MCAC awards $146K to local arts groups
The Monmouth County Arts Council, Red Bank, has announced its Local Arts Program Grant Awards for 2008. The grants will go to local nonprofit arts organizations for a wide range of art exhibitions, concerts, dance, theater, film and other arts events.

Thirty-one groups submitted grants requesting a total of $444,979, and all have been awarded grants.

The organizations went through a competitive grant process to receive the awards. A panel of art experts reviewed the grants and made recommendations, which were approved by the MCAC board of trustees.

Recommendations were based on the following criteria: high artistic quality; sound governance; management and operations; financial soundness with evidence of broad support; broad public benefit; accessibility and community interest; commitment to arts education, and promoting understanding and public awareness of the arts.

Funds for the grants come through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. MCAC was awarded $209,318 for the Local Arts Program with $138,250 to be re-granted, $3,000 to be used for minigrants and $68,068 for MCAC's arts programs including the Teen Arts Festival, the juried art show, State of the Art magazine, Arts Education Awards, community arts planning, the Web site www.monmouthartscouncil.org and administration of the grant program.

MCAC also received a $14,600 Building Arts Participation Grant to expand the Teen Arts Connection. MCAC for the 10th year in a row received the highest Local Arts Program grant of any of the 21 county arts agencies.

The grants include General Operating Support (GOS) for arts organizations; General Program Support (GPS) for other types of nonprofit organizations that have significant arts programs; Special Project Support (SP) for all types of nonprofit organizations; and Technical Assistance (TA). Six mini-grants of $500 are available for nonprofit organizations for arts programs throughout the year.

For further information on eligibility and criteria go to www.monmouthartscouncil. org.

The awards include: Arcadian Chorale, Matawan, GOS, $4,490; The Art Alliance of Monmouth County, Red Bank, GOS, $1,111; Ballet Company of the Performing Arts Ensemble, Red Bank, GOS, $8,514; Brookdale Big Band, Lincroft, SP, $1,000; Center for Holocaust Studies, Lincroft SP $1,000; Company of Dance Arts, Red Bank, GOS, $11,106; Guild of Creative Art, Shrewsbury, GOS, $2,197; Jazz Arts Project Inc., Red Bank, SP, $5,553; Jewish Community Center of Monmouth County, Axelrod Performing Arts Center; Deal Park, GPS, $3,702;

Also, Middletown Township Cultural & Arts Council, GOS, $7,930; Monmouth Civic Chorus, Red Bank, GOS, $15,270; Monmouth Conservatory of Music, Red Bank, GOS, $6,441; Monmouth Festival of the Arts, Tinton Falls, SP, $3,702; Monmouth Symphony Orchestra, Red Bank, GOS, $1,481; New Jersey State Youth Orchestra, Red Bank, GOS, $5,553; Phoenix Productions, Red Bank, GOS, $4,442; Red Bank RiverCenter StreetLife, SP, $4,072; Shrewsbury Chorale, GOS, $3,597; Zeybrah, Long Branch, SP, $1,851.

For information on the Local Arts Grant Program visit www.monmouthartscouncil. org or call (732) 212- 1890.