New Jersey Historical Commission approves $230,000 in supplemental COVID-19 grant to support to history organizations across the state

The New Jersey Historical Commission announced on Wednesday that supplemental grants of $5,000 have been approved for more than 40 non-profit historical organizations across the state. A total of $230,000 in supplemental COVID-19 aid will be distributed to museums in the state for the 2021 fiscal year through the commission’s grant program.

Grants are being distributed to help nonprofits maintain staffing and other services such as collections care and security costs, to purchase personal protective equipment to ensure the safety of staff and visitors, and to be virtual history programs and services to students, parents, teachers, and the public.

The American Alliance of Museums recently documented the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on museums nationwide. More than 75% of museums reported that their operating income fell an average of 40 percent in 2020, and nearly half of the museum leaders surveyed reported that their total staff sizes decreased by an average of 29 percent. Almost 60 percent of museums reported that they were forced to cut back on education, programming and other public services due to budget shortfalls or staff reductions. Outreach by the New Jersey Historical Commission found similar results among its statewide history grantees. Fifty-seven percent of its general operating support recipients laid off or furloughed full or part-time staff members, while 81 percent were forced to drastically reduce fundraising operations. 

“Providing our history non-profits with this additional state support at a time when other funding resources are stretched or non-existent was paramount,” said Sara Cureton, executive director of the New Jersey Historical Commission. “The devastation caused by the pandemic will take some time to repair. The focus on essential needs such as staffing, safety, and virtual capabilities is exactly what organizations need as they advance their reopening plans.”

Morven Museum and Garden, the Princeton Battlefield Society, the Old Barracks Museum, and the Trenton Museum Society all received grants. The full list of recipients is below.

COVID-19 Grant Program Recipients                 

Absecon Lighthouse (Atlantic City)$5,000
Alice Paul Institute (Mt. Laurel)$5,000
Alliance for Morris County Parks (Morris Township)$5,000
American Labor Museum/Botto House (Haledon)$5,000
Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum of New Jersey (Teterboro)$5,000
Bayshore Center at Bivalve (Port Norris)$5,000
Burlington County Historical Society (Burlington)$5,000
Camden County Historical Society (Collingswood)$5,000
Camden Shipyard & Maritime Museum (Camden)$5,000
Cranford Historical Society (Cranford)$5,000
Delaware River Mill Society (Stockton)$5,000
Enslaved African Memorial Committee (Teaneck)$5,000
Friends of Thomas Edison National Historical Park (West Orange)$5,000
Gloucester County Historical Society (Woodbury)$5,000
Harriet Tubman Museum (Cape May)$5,000
Historic Morven, Inc. (Princeton)$5,000
Historical Society of Haddonfield (Haddonfield)$5,000
Historical Society Of Winslow Twp. (Waterford Works)$5,000
Hoboken Historical Museum (Hoboken)$5,000
Hunterdon County Historical Society (Flemington)$5,000
Jersey City Free Public Library (Jersey City)$5,000
Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey (Fair Lawn)$5,000
Kenilworth Historical Society (Kenilworth)$5,000
Long Beach Island Historical Association (Beach Haven)$5,000
Mahwah Museum (Mahwah)$5,000
Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum (Rahway)$5,000
Montclair History Center (Montclair)$5,000
Museum of Early Trades & Crafts (Madison)$5,000
NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum (Rio Grande)$5,000
Newark Boys Chorus School (Newark)$5,000
Old Barracks Museum (Trenton)$5,000
Princeton Battlefield Society (Princeton)$5,000
Red Mill Museum Village (Clinton)$5,000
Roebling Museum (Roebling)$5,000
Sandy Hook Foundation, Inc. (Fort Hancock)$5,000
Save Ellis Island (Augusta)$5,000
T. Thomas Fortune Foundation (Red Bank)$5,000
The New Jersey Historical Society (Newark)$5,000
Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park (Edison)$5,000
Trenton Museum Society (Trenton)$5,000
Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen’s Museum (Tuckerton)$5,000
Ukrainian History and Education Center (Somerset)$5,000
Washington Association of New Jersey (Morristown)$5,000
Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center (Millville)$5,000
Whitesbog Preservation Trust (Browns Mills)$5,000
Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center (Little Falls)$5,000