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 |
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.