Morris Arts is pleased to announce the continuation of the Local Arts Grant Program made possible by, and contingent upon, funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA). Morris Arts offers Local Arts Grant funding to Morris County organizations that provide the Morris County community with arts events that are artistically excellent, provide public benefit, and are accessible to the public. The Morris Arts Grant Program offers grants for general operating support and for special projects to qualifying Morris County arts organizations, as well as non-profit organizations that provide arts programming. Applications are reviewed by an independent panel and funding awarded on a yearly basis.

Next Funding Period: 
January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021

Application Deadline:
Friday, September 4, 2020

Application materials for the funding year 2021:
2021 Local Arts Grant Guidelines & Application (fillable PDF)
2021 Local Arts Grant Application Finance Chart (Excel file)
ADA Accessibility Checklist (fillable PDF)
Applications are downloadable at the links above

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, grant guidelines, applications and procedures have been adjusted. All matching requirements for Local Arts Grants have been waived for 2021. All FY2021 applications and materials are required to be submitted online; details are included in the application guidelines. In addition, funding and decisions about funding may be delayed.

For questions or to request a FY2021 Local Arts Grant Application, please contact Kaity De Laura, Director of Arts in Community, at kdelaura@morrisarts.org or (973) 285-5115 ex. 14.

Top row L-R: First Night Morris County presented Maria Sumareva, Moldovan piano virtuoso; The Folk Project presents Livingston Taylor (James Taylor’s brother); Morristown Festival of Books 2019 keynote speaker, Preet Bharara, and his new book, Doing Justice.
Lower row L-R: Dance Innovations Performance Foundation’s Paint the Town performance; New Jersey Jazz Society magazine publicizing upcoming jazz festival; The Chatham Community Players’ 2018 production of A Christmas Carol.

This year’s awardees include: Arts! By the People (Morristown); Artworks Studio (Randolph); Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey (Dover); Chatham Community Players (Chatham); Coro Lirico (Morristown); County College of Morris Teen Arts Festival (Randolph); Dance Innovations Performance Foundation (Chatham); Fairleigh Dickinson University – WAMFEST (Madison/Teaneck); Festival of Books through Community Foundation of NJ (Morristown); First Night ® Morris County (Morristown); Folk Project (Morristown); Good Grief (Morristown); Hanover Wind Symphony (Whippany); Harmonium Choral Society (Morristown); Huaxia Chinese Chorus (Parsippany); Lakeland Youth Symphony (Parsippany); Lyrica Chamber Music (Chatham Township); Masterwork Chorus (Morristown); Morris Choral Society (Morristown); Morris Music Men (Morristown); Morristown Neighborhood House (Morristown); Music at Morristown United Methodist Church (Morristown); New Jersey Jazz Society (Summit); Opera at Florham (Convent Station); Skylands Songwriters Guild (Ledgewood); Visions and Pathways (Bridgewater); and Women’s Theater Company (Lake Hiawatha).

Additionally, $2,000 will be awarded for mini-grants in 2020. 

Morris Arts Awards Local Arts Grants for Funding Year 2018  (funding period: January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018)
Morris Arts is pleased to announce that 24 Morris County arts organizations received Local Arts Grants totaling $52,500 for Funding Year 2018. These grants help support visual arts, theatre, dance, instrumental and choral groups, museums, and broad-based community arts programming which, in turn, enable thousands of people throughout our county to experience the arts in a multitude of ways. Funding is made possible through the Local Arts Program of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Clockwise from top Left: The Chatham Community Players production of Frederick Knott’s Wait Until Dark; Film actor, director, voice artist and producer Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee in Lord of the Rings)was featured at FDU’s WAMFest, 2017; Artworks Studio; The Nai Ni Chen Dance Company performing at First Night Morris County; Pat Wictor and Reggie Harris perform at The Folk Project;  a Lakeland Youth Symphony rehearsal.

This year’s awardees include: Art in the Atrium, Inc. (Morristown); Arts! By the People (Morristown); Artworks Studio (Randolph); Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey (Dover); Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, Inc. (Denville); Chatham Community Players (Chatham); Coro Lirico (Morristown); County College of Morris Teen Arts Festival (Randolph); Dance Innovations Performance Foundation (Chatham); Fairleigh Dickinson University- WAMFEST (Madison/Teaneck); First Night ® Morris County (Morristown); Folk Project (Morristown); Fusion Color Guard, Inc. (Lake Hopatcong); Hanover Wind Symphony (Whippany); Harmonium Choral Society (Morristown); Lakeland Youth Symphony (Parsippany); Masterwork Chorus (Morristown); Morris Choral Society (Morristown); Morris Music Men (Morristown); Morristown Neighborhood House (Morristown); Netcong Community Partnership (Netcong); New Jersey Jazz Society (Summit); Opera at Florham (Convent Station); and Visions and Pathways (Bridgewater)

Additionally, funding is available for mini-grants (up to $1,000 each) in 2018.

Morris Arts Awarded Local Arts Grants for Funding Year 2017  (funding period: January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017) 25 Morris County arts organizations received Local Arts Grants totaling $52,500 for Funding Year 2017. These grants help support visual arts, theatre, dance, instrumental and choral groups, museums, and broad-based community arts programming which, in turn, enable thousands of people throughout our county to experience the arts in a multitude of ways. Funding is made possible through the Local Arts Program of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

This year’s awardees include: Art in the Atrium, Inc. (Morristown); Arts! By the People (Morristown); Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey (Dover); (The) Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, Inc. (Denville); Chatham Community Players (Chatham); Coro Lirico (Morristown); County College of Morris Teen Arts Festival (Randolph); Dance Innovations Performance Foundation (Chatham); Drew University (Madison); Fairleigh Dickinson University- WAMFEST (Madison/Teaneck); First Night ® Morris County (Morristown); Folk Project (Morristown); Hanover Wind Symphony (Whippany); Harmonium Choral Society (Morristown); Lakeland Youth Symphony (Parsippany); Masterwork Chorus (Morristown); Morris Choral Society (Morristown); Morris Music Men (Morristown); Morristown Neighborhood House (Morristown); Netcong Community Partnership (Netcong); New Jersey Jazz Society (Hackettstown); Opera at Florham (Convent Station); St. Peters Episcopal Church (Morristown); Visions and Pathways (Bridgewater); Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey (Denville). Additionally, Morris Arts will award mini-grants in the amount of $2,000.

All 2019 grantees must include the following updated credit/logo from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts 

  Made possible  by funds from Morris Arts, a partner
  of  the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

along with the Morris Arts logo: 

For more information or to request an application, contact Kaity De Laura, Director of Arts in Community/Local Arts Grants, by email at kdelaura@morrisarts.org.

Morris Arts offers Local Arts Grant funding to Morris County non-profit organizations that provide the Morris County community with arts events that are artistically excellent, provide public benefit, and are accessible to the public.  Applicants must show the ability to complete all reporting necessary in accepting public funds by the deadlines specified, including a grant application for funding, a  Commitment Letter, and a final report.  Organizations already receiving funding from NJSCA are not eligible for a Local Arts Grant.

The Local Arts Grant Program is administered in Morris County by Morris Arts and it has been 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.