176 Cultural Organizations Receive $431,000 in Mass Cultural Council Projects Grants

One-year Grants Support Public Programming 42% of Recipients Are First-Time Applicants

BOSTON – Mass Cultural Council today announces that FY22 Projects grants totaling $431,000 have been awarded to 176 Massachusetts cultural organizations to support public programming that provides access, excellence, diversity, or education in the arts, humanities, or sciences.   This year supported projects range from a mobile art outreach program on Cape Cod to a sonic performance examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Northampton.   “Culture brings us together, generates empathy, and helps us heal in a time of crisis. The projects funded today will provide unique opportunities for Massachusetts residents to participate and enjoy cultural events and activities in their communities,” said Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council.   Part of Mass Cultural Council’s Cultural Investment Portfolio (CIP) suite of programs providing operating and project-based support for cultural organizations, Projects grants frequently provide a point of entry for smaller organizations to begin a granting relationship with the Agency. This year, 42% of Projects applicants were organizations applying to Mass Cultural Council for the first time.    “I am pleased to note that 93 applicants to this grant round are brand new to Mass Cultural Council, and 66 of them have received funding,” said Bobbitt. “As I embark on my second year leading the Agency, I am focused on recruiting even more new individuals and organizations to participate in our programs and services.” First-time Projects grantees funded in FY22 include: Abilities Dance, Brookline: An Evening with Abilities Dance in Upham’s Corner Berkshires Jazz, Pittsfield: Jazz Appreciation Month: the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity, Northampton: Con Alma, a sonic performance which examines the isolation of the pandemic Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit: Art Bus Community Roots: mobile art outreach program, encouraging family engagement Fall River Museum of Contemporary Art, Fall River: two public art projects to be presented in a downtown storefront in Fall River Lowell Makes, Lowell: 2022 Mill City Skill Share, an annual a day of free community-led workshops Northbridge Brass Endeavors, Northbridge: Afternoon of Brass performances in Northbridge and Worcester Ohketeau Cultural Center, Ashfield: The Living Presence of Our History, a public project on contemporary Indigenous issues A key pillar of Mass Cultural Council’s Strategic Plan is Growing the Economy. Projects grants accomplish this goal by providing support to nonprofit arts, humanities, and science organizations across Massachusetts. These organizations connect people of all ages to theater, music, dance, visual art, and film; teach them about history, literature, and the environment; and introduce them to new ideas and cultural traditions. Further, the Agency’s new Racial Equity Plan lays the foundation for Mass Cultural Council to invest financial, programmatic, and informational resources equitably across the cultural sector.   A complete funding list and project descriptions for FY22 Projects grantees is available online.