Organizational leadership within the Home Port Alliance determined that an outsourced grants consultant would help ensure continuity of grant writing efforts over time, rather than continuing dependence on an in-house resource with limited skill sets. The Home Port Alliance intended to increase external funding, both from existing funding sources and new funding sources, for their preservation and maintenance activities, educational programming, and capital projects advancing the goals outlined in their strategic plan. With this in mind, the Home Port Alliance began its search for an external grants consultant in spring 2024.

The Aubrey Group developed an attainable, multi-tiered plan to help the Home Port Alliance increase its external funding and administer its current grant awards. This involved winning grants at different tiers, which are decided based on the size of the application and award. This plan included:

• Winning 1 “large” grant (with a range of $200,000 to $300,000) from a new funding source by writing four applications. 

• Winning 1-2 “medium” grants (with ranges of $50,000 to $80,000) by writing three to five applications. 

• Winning 5-10 “small” grants (with ranges of $2,000 to $15,000) by writing 30 to 40 “small lift” applications.  

In addition to researching, preparing, and submitting new grant applications, the Home Port Alliance determined that they wanted The Aubrey Group to focus on administering their existing large-scale grant awards to ensure that projects were being funded and that the organization was following grant guidelines. 

Since The Aubrey Group’s engagement with the Home Port Alliance in August 2024, the team has produced extensive grant research, mapping state, private, and federal funding opportunities that support the organization’s goals of preservation, maintenance, and education. In the wake of federal funding disruptions caused by the current presidential administration, The Aubrey Group has continuously monitored external funding sources to update the Home Port Alliance’s grant strategy as needed. 

Our team has led the process to secure $120,000 in awards for the Home Port Alliance, with $816,000 in award funding currently pending. So far, our awards have helped the Home Port Alliance pursue its central goals, such as updating the ship’s security infrastructure and hiring new interns to help the museum’s curation staff over the next summer. 

We are currently administering $7,190,000 in external funding for the Home Port Alliance. Notable awards include:

• A $150,000 Nonprofit Security Grant, which is used to replace the Battleship’s fence and gate at their visitor entrance. 

• A $500,000 “Community Project Funding” grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which will go towards the costs of designing and constructing an event-hosting structure on the Battleship’s Fantail. 

• A $1,000,000 grant in American Rescue Plan funding from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, used to reimburse the Home Port Alliance for expenses that were incurred during the Battleship’s drydocking in 2024.

About the Client: The Home Port Alliance for the USS New Jersey is the nonprofit organization responsible for restoring, managing, and commemorating the USS New Jersey (BB-62). This is a historic “Iowa-class” battleship, commemorated as the “most decorated battleship in Navy history,” having served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and multiple conflicts in the Middle East. During World War II. Today, the Home Port Alliance manages the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial within the decommissioned USS New Jersey, allowing visitors to tour the interior of the ship and learn about the various men and women who served on board in the 20th century. The Battleship New Jersey serves thousands of interested visitors in the greater Camden and Philadelphia region, many of whom are veterans or families of veterans who had served on the ship. In addition to educational programming, the Home Port Alliance hosts a variety of community events, such as happy hours and high school proms, on the deck of the ship. To maintain the ship’s physical infrastructure and fund educational programming, the Home Port Alliance relies on state and federal funding streams to keep the museum operational.

Photo Credit: Battleship New Jersey Website