County Cultural And Heritage Commission Receives $80,000 State Grant

The Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission is the recipient of an $80,000 grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, part of $15.7 million the council is awarding to more than 700 arts projects, organizations and artists throughout the state.

The council announced the 2015-16 grant recipients in Trenton on Tuesday, according to a news release. Five other Ocean County organizations -- the Strand Theatre in Lakewood, the Barnegat Bay Decoy & Baymen’s Museum in Tuckerton, the Long Beach Island Friends of the Arts & Sciences, and Garden State Philharmonic -- and one artist, Mary May of Lacey, received grants from the council, with the county receiving more than $225,000 in support.

Additionally, 42 organizations and projects that received the highest evaluations from the panel reviewing the applications were recognized with Citations of Excellence. Forty groups were designated as Major Arts, Presenting or Service organizations in recognition of their history of excellence, the breadth of their impact, and their longstanding leadership.

The Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission supports a variety of arts and history activities in the county, according to its mission statement.

“The arts industry is critical to New Jersey’s economic growth and creative vitality,” said Acting Governor Kim Guadagno, who also serves as Secretary of State. “The grants awarded through the State Arts Council support cultural assets in every region that help shape New Jersey communities as great places to live, visit, do business and raise a family.”

The council receives funding from the state through the Hotel/Motel Occupancy Fee legislation passed in 2003, which established a dedicated revenue source to support arts, history and tourism. Additionally the Arts Council receives annual competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

Funding decisions are made through a transparent, merit-based and rigorous grants process that assures access and equity. Independent peer panels evaluate grant applications to eliminate the possibility for conflict of interest.

According to Arts Council records, state arts funding employs an estimated 17,000 workers, supports 37,000 cultural events, and attracts 5 million visitors who spend another $125 million. The bottom line: every nickel of state spending on the arts yields a dollar of local economic impact in towns and cities across the state.