciplines on how to strengthen already effective programs even further. The changes were officially implemented in Fiscal Year 2017.
“The grant re-evaluation has already had considerable impact,” noted Sara Cureton, executive director of the New Jersey Historical Commission. “Not only has it refocused funding in a way that strengthens the critical relationship with our county history partners, but it’s stressed to all current and prospective grantees the vital importance of reaching broader and more diverse audiences.”
For more information on the eligibility and purpose of each grant program, including the guidelines themselves, please visit the New Jersey Historical Commission’s homepage: History.NJ.gov.
The New Jersey Historical Commission’s grant programs are determined through an independent, third-party peer review process. All funding is made possible by a portion of the revenue produced by the state’s Hotel/Motel Tax legislation.
The full list of Fiscal Year 2018 New Jersey Historical Commission grant recipients are provided at the following links:
Official Site of The State of New Jersey