FOMA grants provide direct support for local artists and organizations and are intended to enhance the availability and accessibility of art for the community's benefit. Artists representing music, performance, theatre, dance, visual art, film, spoken word, and community art forms are encouraged to apply.

Funding Cycles

●   Application Due dates:  April 1 and October 1 each year (January-December).

●   Decisions will be made at the close of the funding cycle and 80% of the funds will be distributed at a mutually agreed upon time, with the remaining 20% distributed following receipt of the applicant’s final report.

●   No late requests will be honored.

●   Applications must be completed and submitted by email to info@friendsofmetuchenarts.org or mailed to FOMA PO Box 188, Metuchen, NJ 08840, and RECEIVED by the date of the current funding cycle. Applications received after the posted deadline will be considered in the following cycle.

Eligibility

●   Individuals and Organizations - Individual artists and/or organizations that support artists may apply.

●   Residency — An applicant must be at least 18 years old, a NJ resident, and either a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident alien.

●   Conflict of Interest — FOMA current board and staff members and their families are not eligible to apply for grants.

●   Location and Date of Event/Art - The event or artwork must be located in Central New Jersey and should be held at least three months after the funding cycle due date to allow for the promotion of our collaboration.

Eligible Projects and Costs

●  Completion/Presentation of a New Work — Cost of resources necessary to complete or present a significant new work (e.g., purchasing art supplies or equipment including space rental), culminating in a performance or exhibit that benefits the community.

●   Performance - Cost of resources, including compensation for artists necessary to offer a performance open to the public

●   Education - Compensation for a qualified artist to offer arts-related classes at low or no cost to students

●   Accessibility - Costs to make an arts-related event accessible for more members of the public

Ineligible Projects and Costs

●   Projects that support or oppose a particular candidate for public office

●   Projects that are exclusive to members of a particular religious faith group

Evaluation Criteria

All projects will be considered and will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

●   Overall excellence of the applicant’s artwork and experience in the grant area

●   Feasibility of the proposed project

●   Accessibility to the public - low or no-cost admission, free of barriers to access, ADA compliant, encouraging partnerships with underrepresented populations

Review Process

All completed grant applications will be judged by a committee selected by the Executive Board of Trustees of Friends of Metuchen Arts with final approval of the full Board of Trustees, whose decision will be final.

Sponsorship

All advertising and marketing for your event must include FOMA logo and recognition of FOMA support with the following wording, “Co-sponsored by Friends of Metuchen Arts, a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit organization.

Please share all flyers with FOMA, including a square flyer to enable easy posting across all of our media.

Final Report

All grant recipients must submit a report within 30 days of project completion including the the number of attending participants, several photographs, and a statement of impact.

For more information, please contact Kat Davis at kat@friendsofmetuchenarts.org