Essex County gave out $125,575 in local arts and history grants to organizations throughout the county.

The Maplewood grants include:

• Strollers of Maplewood, Support community-based, non-profit theater group, $1,275
• South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race, Support “Integration through the Arts” presentation of sing-in, dance-in and improv events, $3,825
• Midtown Direct Rep, Maplewood, Support development and presentation of theatre works, $4,250.
• Youth Orchestras of Essex County, Maplewood, Provide challenging instrumental musical experiences for youth, $4,400
• First Night, Maplewood-South Orange, Offer alcohol-free New Year’s Eve program with music, poetry, song and dance, $1,700

The grants were awarded at Essex County's Branch Brook Park last Thursday. The funds came from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the New Jersey Historical Commission.

“Essex County is very fortunate to have very active cultural arts and historic preservation groups that work diligently to provide quality, first-class programming and preserve important reminders about our local history. These projects contribute to our quality of life, build pride among our residents, raise awareness about the treasures found in our neighborhoods and attract visitors to our downtown areas and historic sites,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr.

He added, “While not large in amount, these micro-grants help support the goals and initiatives of our local non-profit agencies and can be helpful to leverage with funding from other sources." 

“The programming presented by these groups is outstanding and contributes greatly to all our lives. I want to congratulate all the grant recipients for the great job they do,” said Freeholder Vice President Patricia Sebold. 

Essex County awarded $113,575 in arts grants to 45 cultural arts organizations that represent a broad cross section of the local arts community. Municipalities, public libraries, college groups, houses of worship, theater groups, homeless shelters, community development corporations, and theater and choral organizations received grants ranging from $500 to $4,400. 

Essex County awarded $12,000 in history grants to seven organizations that include public libraries, historical societies and a park conservancy. These awards range in size from $500 for the Montclair Historic Preservation Commission to publish a bi-annual newsletter to $3,000 for the Montclair Historical Society to conduct research on the Israel Crane House. Public libraries in East Orange, Glen Ridge and Nutley are receiving grants to preserve history books and high school yearbooks through digitalization.