Alternating with the New Jersey History Trust and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the New Jersey Historical Commission accepts applications and recommends grants to the Cultural Trust for funding.

For FY 2026, the New Jersey Cultural Trust Board has authorized the New Jersey Historical Commission to accept applications from history and humanities organizations for institutional and financial stabilization projects to recommend to the Cultural Trust for funding.

Access the Declaration of Intent (DOI) now in SAGE. For instructions on finding the DOI in SAGE, see page 8 of the grant guidelines. For instructions on completing the DOI, see the “Instructions for Completing a Declaration of Intent” document in the Important Documents section below.

DOIs will be due in SAGE on June 11, 2025, at 3 p.m. Full grant applications will be due in SAGE on July 17, 2025, at 3 p.m.

In order to be eligible for the FY 2026 IFS History/Humanities opportunity, organizations must first be designated qualified by the New Jersey Cultural Trust. For more information on qualification and the separate qualification application link, go to the Qualification page.

DOI and application assistance:
Live Workshops: Cultural Trust and New Jersey Historical Commission staff will hold a Zoom workshop on May 22 about the FY26 grant program. Participation is free, but registration is required.

• Thursday, May 22, 2025, at 1 p.m. Register for the May 22 workshop.

South Jersey Cultural Alliance Virtual Connection Session: Cultural Trust staff will join SJCA for a Zoom session on May 27 about the FY26 grant program and DOI. Participation is free, but registration is required.

• Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 3 p.m. Register for the May 27 session.

Office Hours: Applicants can also participate in a Cultural Trust Office Hours session to ask questions pertaining to the DOI and/or grant application. Participation is free, but registration is required. Office hours will be held on the following dates:

• Monday, May 19, 2025, at 3 p.m.: Register for the May 19 session
• Thursday, May 29, 2025, at 1 p.m.: Register for the May 29 session
• Monday, June 9, 2025, at 11 a.m.: Register for the June 9 session

Additional office hours sessions will be held in July; check this page for updates as those sessions are scheduled.

Recorded Mini-Webinars: Recorded technical assistance mini-webinars are available now on YouTube. They address the following topics:

• About the Cultural Trust, About the FY26 Grant Round, and Eligible Applicants
• Eligible Cultural Trust Projects
• Application Process, Application Components, and Grantwriting Tips
• Navigating SAGE
• Cash Reserves/Working Capital Funds and Debt/Deficit Reduction

All of the FY26 mini-webinars are also available in a YouTube playlist.

Self-Assessment Workshop: The Cultural Trust has also developed a recorded webinar that provides a framework for organizations to conduct a basic self-assessment to identify stability and capacity challenges that might be addressed through the Trust’s IFS grant programs. The webinar and an accompanying handout are available on the About Cultural Trust Grants page.

Important dates:

• March 17, 2025: Grant guidelines released
• April 30, 2025: DOI available in SAGE
• June 11, 2025: DOIs due in SAGE at 3 p.m.
• June 11, 2025: Online applications for qualification due at 3 p.m.
• July 16, 2025: Cultural Trust Board meets to approve qualification applications
• July 17, 2025: Full grant applications due in SAGE at 3 p.m.
• July-October 2025: Historical Commission convenes independent review panels and crafts recommendations
• November 2025: Cultural Trust takes action on recommendations and announces grants
• January 1-December 31, 2026: Grant period for funded projects

Important documents:

• FY 2026 New Jersey Cultural Trust Grant Guidelines – IFS History/Humanities
• FY 2026 IFS History/Humanities Evaluation Criteria Rubric
• FY 2026 IFS History/Humanities Additional Guidance for Cash Reserve, Working Capital Fund, and Debt/Deficit Reduction Projects
• Instructions for Completing a Declaration of Intent

Alternating every other year with the NJ Historic Trust and the NJ Historical Commission, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts accepts applications and recommends grants to the Cultural Trust for funding. For FY 2025, the Arts Council accepted applications from arts organizations for institutional and financial stabilization projects to recommend to the Cultural Trust for funding. Grant applications were due in SAGE on August 15, 2024 at 12 p.m. (noon).

This grant program will next be offered in FY 2027..

Technical assistance mini-webinars:
Recorded technical assistance mini-webinars are available on topics including:

• Organization eligibility
• Project eligibility
• Deciding what project category is right for your organization
• Evaluation criteria
• Application components
• Grantwriting tips
• Navigating SAGE

View the full playlist on YouTube.

Important dates: The FY25 application is now closed.

Important documents:

FY 2025 New Jersey Cultural Trust Grant Guidelines — English
FY 2025 New Jersey Cultural Trust Grant Guidelines — Spanish
FY 2025 IFS Arts Evaluation Criteria Rubric — English
FY 2025 IFS Arts Evaluation Criteria Rubric — Spanish

The New Jersey Cultural Trust Capital Historic Preservation Grants Program is collaboratively administered by the New Jersey Historic Trust for and with the New Jersey Cultural Trust. All history, arts and humanities organizations with stewardship responsibility for historic resources that are listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places, and qualified by the New Jersey Cultural Trust, are eligible to apply for 2023 (FY24) capital historic preservation funding.

Priority: In 2023 (FY24), the New Jersey Historic Trust’s priority will be projects that can be completed for $100,000 or less. These projects will be carefully considered in relation to other criteria for funding.

Technical Assistance:

Qualification

• Watch a recording of the workshop about the Cultural Trust qualification process

Grant Application and SAGE

• Watch a recording of the workshop about the FY24 grant application components and process
• Click here for the slide deck from the application workshop.
• Click here for useful links and resources to help with your application.

Important Dates: The FY 2024 application is now closed.

Important Documents:

FY2024 New Jersey Cultural Trust Capital Preservation Grant Guidelines