The guidelines for the Cultural Trust's FY25 grant program, Institutional and Financial Stabilization Grants for Arts Organizations (IFS Arts), are now available. The New Jersey State Council on the Arts is collaborating with the Cultural Trust to administer the FY25 grant program.

The IFS Arts program supports nonprofit arts organizations in addressing the financial and institutional challenges that threaten their stability and in building greater operational capacity. The deadline to apply for qualification is June 24, 2024.

Apply for qualification by June 24, 2024.

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, along with a list of currently qualified organizations.

Grants Available in Multiple Categories

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 grant 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

Important Dates

June 24, 2024 — Postmark deadline for qualification applications

July 11, 2024 — Grant application opens in SAGE

August 15, 2024 — Grant applications due in SAGE at 12 PM (noon) ET

CONTACT THE NEW JERSEY CULTURAL TRUST

Phone: 609-292-6403

Email: cultural.trust@sos.nj.gov

Qualification: Frequently Asked Questions

If your organization is not currently qualified by the Cultural Trust, or if your qualification status will expire in 2024, apply by June 24, 2024 to be eligible for the Cultural Trust's FY25 IFS Arts program.

WHAT IS QUALIFICATION?

In order to be eligible for any Cultural Trust grant program, organizations must first be designated qualified by the Cultural Trust. The qualification application is available on the Cultural Trust website's Grant Opportunities page.

DO I NEED TO APPLY?

You can check if your organization is already designated as a qualified organization, or can check when its qualification status expires, by reviewing the list of actively qualified organizations on the Cultural Trust website's Grant Opportunities page. Please be aware that qualification does expire, so if you have applied for qualification in the past, it may be time for you to apply again.

HOW DO I APPLY?

The qualification application is a paper form with required attachments. It must be submitted by mail. Please read the application guidelines carefully to ensure you include all of the required materials.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT QUALIFICATION?

Click the link above to register for our upcoming Zoom workshop. You can also click here to watch a recorded version of the workshop about how to apply for qualification, or contact the Cultural Trust at 609-292-6403 or by email at cultural.trust@sos.nj.gov.

About the New Jersey Cultural Trust

The New Jersey Cultural Trust, a division of the New Jersey Department of State, was created in July 2000 as a public/private partnership to help 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 the grants comes from interest earned on the Cultural Trust Fund, which is a permanent investment fund. To learn more about the Trust, please visit their website here.

View Email as Webpage