Social Prescription

Application Process

FY26 Social Prescription grants, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, will support Community Health Centers that work primarily with patients utilizing MassHealth to implement arts prescriptions as a component of patient treatment plans.

This program provides $75,000 in total funds which may be divided into up to three grants to community health centers that deploy arts prescriptions for patients between November 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.

Mass Cultural Council is happy to offer alternative formats, auxiliary aids, translation, interpretation, and other services necessary so that any individual can participate in Mass Cultural Council’s programs and services. Contact staff for help. To facilitate your request in a timely manner, please contact us at least three weeks before any Mass Cultural Council event or grant deadline.

Mass Cultural Council aims to build a diverse and equitable creative and cultural sector in the Commonwealth. To that end, historically underfunded organizations are encouraged to apply, including but not limited to Native American, Indigenous, or Urban Indian organizations, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) organizations, d/Deaf & Disability organizations, and organizations serving vulnerable populations.

How to Apply

Questions? Email program staff, or call 617-858-2731.

Program Guidelines

Background

Mass Cultural Council was an innovator in the implementation of arts prescriptions in the United States. The first phase, launched in 2020 and ran for more than three years, offered CultureRx: Social Prescription — a pilot program utilizing arts experiences as part of patient treatment plans.

In 2023 the Agency partnered with Dr. Tasha Golden and the EpiArts Lab at UF Center for Arts in Medicine to publish Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities as a roadmap for developing “Arts on Prescription” programs throughout the nation.

In 2024, the Mass Cultural Council partnered with Art Pharmacy to scale the program and, in that same year, the partnership launched the first statewide arts prescription program in the United States.

Applicant Eligibility

Massachusetts Community Health Centers or Massachusetts Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) that meet the following requirements:

1. Are recognized by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.
2. Are 501(c)3 nonprofits in good standing with the IRS.
3. Are nonprofits in good standing with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth or are registered with the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division.
4. Have a System for Award Management (SAM) Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). (Organizations can register at Sam.gov.)

Program Eligibility

FQHCs are eligible to apply if they have an existing partnership or are developing a partnership with Art Pharmacy.

Grant Amount

Mass Cultural Council will award a total of $75,000 through 1 to 3 grants, depending on demand and how competitive the proposals are.  Applicants can request $25,000, $37,500, or $75,000. The project budget must be equal to or greater than the requested grant amount. Approved grants will be at least $25,000.

Review Process

Mass Cultural Council staff review all applications to confirm eligibility, evaluate content and prioritize applications based on the criteria below. Mass Cultural Council will make every effort to ensure accuracy but cannot be held accountable for missing or incorrect information in the relevant sources.

Staff will review the application for completeness and accuracy. Staff may contact applicants if any technical errors are discovered. In which case, the applicant will be given a deadline to resubmit the corrected application. If the applicant does not meet the deadline, the application will not be moved forward for review. Incomplete applications (i.e. leaving required narrative questions blank) will not be reviewed.

If eligible applications exceed available funding, the Funding Prioritization and Equitable Distribution details below will be used to determine which applications will be funded.

Review Criteria

Through this program, we aim to support community health centers that can demonstrate excellence in the integration of the arts a part of the treatment plans for patients in their community.

Mass Cultural Council works to build a diverse and equitable creative and cultural sector in the Commonwealth, ensuring that all who practice and participate in creative and cultural expression see themselves in it.

Each of the following narrative sections of the application will be reviewed separately, with its own set of criteria and rubric.

1. Demonstrated alignment between patient need and arts prescription outcomes.
2. Clearly identified impact of arts prescriptions on patients’ well-being.
3. History of success working with community partners.
4. Clear, realistic, and achievable plan for timeline and implementation.
5. Percentage of patients utilizing MassHealth insurance.
6. Arts prescription budget supports implementation and intended outcomes.

Equitable Distribution: Mass Cultural Council reserves the right to ensure equitable distribution of funding across the Massachusetts cultural sector considering a variety of factors. This may include, but is not limited to, equitable distribution across county and city/town.

Application Components

The application consists of:

• Organization Overview
• Application Narrative (including the following questions):

1. 1. What is the primary need in your community that you anticipate arts prescriptions addressing?
   2. How do you see these referrals as an important opportunity to improve and expand on community care?
   3. Which community arts and cultural partners have you, or do you, partner with and in what capacity? Provide examples of successful partnerships.
   4. How do you anticipate implementing an arts prescription program with Art Pharmacy?
   5. How will arts prescriptions be added to your existing workflows to achieve patient impact?

• Budget: The application also includes a budget form where organizations will describe how they expect to utilize the funding for the delivery and tracking of arts prescriptions in partnership with Art Pharmacy for the period of November 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

Timeline

Application Opens: September 10, 2025
Information Session: September 15, 2025
Application Deadline: September 25, 2025 at 9pm (ET)
Applicant Notification: Early November 2025
Contract Sent: Late-November to December 2025
Final Report Due: July 15, 2026

Please note: This timeline is subject to change, and awardees need to complete a multi-step contracting process before funds can be disbursed. Applicants with funded activities happening before that time may be paid retroactively.

Grant Payment

Grants will only be paid to the applicant. Grants cannot be transferred to another entity. If an applicant is unwilling or unable to accept the grant funds, the grant will be cancelled, and the funds forfeited.

To receive the funds awarded through this program, grantees must complete the following documentation:

• CASL (Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing) form
• Electronic Funds Transfer Form/W-9 including valid EIN
• State contract and attachments
• Federal Fund Subrecipient Acknowledgement Form

While Mass Cultural Council staff make every effort to confirm the organization’s legal status and standing during the review process, if during the contracting process it is discovered that the grantee does not meet the eligibility requirements of the program the grant will be cancelled, and the grantee will be notified.

