The New Jersey Historical Commission is accepting applications from history and humanities organizations for Institutional and Financial Stabilization Grants to recommend to the Cultural Trust for funding.
Donor Name: New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC)
State: New Jersey
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/11/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The purpose of Cultural Trust funding is to provide financial support to assist qualified organizations in addressing the financial and institutional challenges that threaten their stability and to help build greater operational capacity to manage and advance their work. Awards may support a wide variety of expenses, including immediate response activities, costs associated with planning or assessment, and investment strategies that re imagine work and build resiliency.
Institutional/financial stabilization projects are limited to the following categories:
- Establishing or growing a working capital fund/cash reserve
- Debt/deficit reduction
- Strategic planning/assessment
- Technology upgrade
- Capital equipment purchase
- Staff/board development
- New staff position.
Institutional and Financial Stabilization Project Categories
- Establishing or Growing a Working Capital Fund/Cash Reserve: A working capital fund or cash reserve increases an organization’s financial stability by increasing its liquid, unrestricted capital. Both working capital funds and cash reserves are specific kinds of designated funds separate from an organization’s operating budget. A working capital fund addresses cash flow issues, while a cash reserve addresses unplanned short-term expenses. Where an organization might otherwise address these challenges using bridge loans or external lines of credit, a working capital fund or cash reserve can help the organization avoid interest payments and even yield interest.
- Create a Working Capital Fund: A working capital fund, a revolving fund which is replenished regularly, reduces operating risk and better secures an organization’s other income and assets. For example, organizations may sometimes need to pay significant amounts of cash upfront for a year’s expenses (such as licensing fees or subscriptions) while revenue comes in more incrementally throughout the year (such as tuition or ticket sales). In this case, organizations can use a working capital fund as an internal line of credit to support upfront costs, and replenish the fund with revenue as it is earned. Applicants must show that the board has instituted a policy and plan to replenish the fund to the level described and outlined the organization’s policies for managing the fund.
- Create a Cash Reserve: Cash reserves are funds that are set aside to ensure stability when unplanned costs arise or revenue unexpectedly falls. A cash reserve may assist an organization with avoiding debt if unexpected circumstances arise. Reserves may also be established to address other specific challenges. A common reserve of this type is a facilities reserve, which can help an organization budget for expenses related to physical property and assets, such as repairing and replacing plumbing, A/C units, and roofs. In all cases, the money is typically placed in a separate account, designated as the cash reserve account. Applicants must show that the board has instituted a policy and plan to replenish the reserve to the level described and has outlined the organization’s policies for managing the fund.
- Grow an Existing Working Capital Fund or Cash Reserve: If an organization’s working capital fund or cash reserve is not sufficiently capitalized to address the organization’s needs, the organization may apply for funds to grow it. Applicants must detail the history of the fund/reserve’s use and management, explain how a Cultural Trust grant would improve the efficacy of the fund/reserve and its impact on the organization, and outline the organization’s plans to replenish the fund/reserve in the future, in accordance with the board’s established policies for managing the fund.
Funding Information
Organizations may apply for grant funds up to $40,000.
Grant Period
January 1-December 31, 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funds in this grant round, an organization must:
- Be a New Jersey-based nonprofit organization that has been qualified by the New Jersey Cultural Trust
- Be registered as a charity in New Jersey with the Division of Consumer Affairs and have a Charities Registration number
- Have a primary history- and/or humanities-focused mission. (Organizations with a primary arts focused mission are eligible to apply for Institutional and Financial Stabilization Grants for Arts Organizations, which the Cultural Trust expects will next be offered in FY27.)
- Not have another active Institutional and Financial Stabilization grant from the Cultural Trust. NOTE: If an organization has an active Historical Commission grant or CHPP re-grant, the organization is still eligible to apply for a Cultural Trust grant. If an organization has an active Cultural Trust Capital Historic Preservation grant, that organization is also still eligible to apply.
For more information, visit NJHC.
