Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop has announced that the city will award $1 million in grants to support 88 local artists and arts organizations. The move comes as a part of the city’s commitment to foster creativity and enrich the community’s cultural landscape. 68 of the grants are going to programs and organizations, with an average of $14,000 apiece. 20 of the fellowship grants are going to artists, averaging $5,000 each.
The grants will be distributed by the Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs, which will partner with the Jersey City Arts Council and the Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs. These grants will be available to individual artists, arts organizations, and community-based groups.
The funding will be allocated to a variety of artistic disciplines, including visual arts, music, theater, dance, and literary arts. The goal is to support both established and emerging artists and to provide opportunities for them to showcase their work.
The grant application process will begin in May and will be open to artists and arts organizations that are based in Jersey City. The grants will be awarded based on a competitive review process that will evaluate each applicant’s artistic merit, impact on the community, and ability to successfully execute their proposed project.
The city’s investment in local artists and arts organizations not only promotes the city’s cultural diversity but also stimulates economic growth by attracting visitors and supporting the local arts industry. The grants will undoubtedly provide much-needed support to the artists and organizations that have been heavily impacted by the pandemic.
In February 2022, the first round of Arts & Culture Trust Fund grants allocated $850,000 to provide meaningful support to help local artists and arts organizations throughout Jersey City grow and thrive. To view the full list of grant awardees, please visit the Office of Cultural Affairs website.
Jersey City’s commitment to the arts serves as a model for other cities to follow. It recognizes that the arts play a critical role in building vibrant and resilient communities and that investing in local artists is a powerful way to achieve this goal. The $1 million in grants will undoubtedly have a significant impact on Jersey City’s arts community and help to secure its place as a creative hub in the region.
