COVID Specific Grants for NJ Arts Organizations

Apply Today for the COVID Critical Needs Grant
Deadline to Apply: January 28, 2021, 4:00 PM EST

WHAT IS THE COVID CRITICAL NEEDS PROGRAM 

The COVID Critical Needs Program (CCN) is a single year grant program that provides support for COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) and safeguarding needs that meets the Council’s eligibility requirements. 

APPROVED EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES 

The COVID Critical Needs Program can financially assist NJ nonprofit organizations (those with an arts-based mission and facility open to the public) to support the purchase of COVID-19 PPE supplies and safeguarding equipment in order to comply with NJ Department of Health guidelines, Executive Orders, and professional association guidance on COVID-19 safety standards. Expenses need to take place between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.  

This grant program does not support on-going or multiple programs, the general operations of an organization, or capital improvement projects. 

GRANT AMOUNTS

Grant requests cannot exceed 7% of total organizational budget from FY19 or $20,000, whichever is smaller. 

The need in the field is expected to be extremely high. The Council’s goal is for this program to have a broad reach serving arts organizations across the state of New Jersey. While we wish that funding can support every organization in need, available funds are limited. For this reason, organizations are encouraged to seek and apply for every other funding opportunity available to them. A list of opportunities is regularly updated and posted on the Arts Council website. 

Guidelines are available in both English and Spanish.

APPLICATION ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE

The Council staff are currently all working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual Office Hours are offered for drop-in help with your questions about the process and the application. These meetings will be held via Zoom in December and January. 

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State. 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 receives direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated, renewable Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee, as well as competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.