New Bedford Cultural Council
New Bedford Cultural Council (NBCC) funds programs that promote excellence, access, education, and diversity in the Arts, Humanities and Interpretive Sciences to improve the quality of life for New Bedford city residents.
NBCC ensures that New Bedford’s share of Massachusetts Cultural Council funds are administered fairly and in the best interests of the community.
Contact
[email protected]
000-000-0000
Address
n-a
New Bedford, MA 02741
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Application Information
FY26 Allocation
$145,700
FY26 Local Priorities
Council Priorities:
Local cultural council (LCC) funds are used to support programs in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences. This definition includes the study, pursuit, performance, exhibition, and appreciation of cultural activities in the broadest sense. Each year the New Bedford Cultural Council (NBCC) adjusts its guidelines and criteria based on responses to a community input survey.
To be considered, the proposed project must either take place in New Bedford or directly benefit the citizens of New Bedford. The New Bedford Cultural Council will give priority to grants that have a measurable impact on the New Bedford community through the following:
1. Projects that provide free or low-cost events and programming
2. Projects that provide opportunities for education, enrichment, and skill-building (ie: workshops). These include but are not limited to the subjects of nature, science, and the environment.
3. Projects with a focus on inclusivity, diversity, or local history.
4. Projects offering outdoor concerts and festivals, public art and performances, and gallery/museum exhibits.
5. Projects that provide opportunities and offer support to individual, emerging or established visual, literary, and performing artists and filmmakers.
FY26 Local Guidelines
Council Guidelines:
1. The NBCC will only accept applications submitted online. No paper applications will be accepted.
2. This is a direct grant program. Award money will be available to you ahead of your project, under the guidelines outlined in your award letter.
3. Grant requests must be between $250-$4,000 per application. The NBCC looks more favorably on applicants who pursue additional funding sources to support their projects. Food, lodging, and fund-raising are not funded by NBCC.
4. Applications from applicants must be capped at $12,000 per grant cycle (ie: you many apply for 3 grants of $4,000 or 6 grants for $2000, etc.)
4. If the budget includes salaries or stipends, attach a detailed breakdown of the allocation of funds for salaries on a separate page. Project locations (i.e. performance venue/gallery space) must be secured in advance of the application. Please attach confirmation letters from the venue or any letters of support for your project.
5. If individuals or an organization collaborate on a single application, one member of the collaboration must be designated as the lead applicant for fiscal management purposes.
6. The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) and the LCC must be credited by using the MCC’s credit logo or credit line. We encourage grant recipients to use both the MCC logo and the credit statement, but you are only required to use one. Logos are downloadable from this site. The logo must be produced as a unit without alteration.
The credit line is as follows:
“This program is supported in part by a grant from the New Bedford Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.”
FOR SCHOOLS THAT ARE APPLYING
1. Any field trip that fits with your class curriculum is eligible to be funded. Some examples of trips we’ve funded in the past are: trips to shows at the Zeiterion, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House, the Museum of Science in Cambridge, etc. In your application, please describe how this trip/program directly connects or relates to classroom learning.
2. Schools organizing the field trip are eligible to apply, as well as cultural organizations hosting the field trips. Using the online application, please insert the name of your school in the “applicant” field and your contact name in the “contact name” field.
