Grant money available for Jersey Shore arts and cultural nonprofits

OceanFirst Foundation of Toms River is accepting applications for its 2016 Arts and Cultural Grant Program, according to Foundation Executive Director Katherine Durante.

"This year will award a total of $75,000 in grants to local Arts and Cultural organizations on the Jersey Shore. The typical grants will range from $500.00  up to $5,000, and can support special programs or projects that they want to do throughout the year, or fundraising events that they have coming up," said Durante.

The grants will help museums, galleries, theaters and community spaces where artists, performers, and historians gather to share their work, according to Durante.

This year OceanFirst Foundation will award about $1.25 million to community organizations throughout the Jersey Shore area, according to Durante.

"We know the nonprofit community, and that includes Arts and Cultural organizations, are really an economic engine within the shore-area that we live in, and we want to be able to there to support organizations that maybe just need a little bit of help to succeed in what they're trying to accomplish and the services they're trying to bring to the community," Durante said.

The deadline to submit an application is March 1, 2016. Durante said all grant will be be awarded by April 1, 2016.

Complete guidelines and additional information on submitting a grant request can be found at www.oceanfirstfdn.org or by calling, 732-341-4676.