Holyoke Local Cultural Council
The Holyoke Local Cultural Council (HLCC) consists of community members appointed by the Mayor based on their credentials, interest in the arts, and commitment to arts programming in the city of Holyoke. The HLCC encourages individuals and organizations to apply for financial support through its annual grant program which is part of a statewide grant program administered by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC).
HLCC Members 2025-26
Gloria Caballero-Roca
Tim Damon, Secretary
Christopher Dunay
Mark Dunlap
Navae Fenwick Rodriguez, Co-chair
Chris Fournier, Co-chair
Mardelle Nietupski
Rachel Rushing, Treasurer
Anne Thalheimer
Contact
[email protected]
000-000-0000
Address
City Hall, Office of the Mayor
536 Dwight Street
Holyoke, MA 01040-5086
Connect on Social
Facebook
Application Information
FY26 Allocation
$66,200
FY26 Local Priorities
As determined by the most recent community surveys, the following are funding priorities for the 2025-26 grant cycle:
Professional development of local artists through community projects
Arts education in the schools
Public events like concerts or festivals
Projects celebrating diversity
Funded projects must be completed during the calendar year (January – December) following the October application deadline.
Field trips must be to destinations within the state.
The HLCC will consider projects designed for virtual, hybrid, or in-person presentation.
If you are hoping to work with a particular venue, indoor or outdoor, for a live presentation, a letter of support from the venue will strengthen your application. We encourage applicants to prepare and provide details for a virtual alternative in the event that in-person presentation is not possible.
If you need assistance with your application, please contact the Mayor’s Office at 413 -322-5510.
FY26 Local Guidelines
HLCC Funding Priorities
The Holyoke Local Cultural Council (HLCC) typically receives requests totaling more than twice the amount of money available for us to grant. The goal of the HLCC is to provide some funding to as many qualified projects as we can. Local council support is not intended to be used as the sole source of funding for projects of a continuing nature. Most continuing projects receive only partial funding and for no more than three consecutive years. The HLCC supports projects that demonstrate a clear public benefit. Emphasis is placed on supporting local artists presenting work in Holyoke and public benefit to Holyoke. Funding is made available to the widest range of community cultural needs possible.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Reimbursement Grants
FY26 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cepeda, Brendaliz | Cultural Connections: Exploring Puerto Rican Heritage Through Bomba | $1,250 | Ciampa, Elena | The Jazz Queens | $250 | Colon Ortiz, Natasha | Opportunity Academy Art Class | $1,400 | Comeau, Robert | Honor America's 250th with Holyoke History Tours | $450 | Congo, Deanna | Magic for Seniors | $225 | Ethnic Arts Center of Somerville, Inc. | Wonderful Me! Puppetry Arts Project | $800 | Fairservis, Beth | Homework House Arts & Crafts Project | $2,250 | Goffe, Deborah A. | Liturgy|Order|Bridge: Practice Sessions | $500 | Gordon, Damany | Ladies First: House Classics Live | $1,500 | Hersey, Lisa | Stitched Journals | $350 | Holyoke Art, Inc. | Storefront Gallery | $1,200 | Holyoke Art, Inc. | The Great Holyoke Brick Race 2026 | $750 | Holyoke Art, Inc. | Holyoke PrideFest 2026 Entertainment | $3,803 | Holyoke Community Charter School | Ceramic Arts: Puerto Rican Cultural Expression through Clay | $1,000 | Holyoke Community College Foundation, Inc. | River Valley Radical Futures | $500 | Holyoke Council on Aging | Art at Home with the Holyoke Senior Center | $1,800 | Holyoke High School | From Seed to Stage Poetry Summit | $1,700 | Holyoke Public Library Corporation | Genealogy Programs: "Roots & Identity: Discovering Hispanic Family History" and "Personal Digital Archiving" | $360 | Holyoke Public Library Corporation | Piano Men: The Music of Billy Joel & Elton John | $250 | LOCULUS Collective | TRANSMISSIONS: performance residencies | $2,000 | Maichack, Gregory | The Seahorse: How to Pastel Paint | $250 | Manning, James J. | Chomp, Stomp and Read | $550 | Martin, Jess | Echoes of Nature, Echoes in Community | $900 | Means, Pamela | Pamela Means presents Black, Brown, and Beige: Our Shared History and Present Day | $800 | Miller, Ivor | Afro-Caribbean History through the Arts | $4,500 | Neill, David | Christmas/Holiday Sing along with The Fanfare Brass | $700 | Page, Stephen C. | A Flowering of Song Jazz Piano Concert | $325 | Pasley, Becca | Bicycle Noise Creation Machine | $300 | Pioneer Valley Concert Band | The Sounds of Summer | $700 | Pioneer Valley Roller Derby, Inc. | Skating with Pride | $700 | Piti Theatre Company, Inc. | Story Wizards for Women's History Month | $375 | Pots On Wheels, Inc. | Pottery at Wisteriahurst | $1,350 | Print Shop, Inc. | Print Day in May – Print Shop Open House | $1,000 | Print Shop, Inc. | Collaborative Print Residency 2026 | $850 | Real Live Theatre | The Birth/Death Project: Interviews & Sharings | $600 | Ross, Sheldon | Ragtime Five Brass Quintet Concert | $275 | Small Planet Dancers | Republic of Dance | $300 | Stepanek, Julie | Monthly ukulele program` | $850 | Thalheimer, Anne | 24 Hour Comics Day | $1,200 | Thalheimer, Anne | Art Enrichment Classes at the Care Center | $1,500 | Thalheimer, Anne | Mimic the Masters | $1,000 | The Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts, Inc. | Golden Age | $750 | The Wistariahurst Foundation, Inc | Diversity Explored and Celebrated: A series of lectures and workshops | $1,500 | The Wistariahurst Foundation, Inc | Unfolding: Fans and Fashion from the Wistariahurst Collections | $1,850 | The Wistariahurst Foundation, Inc | Community Canvas: The Great Hall Transformed | $1,500 | The Wistariahurst Foundation, Inc | Hidden Women by Tammy Denease | $900 | Tran, Anthony | Flamenco Performance | $1,000 | Translate Gender, Inc. | Trans Day of Visibility Community Programming | $3,750 | Tufo, Ralph | Squeezebox Stompers Concert | $700 | Valley Community Arts Teaching | VCAT Workshops Summer 2026 Term | $1,100 | Vega Yoga & Movement Arts, Inc. | 5 Public Performances | $2,500 | Waterman, Jon | Live Music Making History Live - A Journey through the Roots of American Popular Music | $250 | Young, Ben | Jazz 101 at Holyoke Public LIbrary | $475 |