This coming Monday the Department of Cultural Affairs will begin accepting applications for calendar year 2023 grants from the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund, according to a press release issued yesterday by Mayor Fulop. The fund, which is supported by a local property tax, issued its first such grants, which totaled $900,000, in 2022.

“After witnessing how much these grants can really benefit people, we want to spread the word that these funds are being made available again,” said Christine Goodman, director of the Office of Cultural Affairs and a member of the Arts and Culture Trust Fund Committee, which votes on the applications.

The 2022 grants were awarded to 89 Jersey City arts and cultural organizations in the city and ranged in size from $500 to $25,000. With origins in a 2020 referendum on whether to establish a property tax expressly to fund local arts endeavors, the fund expects to award roughly $1 million annually — some for programming, some for arts education, some for general operations, and some for individual artists.

Initially, the tax rate was two cents per dollar of assessed property; earlier this year, the City Council voted to increase the rate by a half cent.

“We were thrilled to receive generous support from the city’s Arts and Culture Trust Fund in 2022,” said Josh Schmieder, president of the city’s North River Sing Community Chorus. “The gift has increased our operating flexibility considerably and has resulted in collaborations with other Jersey City communities we might otherwise not have had. We’re grateful to everyone who made the grant possible.”

Another of last year’s recipients was The Educational Arts Team which offers arts education to children from low-income communities who might not otherwise have access to the arts.

Grant applications will be available beginning 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 23, and accepted through 5 p.m. Friday, March 3, 2023. The applications themselves along with information on workshops, office hours, and support sessions to help applicants submit proposals can be found at JerseyCityCulture.org.