BOSTON – Mass Cultural Council today announces the recipients of its Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Festivals & Projects grant program. These $2,500 awards to organizations support public activities that incorporate the arts, humanities, or sciences. In total, Mass Cultural Council granted $1,850,000 to 740 cultural projects and festivals statewide.
“These festivals and projects foster meaningful connections within our communities,” said Michael J. Bobbit, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council. “I love how our Festivals & Projects program reaches into every corner of the Commonwealth to support these creative activities. I encourage all who can to join me in engaging in and attending as many of these upcoming events as possible.”
As the Commonwealth’s independent state arts agency, Mass Cultural Council is charged with bolstering the creative and cultural sector, thereby advancing economic vitality, supporting transformational change, and celebrating, preserving, and inspiring creativity across all Massachusetts communities. The Agency pursues this mission through a broad range of programs, services, advocacy, and the equitable investment of public resources.
In this FY24 grant cycle, Mass Cultural Council expanded eligibility to receive Festivals & Projects funding to allow for all proposals that incorporated the arts, humanities, or interpretive sciences in some way. As a result, the program received a record 1,231 applications requesting nearly $3 million in funding. The Agency had the resources to approve about 60% of these proposals this year.
A review of the grant recipients shows that in FY24, Festival & Project award winners include:- 518 organizations who will use this grant to put on a program that is entirely free to the public (70%)
- 367 organizations who have not received funding from any Mass Cultural Council grant program in the past three years (50%)
- 188 organizations who self-identify as BIPOC-centered (25%)
- 136 organizations who voluntarily participate in Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture program (18%)
“The volume of applicants to this program tell me that people have a real desire for these community-building activities,” said Bobbitt. “Additionally, as our team at Mass Cultural Council continues to focus on access and recruitment, I am pleased to note that our resources are being equitably distributed to organizations who are actively engaged in the creative and cultural sector.”
The full FY24 Festivals & Projects funding list and project descriptions are available online, including these upcoming vibrant celebrations:
CineFest Latino Boston 2023 – CineFest Latino Boston, LLC (Boston)
Dates: September 27, 2023 – October 1, 2023 CineFest Latino Boston 2023 is a festival of films by Latino filmmakers about the Latino experience in the United States and abroad. CineFest Latino Boston is a five-day event showcasing films by and about Latinos, the only film festival of its kind in the region. The Festival screens more than 2 dozen films, with many international award-winning films making their Boston-area premiere. The event includes screenings, panel discussions, appearances, and Q&A sessions with the filmmakers, as well as an ongoing series of conversations with the audience.
Western Massachusetts Community Ofrenda – Attack Bear Press (Easthampton) Dates: October 28, 2023 – November 6, 2023 This project began in 2019 as a space for indigenous and/or Latinx people to find community together and celebrate Dia de los Muertos. It has now expanded into a large, public event with three locations in two cities – Holyoke & Easthampton. The event spans just over a week and includes a new accessible, family-friendly event the weekend prior with talks from local cultural leaders about the significance of the folk holiday, music, and participation of representatives from the Mexican consulate. Community members will be invited to paint bisque-fired clay calaveras for one of the ofrendas, there will be performances by a mariachi band, and a recorded community storytelling.
Food Rescue Outdoor Cooler Mural – Green Beverly 107Q, Inc. (Beverly)
Dates: September 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024 Green Beverly’s Food Rescue project brings public art to food rescue, to combat hunger and minimize food waste in the local community. The project features a large, outdoor walk-in cooler for food rescue in a public space that will feature colorful murals by local artists that will bring the area to life. The art installation around the cooler will not only beautify the space, but will also educate the public about the Food Rescue project. This project rescues edible food from local supermarkets, gardens, and restaurants and provides it to local organizations that feed it to the food insecure.
Dominican Carnival: Colorful Tale of Satire and World Heritage – Guardians of Tradition (Worcester)
Dates: October 16, 2023 – October 22, 2023 Dominican Carnival: Colorful Tale of Satire and World Heritage is a free, community art exhibit and theater production. The Dominican Republic has one of the oldest carnivals in the Americas. This is a tradition that started as a form of protest against slavery and religious oppression and is influenced by the arrival of enslaved Africans brought to the island by Spain, France, and England. The project aims to highlight the cultural heritage of one of the largest immigrant groups in Massachusetts, Dominicans, and show the intersectionality of these cultures while also forming a connection with the audience and elevating the importance of cultural identity. | 
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