麻州文化協會和麻州發展攜手撥款650萬元資助64個文化場所

Mass Cultural Council & MassDevelopment Invest $6.5 Million into 64 Cultural Facilities

BOSTON – Today at Zumix in East Boston, Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment were joined by state and local officials and cultural partners to announce and celebrate a $6,480,500 investment into 74 nonprofit and municipal cultural facilities through the Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) grant program, which the two agencies jointly administer. CFF provides capital and planning grants to nonprofit organizations, colleges, and municipalities that own or operate facilities primarily focused on the arts, humanities, and sciences. These awards invest in the acquisition, design, repair, renovation, expansion, construction, and long-term planning of nonprofit and municipal cultural facilities. All selected projects are subject to a 1:1 matching requirement. The Cultural Facilities Fund is funded annually through the Governor’s Capital Spending Plan. In FY25, the Healey-Driscoll Administration invested $10 million into the CFF, which supported the awards announced today. “It’s so important that we invest in art and cultural spaces so that people of all ages can explore their creativity, find a sense of safety and belonging, and contribute to our thriving cultural economy,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We are proud to partner with Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment to provide funding for these spaces that play a vital role in cities and towns across Massachusetts.” “Preserving spaces where creativity flows strengthens our communities,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “I’m happy to see that these funds will help provide more opportunities for residents to enjoy beautiful spaces to create, visit, and help our communities prosper.”

Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment leadership and staff are joined by Cultural Facilities Fund grantees at Zumix in East Boston to celebrate the FY25 CFF awards.

“The Massachusetts economy is made stronger by our many museums, theaters, and other cultural facilities that attract tourism dollars and create jobs in every region of the state,” said Navjeet Bal, President & CEO, MassDevelopment. “MassDevelopment is grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the legislature for their support of the Cultural Facilities Fund, which has been an important state resource for cultural facility improvements and expansions, and we thank Mass Cultural Council for their continued partnership in administering this program.” “Mass Cultural Council is proud this program invests in the state of good repair of cultural facilities, recognizing the vital role they play in the social, educational, and economic fabric of our communities,” said Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council. “This funding represents a public commitment to cultural infrastructure and the access it provides to community well-being, lifelong learning, and inclusive growth.” This, the FY25 CFF grant round, was the 17th year funding was made available through the program. There are three types of grants available through the Cultural Facilities Fund. In total, 74 applications have been funded in this round: 54 organizations will receive a total of $6,095,000 for capital grants, which assist with the acquisition, final-stage design, construction, repair, renovation, rehabilitation, or other capital improvements or deferred maintenance of facilities. 12 organizations will receive a total of $316,000 for feasibility & technical assistance grants, which assist organizations in collecting the objective information and analysis they need before committing their energies and financial resources to a facilities project. 8 organizations will receive a total of $69,500 for systems replacement plan grants, which support 20-year capital needs assessments which assess a facility’s structure, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and life-safety systems. A complete list of FY25 Cultural Facilities Fund grant recipients is available online. Below are some examples of capital projects receiving an award through this round of funding: Roots Rising, Pittsfield - $200,000 for the build-out of a new Farm and Education Center Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford - $200,000 to upgrade HVAC systems Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln - $132,000 to construct an outdoor classroom pavilion Zumix, East Boston - $84,000 to replace windows, stage lighting, a projector and screen, and to refurbish and paint exterior doors and interior walls LaunchSpace, Orange - $65,000 for new heat pumps, mini-splits, ceiling fans, and electrical outlets The Cahoon Museum of American Art, Barnstable - $35,000 for planning and design to integrate a newly acquired building into the museum’s campus Creative Haverhill, Haverhill - $26,000 to install an elevator at Cogswell Artspace

Clockwise from top left: Roots Rising, Zeiterion, Zumix, Mass Audubon

Representatives of two organizations who received a FY25 CFF award spoke at the event to detail the impact the grant has for their organizations. “Zumix has been working in East Boston for over three decades, empowering young people through music and creative technology,” said Madeleine Steczynski, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Zumix. “Owning our facility is wonderful because it fives us the autonomy to provide access to state-of-the-art equipment, unique learning opportunities, and access to the arts – all of which contributes to a strong community and a strong Massachusetts. While it is a privilege to own such a space, the upkeep comes with a lot of hard work. We are very grateful to Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment for their consistent investment in organizations like ours. Resources like the Cultural Facilities Fund are incredibly helpful to nonprofits like us.” “We’re incredibly grateful for this funding, which will allow us to install air conditioning and finally address the extreme heat that’s disrupted our programs for years,” said Brianna Drohen, CEO of LaunchSpace. “With rising temperatures and an inefficient building envelope, our space has become unbearable in the summer, forcing closures and cancellations, especially impacting our youth programs.” East Boston community leaders lauded today's investment: “Cultural facilities foster belonging, creativity, and personal growth in ways that enhance local economies and communities,” said state Representative Adrian Madaro (D- East Boston. “I’m especially thrilled to see that Zumix is among the many deserving grantees being supported today through the Cultural Facilities Fund and I’m grateful to MassDevelopment and Mass Cultural Council for being such great stewards of this fund.” Applications for the next round of Cultural Facilities Fund grants are expected to open in Fall 2025, pending available funding in the FY26 Capital Spending Plan, which should be released by the Governor’s Office this month.

Clockwise from top: LaunchSpace, Cogswell Art Space, Cahoon Museum of American Art