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$1.92M Awarded to Individuals to Equitably Advance Creative Expression Throughout MA

Dan Blask, Program Manager

Vibrant painting of an abstract landscape teeming with bright colors and shapes like squares, stripes, and natural forms.
Karmimadeebora McMillan (Grantee ’24), Generations (2023), acrylic and collage on un-stretched canvas, 78×84 in.

Mass Cultural Council believes that creativity is a vital part of a thriving society. We are honored to announce 385 grants of $5,000 each to artists, culture bearers, and creative practitioners as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 Grants for Creative Individuals.

See a list of this year’s grant recipients.

Photograph of a marimba player concentrating intently on a musical performance.
Marimba performance by Steph Davis (Grantee ’24). Photo: Lauren Miller.

Grants for Creative Individuals awards unrestricted grants to individuals in all creative fields: visual artists, literary artists, theater artists, performers, film/media artists, music artists, designers, culture bearers/traditional artists, drag artists, cross-disciplinary artists, and more.

The Agency received 4,470 applications total to the program. Grants were decided through a review process that included geographic distribution, funding priorities, and scores from reviewers from the Massachusetts creative/cultural sector. Reviewers prioritized applications based on the program mission: to equitably advance creativity throughout the Commonwealth with unrestricted grants to individuals who demonstrate achievement of creative expression and commitment to their artistic/cultural practice. Approximately 98% of the grantees are receiving their first grant from Mass Cultural Council.

The reviewers for the FY24 Grants for Creative Individuals were: Abraham Brody McWilliams, Aliana de la Guardia, Andrew Andraos, Azadeh Tajpour, Carlos Manuel Vargas, Jr., Cinamon Blair, Claudia Fiks, Colleen Kiely, Craig Bailey, Daphne Bolden, David Teng-Olsen, DeMisty D. Bellinger, Jinyi Duan, Jorge Gomez-Gonzalez, Julia Ruiz Borys, JuPong Lin, Kibbee Miller, Maia Dolphin-Krute, Malia’Kekia M. Nicolini, Maria Jose Gimenez, Marianne Kent, Mim Brooks Fawcett, Patricia Montoya, Rebecca Miller, Richard Raiselis, Rosemary Woods, ToRena Webb-Thomas, and Yasmine Ameli. Mass Cultural Council extends its deepest gratitude to the reviewers for contributing their energy and insights to our process.

Photo of a sculptural work depicting a melting popsicle that has attracted three wasps.
Judith Klausner (Grantee ’24), Sweet on You (2021), clay, chalk pastel pigment, acrylic paint, wire, cellophane, resin, 1x5x3 in.

This announcement reflects Mass Cultural Council’s inaugural year of Grants for Creative Individuals funding. The program was designed through a year-long evaluation of our support for creative individuals as part of the Agency’s Racial Equity Plan. We intend to offer this program to Massachusetts creatives annually, subject to the Agency’s state budget appropriation and governing Council-approved spending plan.

Sign up for the monthly Artist News e-newsletter to receive all updates, details, and deadlines for Mass Cultural Council’s funding and support for creative individuals.

Still image from a documentary film, depicting an exterior wall with the shadow of two boxers sparring.
Still image from Never Be a Punching Bag for Nobody, a film by Naomi Yang (Grantee ’24).

Read the Funding List


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