Heritage Tourism grant requests may range from $5,000 to $75,000. Grant applicants are eligible for a 3:1 funding match in which the Trust may provide up to 75% of total project costs, not to exceed $75,000. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to match 25% of the total project cost for which the grant is requested.

• Entities of county, municipal, or state government
• 501(c) tax exempt organizations that comply with New Jersey charity registration laws

Nonprofit organizations are not eligible to apply for projects that benefit churches and houses of worship.

All applicants must submit the signed Applicant's Governing Body/Board Resolution and Assurance form with each application. It should be included as Attachment A on the USB drive. 

There are no ownership or lease requirements for Heritage Tourism grants, but if the applicant does not own the resource, they should demonstrate support for the project from the resource owners through the Owner Approval (Attachment B) and/or documentation of community support (Attachment G) on the USB drive.

For Heritage Tourism grants, at least one resource involved in the project must be either:

• Individually listed in the NJ or National Register of Historic Places
• Contributing resource to a historic district listed in the NJ or National Register OR
• Certified eligible for listing by the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer

The property must be listed or certified eligible for listing by August 1, 2024 in order to be considered for funding in this grant round.  

• Visitor-readiness assessments
• Visitor evaluations and/or development of performance evaluation measures
• Interpretive planning for one or multiple sites and/or to develop and enhance linkages between sites
• Design and fabrication of interpretive signage or literature
• Marketing plans and studies
• Design and fabrication of marketing materials
• Training and workshops, including speaker honoraria, that create, foster, or enhance linkages between sites.

If a heritage tourism planning activity other than those listed above is proposed, please consult with staff to determine if it is an eligible activity.

Please see the Grant Guidelines for a list of ineligible activities. Contact Trust staff if you do not see your proposed activity listed. 

The following criteria will be used to evaluate and rank applications for these grant funds:

• Degree to which the project enhances or benefits the visitor experience at the resource(s)
• Degree to which the project fosters the goals and objectives of the New Jersey Heritage Tourism Plan
• Degree to which the project addresses the development of heritage tourism within an already existing plan or aims to create a broader regional tourism plan or initiative
• Project concept and team, including: the quality and appropriateness of the project, proposed consultants, budget, and schedule
• Organizational ability, including: the degree to which the applicant will build upon this proposal and continue to foster heritage tourism, and the availability of matching funds
• Public benefit, including: potential to reach new audiences, potential to promote other cultural and heritage tourism activities, ability to create links between multiple sites, demonstrated community support, distribution of funds throughout the state and to a variety of projects, and ability of this grant to make a difference in the quality of this project

Below are links to the application attachments for the Heritage Tourism grant application:

Owner Approval

Applicant's Governing Body/Board Resolution

Project Expenditure Worksheet