The New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) aims to support local arts development across New Jersey’s 21 counties, facilitating artistic excellence and enhancing public access to the arts through funding and strategic partnerships.
The Local Arts Program (LAP) Grant is designed to support local arts development within New Jersey’s counties by allocating funds to county arts agencies for re-granting to local arts organizations and non-profits. This program emphasizes artistic excellence at the local level and supports a wide range of public art projects and programs to benefit diverse audiences. The LAP Grant offers General Operating Support (GOS) for non-profits focused exclusively on arts presentation, Special Project Grants for public arts activities or events, and Creative Placemaking grants to leverage arts and culture for community development. The grants prioritize innovative programs, administrative capacity building, and the integration of arts into public spaces, all while encouraging the hiring of New Jersey artists and fostering collaborative partnerships.