Power of Culture Blog
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House Budget Committee Delivers Historic Funding for Arts & Culture
Bethann Steiner, Senior Director of Public Affairs
HWM matches Governor’s $27.35M Recommendation for Mass Cultural Council
Updated – April 29, 2026: This week the state House of Representatives held its FY27 budget debate. Twenty amendments were filed for consideration seeking to add earmarks to the Mass Cultural Council line item; nine were adopted. These actions result in an additional $375,000 in funding for these nine legislative priorities in the Agency’s account in the House budget. Our FY27 operating budget continues to hold at a historic high of $27.35M, mirroring the Governor’s proposal. Mass Cultural Council thanks the House for its robust investment in arts and culture.
Additionally, we are thankful to Rep. Mindy Domb and her 37 House colleagues who sponsored an amendment to add our STEM to STEAM legislation to the House budget as an outside section; unfortunately, this was not adopted. Further, we thank Rep. Sean Garballey and his 25 House colleagues who sponsored an amendment to secure a $25,000 stipend for the Official Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth. This, too, was not adopted. Mass Cultural Council will continue to work on these matters as the budget process continues. The state Senate budget debate will take place in May.
The annual state budget building process has kicked into high gear in the West Wing of the State House this week, which is where you’ll find the offices of the House of Representatives.
Today the House’s budget committee, House Ways & Means (HWM), released H. 5500 – its $63.3 billion FY27 spending plan to fund state government operations in the coming fiscal year. Overall, the HWM budget represents a 3.6% increase in spending, including a record high appropriation for arts and culture.
Mass Cultural Council, your independent state arts agency, is primarily funded by an annual appropriation in the state budget. Last month members of our governing Council and senior leadership staff team testified before the Joint Committee on Way & Means in favor of the Governor’s $27.35 million funding recommendation for the Agency.
We learned today that our request has been granted – H. 5500 funds Mass Cultural Council at $27,048,072 – matching the Governor’s recommendation. This proposal is a 5% increase to the Agency’s operating budget, which will fund Mass Cultural Council’s programs and services throughout FY27. It represents the highest operating budget ever for the Agency.
Mass Cultural Council is deeply grateful to the Leadership of the House of Representatives, especially Speaker Ron Mariano, Ways & Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, and Tourism, Arts & Cultural Development Chair Sean Garballey for their robust investment in arts and culture in this spending plan. The Agency also acknowledges with sincere thanks the support and partnership it enjoys with House Members representing Districts across the Commonwealth. Securing this level of investment in a difficult budget year requires support and approval of a majority of the Chamber.
Our partners in this work, Mass Humanities and MASSCreative, should also be mentioned as stalwart champions of advocacy on behalf of the cultural sector.
Next Steps
State Representatives will file amendments to the HWM budget this week and spend next week preparing for the upcoming budget debate by reviewing and co-sponsoring priority amendments.
The House Budget Debate is scheduled to take place during the week of April 27, 2026. Once the House debate concludes, the FY27 budget will advance to the state Senate, who will host its own budget debate in May.
Fiscal Year 2027 starts on July 1, 2026.
Advocacy Opportunity
Mass Cultural Council is working with Rep. Sean Garballey to secure a $25,000 earmark to provide a stipend to the Official Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth.
Additionally, the Agency is working with Rep. Mindy Domb on an amendment to add the text of H. 561, An Act advancing Massachusetts from STEM to STEAM, to the House budget as an Outside Section.
Those interested and supportive of these proposals are encouraged to email their state Representative to register their support and ask them to co-sponsor the amendments.
Further, our statewide advocacy partner, MASSCreative, is circulating a sign-on letter thanking the House for its record-breaking investment in the cultural sector. Those wishing to add their name can do so there.