Power of Culture Blog
Bringing Communities Together: $1.85M Invested in Festivals & Projects
Grants awarded to 740 organizations delivering programs that are inclusive and deeply meaningful to their communities
Mass Cultural Council Staff
Each month Mass Cultural Council shares a round-up of grants, trainings, technical assistance resources, and opportunities for creative and cultural organizations (a companion to our Useful Links page). This list is not meant to be exhaustive but a glimpse of what is on offer in the coming weeks. (We also publish a weekly Artist Opportunities listing.)
National Endowment for the Arts’ Grants for Arts Projects supports an expansive range of arts activities to strengthen the nation’s arts and culture ecosystem, including opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector. Grants range from $10,000 to $100,000. Deadlines: Feb. 13, 2025, and July 10, 2025, for projects taking place beginning in 2026. Sign up for a guidelines webinar on Jan. 8, 2025, at 3pm.
Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture is now accepting applications for the FY25 City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant which funds programming on City Hall Plaza that uplifts Boston’s diverse communities, responds to the current needs of the arts and culture sector, and restores the use of the Plaza as a space for joy and community. Deadline: Jan. 9, 2025.
Cambridge Community Foundation’s Community Fund Grant supports community-based nonprofit organizations that address local challenges and foster opportunities across the community. Deadline: Jan. 28, 2025.
Shakespeare in American Communities, a theater program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, provides grants of up to $30,000 that connect young people across the country to Shakespeare’s plays. Grants support performances and workshops in schools and in the justice system, and apprenticeships for early-career theater professionals. Intent to apply deadline: Jan. 30, 2025.
Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships supports arts-focused organizations with programs that help K-12 students learn conflict resolution and promote non-violence through the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program. Application guidance will be posted later in January.
Music Drives Us has a mission to inspire New England’s musicians of tomorrow by supporting their music opportunities today by offering Instrument, Performance, and Organizational grants. Deadline: Rolling.
LISC’s Massachusetts’ Small Business Growth Fund is investing in businesses owned by historically marginalized entrepreneurs to provide critical capital in the form of small equity-like investments. Investments will range from $25k-$250k per business, targeting businesses with cost barriers to growth plans in order to ensure the investments.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture invites rural leaders to join their webinar, Rural Development Resources for Movie Theaters and Performing Arts Venues on Jan. 8, 2025 at 10am.
American’s for the Arts’ Arts + Community Cohesion webinar shares findings from their 2023 national study, Americans Speak Out About the Arts, and explores how programs like Make Music Day build social cohesion and inspire change. Jan. 9, 2025 from 2-3pm.
APAP|NYC is the world’s premier gathering of the performing arts presenting, booking, and touring industry and the annual members conference of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals. The conference is for members only and registration rates vary. Jan. 10-14, 2025. New England Arts Presenters will be hosting a meetup at the conference on Jan. 11, 2025 from 4-6pm.
National Council of Nonprofits is offering Hot Tax Issues in 2025 and Nonprofit Priorities, a two-part webinar series dedicated to explaining what charitable nonprofits need to know before the 2025 tax debate begins. Jan. 16, 2025 from 4-5pm.
New England Arts Presenters is offering What’s Next: Booking for 2025 and Beyond, a block booking and New England State Touring (NEST) grant conversation. Join NEAP colleagues for their annual pre-NEST virtual meet-up where arts presenters can connect for block booking conversations and peer networking. Jan. 27, 2025 at 12pm via Zoom.
Access/VSA International is offering a SPED Webinar: Variations and Translations: Building Access-Centered Theatre Games. Participants will leave with several practical ideas, including many variations of arts strategies/games for a variety of students — disabled and nondisabled. Jan. 29, 2025 from 3-4pm. Free for members and $15 for non-members.
Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network offers ongoing trainings for small businesses.
Institute for Nonprofit Practice is accepting applications for their 2025-26 Core Certificate Program through Feb. 28, 2025. The Core Certificate Program equips nonprofit, public, and social impact leaders with the skills, knowledge, and networks they need to make strategic, mission-driven decisions that center diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), and effect meaningful change in their organizations and beyond.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Department has released Disaster Resiliency and Recovery Resources: A Guide for Rural Communities.
Mass Save’s Business Rebates & Incentives offers programs and services to help organizations become more energy-efficient and save money.
National Endowment for the Arts has released new research exploring arts engagement and social connectedness.
Cultural organizations: Be a part of Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture, the nation’s most comprehensive effort to expand cultural access for low-income and working families. Along with our interagency partners and more than 500 participating organizations, Card to Culture is improving health and well-being through cultural participation. Deadline: Rolling.
Read Previous Months’ Listings
If you have an opportunity or resource for cultural organizations that you’d like to pitch for our monthly round-up, please email us. Efforts to submit the opportunity in a format similar to our standard (see listings above) are deeply appreciated. Because space is limited, the best submissions are 60 words or fewer and include links to web pages with more information.
