County’s Culture and Heritage Commission Seeks Arts Regrant Applicants

CREST HAVEN – Arts regrant applications for 2009 are now available to non-profit Cape May County groups through the County’s Culture and Heritage Commission. Applicants must submit a “Letter of Intent to Apply” form by Friday, October 3. Applications for 2009 regrants are due Monday, November 3. Call the Cape May County Division of Culture at Heritage at 463-6370 for an intent form or additional information.
Eligible applicants must be incorporated in New Jersey as either a non-profit organization or a unit of local government and active for at least two years. Items needed include financial data for two years, a projected 2009 budget, names of Board of Trustees, a Long Range Plan and a Board-approved Americans With Disabilities Act Policy.
General Operating Support (GOS) and Project Support (PS) regrants are available. GOS regrants are for applicants whose primary mission is the arts. Groups whose primary mission is not the arts may apply for a PS regrant to help fund an arts project. Both grants are 50/50 matching grants with at least one-half matched in cash.
The regrant application will be available on paper, on disk in Microsoft Word, or via e-mail; however, completed applications will be accepted on paper only.
Fifteen local non-profit groups received 2008 arts regrants totaling $58,064 from the Commission. Five groups received GOS regrants. These are used to fund, in part, all operations, including events and programs.
The 2008 recipients include: Avalon Performing Arts Council ($4,000) for concerts, an annual art show, and other events; John Walter Cape Community Band ($1,000) to record, produce and distribute a promotional CD; Ocean City Arts Center ($7,500) and Ocean City Fine Arts League ($6,300) for various expenses; and Turtlesinger ($700) for musical, interactive programs, puppets, costumes, 63 original songs, and turtles.
Ten groups received Special Project Support regrants that are awarded for specific arts projects or events. They include: Access to Art ($6,500) for a performance by the Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco), as well as master classes for area dancers and lecture-demonstrations for area schools; Borough of West Wildwood ($1,422) for a summer concert series; Cape Shore Chorus ($2,830) to present an annual musical review; Friends of the Ocean City Pops ($4,500) for an opera concert featuring tenor Stephen Costello and soprano Ailyn Perez; Historic Cold Spring Village ($4,000) for live entertainment at the June 9-10 Celtic Festival; Township of Lower ($6,500) to sponsor an eight-week summer arts program; Masterworks Choir ($5,500) for an autumn concert; Naval Air Station Wildwood ($2,500) to create a Big Band Swing Music Exhibit; Peacemaker Productions ($1,500) to present a “Dueling Divas of Broadway” concert; and Puerto Rican Action Committee ($3,750) for authentic Hispanic music and dance at the 15th Annual Hispanic Heritage Family Festival September 13.
This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.