Strategic Plan (FY24-26)

Mass Cultural Council’s Strategic Planning Task Force (SPTF) worked in collaboration with Strategy Matters consultants to create the agency’s 3-5 year strategic plan. As a result, the agency has shifted its approach to its work with a new focus on enabling a world in which the Massachusetts creative and cultural sector is even more diverse and is valued as essential to the Commonwealth. The agency’s work towards this envisioned world will be done by ensuring that its current work, and any new opportunities, advance equity in the sector, support transformational change via advocacy and/or education, and elevate, nurture, and/or celebrate the sector.

The Mass Cultural Council’s strategic plan includes

• collaboratively developed core identity statements (vision and values)
• a clear role for the agency to advance the arts, humanities, and sciences in Massachusetts (mission, aligned with theory of change)
• strategy and a framework for decision-making
• goals and objectives aligned with strategy to guide day-to-day operations
• Indicators to measure progress on the overall plan

The planning process and resulting deliverables were informed by nearly one thousand internal and external stakeholders. The information gleaned from these engagements and research resulted in a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis utilized to guide decision making in developing Mass Cultural Council’s strategy, mission, and agency-wide goals.

Values

The statement of what is most important to us; our non-negotiables

Creativity

Mass Cultural Council believes that creativity is the key to solving many of society’s concerns and advancing this asset helps to make the Commonwealth a preeminent place in the nation for it to thrive.

Public Service

Mass Cultural Council serves the Commonwealth and all who live, work, visit, and play here by amplifying creativity, providing resources, expanding relationships, and championing transformational changes that maintain and grow a thriving creative and cultural ecosystem.

Inclusion

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.

Vision

The better world we are working towards

Mass Cultural Council envisions a diverse creative and cultural sector that is valued as essential in the Commonwealth.

Mission

Our role in creating that world

The Mass Cultural Council advances the Commonwealth’s creative and cultural sector by celebrating traditions and talents, championing its collective needs, and equitably investing public resources.

Strategy

The Mass Cultural Council’s strategy is to analyze its investments (of money, time, resources, etc.) to ensure that its work and any new opportunities advance equity in the sector. Mass Cultural Council prioritizes opportunities that both advance equity and a) support transformational change via advocacy/education, and/or b) elevate, nurture, or celebrate the sector.

Goals

Our Impact

Build and support programmatic practices that advance equity, diversity, and inclusion through our services to the sector

Our Ecosystem

Advance the creative and cultural sector through building partnerships, identifying recommendations, and storytelling, both inside and outside of the sector

Our Culture

Ensure that our internal systems, structures, and ways of working reflect our values and advance the sector’s needs.

Objectives

Our Impact: Our most powerful tools for delivering on our mission.

Goal 1: Build and support programmatic practices that advance equity, diversity, and inclusion through our services to the sector

Objectives

1. Consolidate programs and services to provide a) clear and simple pathways for grantees and b) increased capacity of the agency to achieve strategic goals
2. Increase use of data and research to strengthen programming and services
3. Ensure accessibility, inclusivity, and equity in our grant making

Our Ecosystem: We are both for and of the creative and cultural sector.

Goal 2: Advance the creative and cultural sector through building partnerships, identifying recommendations, and storytelling, both inside and outside of the sector

Objectives

1. Increase use of data and research to strengthen programming and services by telling the sectors’ stories to decision makers and community leaders which advance awareness and integration in the Commonwealth and support for the sector
2. Build sector policy and advocacy priorities and efforts with our partners, beyond funding, to advance the sector, address the sector needs, and integrate, deepen, and expand creativity and culture everywhere in the Commonwealth
3. Identify areas of strategic alignment and build relationships with other state agencies, networks, sectors, and organizations which can support and advance the creative and cultural sector
4. Build immersive, intensive, and interactive education opportunities for government and civic leaders to change minds and hearts and deepen knowledge and awareness of the vast benefits of the sector beyond economic impact
5. Enhance or update our brand to more clearly define and communicate agency identity in service to increasing our visibility and reach
6. Use intentional storytelling, sector-wide convenings, and stewardship to galvanize, celebrate, and support the sector

Our Culture and Infrastructure: Our staff and council are a critical resource for the sector.

Goal 3: Ensure that our internal systems, structures, and ways of working reflect our values and advance the sector’s needs.

Objectives

1. Identify agencies high level competencies, structure, and culture needed for implementation and alignment with strategic goals
2. Foster a culture of continuous improvement by a) using and b) periodically reevaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of our practices, policies, tools, and systems
3. Leverage tools and technology to streamline our work
4. Operationalize a practice of communication and cross agency collaboration among staff and between departments as it relates to strategic goals
5. Build a culture and internal supports which prioritize and promote staff relationship building with and outreach to all constituents (sector, partners, government and civic leaders)
6. Develop clear roles and responsibilities for governing council members that align with strategic goals

Strategic Planning Task Force

Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director
David Slatery, Deputy Director
Cathy Cheng-Anderson, People & Culture Director Jen Lawless, Operations Director
Bethann Steiner, Public Affairs Director
Nina Fialkow, Chair
Marc Carroll, Vice-Chair
Che Anderson, Council Member
Barbara Schaffer Bacon, Council Member
Simone Early, Council Member
Ann Murphy, Council Member
Hanako Brais, Program Officer, Community Initiative
Carina Ruiz-Esparza, Fiscal Operations Officer
Dan Blask, Program Manager, Artists
Dawn Heinen, Digital Communications Manager
Erik Holmgren, Program Manager, Creative Youth Development
Lillian Lee, Program Officer, Cultural Investment Portfolio
Lisa Simmons, Program Manager, Community Initiative