6 Montclair Art Nonprofits Get Grants To Help Survive Pandemic

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A statewide pandemic fund that supports struggling cultural and arts organizations recently included several Montclair nonprofits in its first round of grantees.

The following Montclair groups were among more than 100 nonprofits across the state to benefit from $2.6 million in funding from the New Jersey Arts and Culture Recovery Fund (NJACRF):

• Jazz House Kids
• Montclair Film Festival
• Music Beyond Measure
• Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts
• Studio Montclair Gallery
• Vanguard Theater Company

Grants will provide critical financial support for organizations and individuals in the cultural sector hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The financial situation for many beloved arts nonprofits in the state is shaky at best, according to the NJACRF. As of December, New Jersey’s nonprofit arts industry reported losses of more than $100 million because of pandemic-related closures and cancelations, and more than half of the state’s creative workforce has been laid off or furloughed.

In an effort to ease the pain, the NJACRF was established last year with a gift from the Grunin Foundation. Hosted by the Princeton Area Community Foundation, the NJACRF has since gained support from a coalition of funders, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Amazon, PNC Bank and the TD Charitable Foundation.

To date, the NJACRF has raised more than $3.7 million and fundraising continues to meet the growing financial need. The fund is chaired by representatives of the Grunin and Geraldine R. Dodge Foundations, and members include Prudential Foundation, Stone Foundation of NJ, E. J. Grassmann Trust, NJ State Council on the Arts, and the NJ Historical Commission. Other major donors include the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

A second phase of funding began accepting applications on March 1, with a deadline of April 12. Learn more here.

This story is part of Patch's Headlining Hope series, which profiles local nonprofits and charitable organizations in need of volunteers and resources. If you know about a local organization that should be profiled, contact eric.kiefer@patch.com

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