3. There is no set maximum on the amount that a given school can receive for field trips. However, the amount that we will be able to give to each school will depend on the number of overall requests and the amount of money we receive
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY26 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd Eye Youth Empowerment, Inc. | Rest and Flow: A 5 Pillars of Hip Hop Wellness Fair | $1,206 | 3rd Eye Youth Empowerment, Inc. | The Window Gallery at 230U | $2,680 | Acushnet Public Library | Summer Concert Series | $462 | Alder, Beatrice | Queer Futures | $1,932 | Anello, Andrew | New Moon Projects: BodyBodyBody & New Moon Roller Disco | $3,360 | Arakelian, Garine | Rubber Duckie Soap Making Workshop | $470 | Arena, Justin | Together Records Emerging Artists Program | $1,509 | Arena, Justin | Together Fest 2026 | $2,680 | Arena, Justin | Together Press Creative Careers Workshop | $2,680 | Art Museum New Bedford, Inc. | Twirl and Whirl | $754 | Art Museum New Bedford, Inc. | FriYAY! Live Music series | $754 | Art Museum New Bedford, Inc. | Film Class with Professor Mocha | $754 | Art Museum New Bedford, Inc. | The People's Poetry | $754 | Ayala, Alberto | Wateke by the Water | $3,360 | Bates III, Davis R. | A Song & Story Summer Reading Celebration: Two Performances | $756 | Bean, Cara | Mindful Doodling Library Workshops | $756 | Beltran Salinas, Gerardo | Migrant Families in New Bedford: Portraits for a Journey | $2,680 | Berke, Benjamin | Ash Street Jail documentary | $3,360 | Booyeh, Arghavan | we are weaving our lives | $1,120 | Camarao, Christian | New Bedford Roots and Branches Festival | $2,680 | Cape Verdean Recognition Committee, Inc. | 54th Cape Verdean Recognition Parade | $2,680 | Co-Creative Center, Inc. | AHA Moments | $3,360 | Co-Creative Center, Inc. | AHA! Docent Program | $1,277 | Co-Creative Center, Inc. | AHA! Seaport Sessions | $2,680 | Co-Creative Center, Inc. | Co-Creative Sessions | $3,360 | Coastal Foodshed Incorporated | Cooking Education Featuring Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables | $2,680 | Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts, Inc. | Love the Ave Community Celebration | $2,680 | Easton Children's Museum, Inc. | Summer Garden Science | $356 | Evans, Midori | “Write with Community South Coast” Literary Calendar | $2,680 | Evans, Midori | Creative Catalysts - A Celebration of Artistic Cross-Pollination | $2,680 | Evans, Midori | Artists Share! – the power of cross-pollination | $2,613 | Every Place Is A Concept Southcoast, Corp | Living Traditions: Balance&Swing, OT Fiddle Session & Community Gathering, BUC | $2,680 | Every Place Is A Concept Southcoast, Corp | New Sounds in the Streets | $2,680 | Every Place Is A Concept Southcoast, Corp | What We Make Together | $2,087 | Fazio, Rhonda M | The Art and Language of Food: You Can Do It! | $2,680 | Fazio, Rhonda M | Seafood at Sunset | $2,680 | Fazio, Rhonda M | Dyeing to Wear It: | $2,379 | Fraser, Amanda | AHA! Pride Block Party 2026 | $3,360 | Friends of the New Bedford Free Public Library, Inc | Welcome to the Graveyard | $634 | Friends of the New Bedford Free Public Library, Inc | Dr. Rosie's Story Time and Stuffy Vet Clinic | $207 | Friends of the New Bedford Free Public Library, Inc | Herbal Tea Tasting & Education | $238 | Friends of the New Bedford Free Public Library, Inc | Henna in the City | $283 | Fuenzalida-Guzman, Paulina | Thread Drawing: Connecting Immigrant Voices | $754 | Gallery X, Inc. | Gallery X Unplugged | $1,509 | Gallery X, Inc. | Cinema 169 | $1,509 | Hamelin, Richard L. | Dragon Clay Sculpting | $479 | Jazzhers, Inc. | Jazzhers Jams | $566 | La Soul Renaissance LLC | Black Fire This Time | $1,509 | La Soul Renaissance LLC | Cape Verdean Poetry Festival | $1,509 | Lopes, Kristina S. | Live Salsa Band and Dancing in New Bedford | $1,509 | MCLEAN, MICHAEL | Stoveboat Concert Series | $3,360 | MCLEAN, MICHAEL | New Beige Bash Music Festival | $2,680 | Massachusetts Design Art & Technology Institute, Inc. | Designing, Upcycling, and Making Public Art with Local Youth for Buttonwood Park | $1,509 | Matson, Rhonda | Backyard Band Jams goes to New Bedford Public Library | $377 | Medeiros, Michael | Bacalhau | $1,471 | New Bedford Ballet Foundation, Inc. | Courage, Perseverance, and Trust: The Manjiro Story | $801 | New Bedford Ballet Foundation, Inc. | Leaps and No Bounds | $2,010 | New Bedford Economic Development Council, Inc. | Artist-in-Residence Program at Nashmont Family Resource Center | $2,680 | New Bedford Festival Theatre, Inc. | New Bedford Festival Theatre Summer Academy 2026 | $1,509 | New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, Inc. | In the Wake: Magnuson Stevens Act at 50 | $2,010 | Nuffer, Corey | “New Bedford Salon Series” | $1,608 | O'Leary, Molly | The Kitty Castle Songwriter Series | $1,509 | O'Leary, Molly | Kitty Castle Annual Festival | $1,509 | O'Leary, Molly | Songwriting Circle at Kitty Castle: A Music Therapy Group | $1,509 | Old Dartmouth Historical Society | First Fridays: Indie Music Showcase and Progressive Listening Experience | $1,509 | Old Dartmouth Historical Society | Museum Access for New Bedford Youth | $1,433 | Parisi, Rita | Women of '76 | $435 | Pinheiro, Maria | Salad Days II | $2,680 | Polyphonic Studios LLC | The BLUES ROOM @ Bento's | $1,509 | Polyphonic Studios LLC | LIVE AT The... | $1,509 | Polyphonic Studios LLC | FROM the UNDERGROUND Archive Project | $943 | Quann, Lana | Learn to paint watercolor- seasonal cards at New Bedford Public Library | $113 | Reggae On West Beach | Reggae on West Beach Summer Series | $502 | Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum, Inc. | Shakespeare in New Bedford 2026 - Hamlet | $1,340 | SCRAM Fest | SCRAM Maker Space and SCRAM Fest | $672 | Sheffield Chamber Players, Inc. | Sheffield Chamber Players at Aviary Books | $802 | Smith, Kim | Sustainabubble Project | $2,680 | Song Keepers, Ltd | THUMP & SOUL Session | $1,509 | Song Keepers, Ltd | The FORGOTTEN ROOTS FESTIVAL | $1,509 | Sunshine's Place, Inc. | Sketchy-Go-Ichie DRAW! Empowerment Series | $1,156 | The Artists Index, Inc. | The Dandelion Video Project | $1,509 | The Artists Index, Inc. | Dandelion: The Artists Index Online Magazine | $1,509 | The First Unitarian Church In New Bedford Inc | 42nd Annual Jazz Concert | $2,010 | The Gallery Bar LLC | The Art of Gathering at the Gallery Bar | $1,509 | Tri-County Music Association, Inc. | Complimentary Senior Tickets | $168 | Waterman, Jon | Live Music Making History Live - A Journey through the Roots of American Popular Music | $189 | Whaling History Alliance, Inc. | 2026 WHA Summer Concert Series | $1,509 | Wild Heart Herb House | Traditional Craft + Folk Art Series at Wild Heart Herb House | $1,509 | YWCA of Southeastern Massachusetts, Inc. | A Walking Art Realization Experience (AWARE) | $905 | York, Matt | Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash - Songs & Stories w/ Matt York | $378 | Young Men's Christian Association Southcoast, Inc. | NEW BEDFORD YMCA SUMMER CAMP FIELD TRIP TO THE ZEITERION | $754 | Youth Opportunities Unlimited | Supporting Positive Youth Development Through Experiential Arts | $339 | Zukas, Karen | Indoor Mural Slam at the Kilburn Mill | $1,509 | de Aguiar, Ethan | New Bedford Film Festival | $1,509 |