9-27-2022 10:26am

Mass Cultural Council Recognized with National Award, Announces Available Grants to Individuals and Organizations

Darlene Cancell Editor

Photo by Lynne Viti. In April this year, Martha Jones School students were treated to a poetry writing workshop with Dr. Jenn Bogard, funded by a grant obtained by poet Lynne Viti from Westwood Cultural Council and Massachusetts Cultural Council.

The Mass Cultural Council has announced that on September 24, 2022, it has been awarded the 2022 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Agency Award by the National Assembly of State Art Agencies. The award is given to a state-level art agency that has developed and advanced DEI. Mass Cultural Council exists to promote excellence, education, diversity and inclusion in the arts, humanities and science, to promote a rich cultural life in Massachusetts.

Mass Cultural Council currently offers a number of opportunities for grants for 2023, including one with an immediately approaching deadline of September 28, 2022.

Mass Cultural Council's Cultural Sector Recovery Grants are unrestricted grants of $5,000 to $75,000, awarded to cultural organizations, collectives, and businesses that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. Applications are due September 28, 2022.

Through the art agency's Local Cultural Program, a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils across the Commonwealth, including Westwood Cultural Council, funds cultural projects within their communities. Westwood Cultural Council has an allocation of $7,000 to disburse for 2023 programming, which is being directed to activities that support cultural vitality within the whole community. Applications are being accepted until October 15, 2022. Local recipients of funding from Westwood Cultural Council in 2022 have included:

Westwood Historical Society for a tour of the Fairbanks House ($150);
Poet Lynne Viti for Poets in the Schools and the Town of Westwood ($1,260);
Westwood Public Library for Bloom Zoom ($1,000);
Roger Tincknell for Ireland to America ($500); and
Martha Jones School for Europa Encounter ($1,950).

STARS Residencies grants are awarded to schools, non-profits, and independent teachers in Massachusetts for K-12 student learning opportunities in the arts, sciences and humanities. The application period opens September 28, 2022 and ends October 25, 2022.

Cultural Recovery Sector Grants for Individuals are unrestricted grants of $5,000 to individual creatives and gig workers to recover from COVID-19 and set a path for growth. There will be an October 6, 2022 information session and an application deadline of November 1, 2022.

Grants for Festivals & Projects has broad eligibility and supports public programming efforts that bring people together for cultural life. Grants are awarded in the amount of $2,500. Application information will be available on October 25, 2022.

Nonprofit cultural organizations can apply for grants from the Cultural Facilities Fund that supports growth, development, and tourism and jobs. The application period begins on October 13, 2022 and continues until the application deadline of February 2, 2023.