Open — FY2028 New Jersey Arts Council GOS, three-year support FY28–FY30; submit in SAGE by November 19, 2026 noon ET.
New Jersey State Council on the Arts FY2028 General Operating Support Grants (GOS, 2027–2030)
New Jersey State Council on the Arts FY2028 General Operating Support offers three years of annual operating support to eligible NJ 501(c)(3) organizations solely devoted to the arts. No fixed dollar award maximum; apply by November 19, 2026 at noon Eastern.
FundingNo universal fixed-dollar individual GOS award cap is published. Recommended annual request levels based on FY2027 organizational expenditures: up to 30% if annual expenses are below $500,000; 15% for annual expenses above $500,000 and below $2,000,000; 10% above $2,000,000 and below $10,000,000; 5% for annual expenses above $10,000,000. Service-organization category exception. These are guidance, not guaranteed awards. No matching funds required.
DeadlineNovember 19, 2026 at 12:00 noon Eastern Time (ET), via New Jersey SAGE; late submissions and extensions not accepted.
Last verified2026-10-25
Required next actionRead the official FY2028 GOS 29-page guidelines and current Arts Council FAQ/glossary. Confirm New Jersey nonprofit 501(c)(3) incorporation, exclusively arts mission, NJ registrations, SAM/CAGE/UEI, $150,000 FY25 expense threshold or relevant Service exception, full-time paid administrator, board-approved strategic plan, public programming/audience geography. Register in SAGE (new access may take 48 hours); prepare grant narrative, expenses/income charts, board/staff charts, ADA checklist, support media, audit/990 and certifications. Submit ONE GOS or GPS application through SAGE by November 19, 2026 at 12:00 noon ET.
Broad Eligibility
New Jersey-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations whose missions exclusively serve the arts, with NJ charity/revenue compliance, active SAM CAGE/UEI, independent board, $150,000-plus annual expense history since FY2025 (Service exemptions may apply), one paid 35-hour/week administrative staffer, current board-approved plan, 10-month-per-year public programs since FY25, majority NJ audience and two-county reach. One application either GOS or GPS.
Atlas Analysis
Verified October 25, 2026 against controlling NJ State Council on the Arts FY28 GOS 29-page guidelines and current state application landing page. This is a genuine grant supporting eligible arts nonprofit operating expenses annually FY2028-FY2030. No universal individual grant dollar maximum; published percent-of-FY27-expense request guidance has Service-organization exception and is not guaranteed award. GOS explicitly NO match; GPS separate program requires 3:1 match. Applicant must be exclusively arts-missioned NJ 501c3, meet threshold $150K FY25, staff/board/strategic-plan, SAM-CAGE-UEI, 2-county/51% NJ audiences and other requirements. FY2028 SAGE opens Oct6, deadline Nov19 noon ET. 75% paid on annual contract, 25% on approved annual report, contingent appropriations; annually required ADA, reporting and current registrations. Funded FY28-30. Procurement excluded.
FY2028 General Operating Support (GOS) is a three-year applicant-facing financial-assistance grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for the eligible annual operating expenses of New Jersey nonprofit organizations with missions exclusively focused on presenting or supporting the arts. Grant years run July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2030, subject to state funding and annual contract compliance.
Applicant amount: No universal fixed-dollar individual maximum is published. The Council’s recommended annual request levels, based on FY2027 organizational expenditures, are generally up to 30% when expenses are under $500,000; 15% when over $500,000 and under $2 million; 10% when over $2 million and under $10 million; and 5% when over $10 million. These are request guidance, not guaranteed awards; organizations applying in the Service category are exempt from these request parameters. No matching funds are required for GOS.
Eligibility: New Jersey-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organizations in good standing, current with state charity/revenue registrations and federal SAM registration with CAGE and UEI. The organization must have a solely arts-focused mission, an independent governing board, a minimum $150,000 organizational expense budget since FY2025 (subject to qualifying Service-category exceptions), at least one 35-hour-per-week paid full-time administrative employee, a current board-approved strategic plan, public arts programs or services for at least two years and the equivalent of ten months per year, and qualifying majority New Jersey audiences/activities across at least two NJ counties. Foreign nonprofits, fundraising-only friends groups, and organizations whose core mission is not exclusively arts-focused do not qualify for this track.
Application and payment: Apply via New Jersey’s SAGE grant-management portal. The application includes organizational and program narratives, financial charts, board and staff charts, public benefit and accessibility disclosures, ADA checklist, support materials, and certifications. A SAGE account and required SAM registration should be arranged before the deadline; approval of new SAGE accounts may take up to 48 hours. Grantees receive 75% of each year’s approved award on contract execution and 25% after approved annual reporting; annual funding remains contingent on appropriations. Additional ADA and reporting requirements apply.
Deadline: November 19, 2026 at 12:00 noon Eastern Time. The Arts Council states late applications and extensions are not accepted. Each organization may apply to only one of the mutually exclusive GOS or General Program Support (GPS) tracks. The separate GPS track serves ongoing public arts programs of otherwise non-arts or multimission organizations and has a 3:1 matching requirement.
Official controlling document: FY28 GOS guidelines. See also Arts Council current grant programs and SAGE instructions.
Source verificationOfficial government source · nj.govAtlas last verified this record 2026-10-25. Always use the funder's current application materials, amendments and portal instructions as the controlling source.View source and application materials ↗