All the necessary documents will be sent via DocuSign to grantees to complete. Grantees who do not have a bank account that the funds can be transferred to can notify the Contract Officer at the time of award notification to request a mailed check.

Electronic deposits will be made to the grantee’s account (or a check will be mailed) 20-45 days after the grantee returns their contract. Mass Cultural Council will make every effort to expedite payments as quickly as possible.

Holds, Modifications, Cancellations: Mass Cultural Council has the right to withhold, reduce, or discontinue funding if grantees:

• Intentionally misrepresents their budget, programming, or other eligibility requirements.
• Does not notify the Mass Cultural Council of significant changes to the project.
• Fails to carry out the program as described in the approved application.
• Fails to completely and accurately submit contract materials in a timely fashion

Grant Requirements

Reporting

• State: Final Report: Grantees will be expected to complete a simple final report describing the use of their grant funds, including the number of prescriptions written and filled, by July 15, 2026, for legislative reporting and advocacy purposes.
• Federal: Fund Report: Grantees need to complete a budget form demonstrating they did not spend funds on federally prohibited expenses by July 15, 2026.

Acknowledgment of Funding

• State: Grant recipients are required to credit Mass Cultural Council for funding. Attachment D of your contract package or the online Credit and Publicity Kit has more details.
• Federal: Grant recipients are required to acknowledge the support of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in all programs, activities, and related promotional materials supported by this grant. The acknowledgment must clearly identify the specific program or activity being funded, include the required crediting language on all print, digital, and broadcast materials, and ensure that all NEA acknowledgments and logos are removed from websites, publications, and other materials upon conclusion of the grant period.

Compliance with Laws and Regulations

State: Mass Cultural Council and its grantees are contractually committed to abide by state and federal regulations which bar discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and which require accessibility for persons with disabilities. Mass Cultural Council’s grantees sign a contract certifying that they will comply with ADA and Section 504. Mass Cultural Council aims to help grantees understand their obligations and recognize the opportunities that increasing access can provide for both the public and the grantee. Resources and additional information are available as part of Mass Cultural Council’s Access Policy.

Federal: As a Subrecipient of federal funds, your organization is responsible for complying with all applicable federal laws, regulations, and award conditions. This includes, but is not limited to, adherence to the NEA General Terms and Conditions for Partnership Agreements, the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements under 2 CFR Part 200, the NEA National Policy Requirements, and any applicable Executive Orders.

Subrecipients must maintain appropriate documentation for all grant expenditures. Financial records, supporting documentation, data, and all records related to the use of these federal funds must be retained for a minimum of three (3) years following the end of the grant period, or longer if notified by Mass Cultural Council or the National Endowment for the Arts.

All grant expenditures must be incurred within the official Subaward Grant Period as specified in your executed grant agreement.

Legal and Other Requirements

Accessibility and Non-Discrimination Policy

Mass Cultural Council is committed to ensuring that all programs, services, policies, and practices are formulated and conducted in a manner which will ensure equal access for all people and prevent discrimination not only as a matter of law, but also as a policy designed to encourage the participation of all segments of the Commonwealth’s population in Mass Cultural Council programs and services.

Mass Cultural Council is dedicated to creating a workplace, programs, and services that welcome, respect, and value people of all races, color, age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religions, creeds, ancestry, national origin, disability and veteran status, and does not discriminate on the basis of these attributes. We strive to reflect diversity in all activities, programs and services by removing any barriers to accessibility.

Mass Cultural Council is happy to offer alternative formats, auxiliary aids, and services necessary so that any individual can participate in Mass Cultural Council’s programs and services. Contact staff for help. To facilitate your request in a timely manner, please contact us at least three weeks before any Mass Cultural Council event or grant deadline. Please read the full Access Policy for more information.

Reconsideration Policy

An applicant may request reconsideration of a Mass Cultural Council decision on their application if the applicant can demonstrate that the Mass Cultural Council failed to follow published application and review procedures. Dissatisfaction with the results of a review does not constitute grounds for reconsideration.

The first step in the reconsideration process is to consult with the appropriate Program Staff to discuss the review process that concluded in the Mass Cultural Council’s decision. If the applicant wishes to pursue a reconsideration, a request must be sent to the Mass Cultural Council’s Executive Director, in writing, within 30 days of the Mass Cultural Council’s notification to the applicant of its decision.

Grants Management System

All applicants should submit their applications through the online system. To create a profile in the system you must have an email address, which will be your username.

If you have not applied to Mass Cultural Council before and/or do not already have a user profile, complete a registration in the grants management system:

• Go to the online system and click “Register”.
• On the next page select “Organization” to register your organization, school, town, or other group.
• Your organization may already have a record in the system. Use the Organization name field to find and select your organization, then provide your contact information.
• If your organization’s name is not listed, click the link at the top of the page to register your organization manually. There you will also provide your own contact information as well.
• After completing the registration, you should receive an email to activate your account. The account must be activated within 24 hours. After clicking the activation link, you will be prompted to create a new 8-digit password.

If you have previously applied for a Mass Cultural Council grant using your email address, you may have a profile in the system already. Here’s how you can check to see if you already have a user profile:

• Go to the online system and click “Forgot Password”.
• Once you submit your email address, you will receive an email with a temporary password and a link to the site.
• Copy the password to use on the login page, you will then be prompted to create a new password.
• If you do not receive an email, you do not have an account and you should create one (see above), or you can contact the grants help desk for assistance.

Proceed to the Online Application