Local Organizations Receive Union County HEART Grants

Artists, individuals, and nonprofit organizations in Westfield and Cranford are among recipients of 2026 Union County HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grants, which support arts, history, and cultural programming across Union County.

The Union County Board of County Commissioners announced $100,000 in total funding this year through the HEART program, which was established in 1998 to expand access to arts and humanities initiatives.

Westfield recipients include Christina Izmirlian, Kiyanna Lawrence, Lowell Schantz, Robin Chang, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Westfield, Musical Club of Westfield, Westfield Arts Collective, Westfield Coalition for the Arts, Westfield Community Center, Westfield Historical Society, Westfield Neighborhood Council, Westfield Public Arts Commission, and Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route NJ.

Cranford recipients include the Cranford Housing Board, Green Thumb Garden Club of Cranford, Hanson Park Conservancy, Township of Cranford, and Union County Historical Society (Cranford).

County officials said the HEART program is intended to support local organizations that preserve history, promote the arts, and strengthen community engagement across Union County.

For information about next year’s HEART Grant Program, artists, educators, civic groups and historical non-profit organizations can contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at (908) 558-2550 or by email at culturalinfo@