Power of Culture Blog
Government Support, Rising Costs & the Road to Recovery in Massachusetts’ Arts Sector
New SMU DataArts study examines financial and operating trends of a cohort of cultural organizations from 2019-2022
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. 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.)
Upcoming Mass Cultural Council grant opportunities:
Apply for AARP Livable Communities’ 2024 AARP Community Challenge offering three different grants supporting “quick-action” projects that can help all demographics and build more livable communities. Deadline: Mar. 6, 2024.
Nonprofit cultural organizations in the U.S. and U.K. can apply to join Bloomberg Philanthropies’ expanded Digital Accelerator Program, which helps cultural organizations strengthen technology and management practices to improve operations, generate revenue, fundraise, engage broader audiences, and expand programming. Nonprofit cultural organizations with annual budgets of $500,000 or more that have been in operation for at least three years can apply. Deadline: Mar. 13, 2024.
The Chelsea Heritage Celebration Grant supports a broad range of cultural events and related activities such as murals, sculptures, and film series that promote the community’s heritage, quality of life, recreation, and cultural activities. The grant funds both single and multi-day projects that are open to the public to promote the celebration of Chelsea and its surrounding heritage and diversity. The grant range is $5,000 – $20,000. Deadline: Mar. 15, 2024.
MIT Center for Constructive Communication, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is looking for organizations based in the City of Boston to join them as a cohort in building a new civic infrastructure for community-powered understanding. The Call for Proposals: Community Conversations in Boston is due Mar. 18, 2024 and offers up to $3,000 in funding to support your organization in running these community conversations.
T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants are investing $25M in 500 rural towns over 5 years to jumpstart projects and build stronger communities. This grant opportunity is for communities with a population of less than 50,000 people. Next deadline: Mar. 31, 2024.
The City of Cambridge, in partnership with the Create Cambridge coalition, is accepting applications for the Create Cambridge: Arts Nonprofit Recovery Grant. Cultural nonprofits active in Cambridge are eligible for this new round of COVID-19 Recovery Grants ranging from $6,000 to $30,000. Deadline: Apr. 1, 2024 at 5pm.
The Legacy Fund for Boston has released its first RFP and seeks applications related to historic preservation within the City of Boston. Grants up to $100,000 are available. Virtual applicant forum: Mar. 25, 2024. Deadline: Apr. 16, 2024.
The Sasaki Foundation has launched their 2024 Design Grants Call for Proposals to fund community experts to create design solutions for challenges in their neighborhoods. Do you have ideas about community building and well being, housing or transit inequities, or climate change? Is your project in Greater Boston or a Gateway City? Apply by May 1, 2024 at 12pm.
Massachusetts Office on Disability’s Municipal ADA Improvement Grant application opens May 1, 2024. Project and planning grants of up to $250,000 are available to support capital improvements specifically dedicated to improving programmatic access and/or removing barriers encountered by persons with disabilities in applicant facilities. Deadline: June 15, 2024 at 5pm.
The National Endowment for the Arts‘ Grants for Arts Projects provides expansive funding opportunities to strengthen the nation’s arts and cultural ecosystem. Grants are available for arts projects in a wide variety of artistic disciplines. Deadline: Submit to grants.gov by July 11, 2024 and submit to applicant portal July 16-23, 2024.
Americans for the Arts recently hosted an earmarks webinar to demystify Congressionally Directed Spending Requests. Watch the recording for guidance on how arts organizations can to work with their Senate delegation to submit requests for FY25 funding.
Community One Stop for Growth is a single application portal and collaborative review process of grant programs that make targeted investments based on a Development Continuum.
Philanthropy Massachusetts is hosting the first Grantmakers of Color Network meeting of the year on Mar. 5, 2024 at 11am.
The South Carolina Arts Commission in partnership with Able South Carolina is hosting Alternative Formats + Accessible Communications, a webinar that will discuss an overview and limitation of accessibility checkers, alt text vs. image description, using headings and links, intro to plain language, and a social media accessibility basics brief review. Registration is required and it takes place on Mar. 6, 2024 at 3pm.
Americans for the Arts presents the 35th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts & Public Policy delivered by award winning actor and advocate Jeffrey Wright. Register at no charge for the Zoom livestream lecture on Mar. 12, 2024 at 7pm.
Register for MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau’s Annual Meeting: Growth, Innovation & Partnerships at Framingham State University on Mar. 15, 2024.
Candid is presenting a Get your board fundraising training, which will discuss a nonprofit board’s role in fundraising and how to begin those conversations with board members. Registration is required for the virtual training on Mar. 20, 2024 at 2pm.
Register for Essex County Community Foundation’s 2024 Institute for Trustees, the region’s largest conference for nonprofit leaders dedicated to strengthening the sector. Featuring a keynote session and 19 educational workshops, participants have the option to attend an in-person kick-off event. All aspects of the conference will be available virtually. In-Person Kickoff and Keynote: Mar. 20, 2024.
Virtual Workshops: Mar. 21 – May 9, 2024.
Be a community leader: help your neighbors and networks show their best by training them on how to use CreativeGround. Join New England Foundation for the Arts for a Network Leader Workshop on Mar. 27, 2024 from 1-2pm. You can also shine a light on creative work: nominate a CreativeGround profile (yours or someone else’s) to be highlighted on the site, and/or in social media.
Register for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies’ What Is AI and How Does It Affect the Arts? session with Sarah W. Newman, Director of Art & Education at the metaLAB at Harvard. Mar. 27, 2024 at 3pm.
Arts WA is hosting part two of their Creative Districts: Tri-State Webinar series with “Organizational Structure” on Mar. 28, 2024 at 12:30 pm. Topics include: how to set up your organizational structure for success, how to plan for long-term sustainability, and more. You do not have be part of a cultural district to participate.
Join the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism for the 2024 Governor’s Conference on Travel & Tourism, a day of industry networking and learning, featuring remarks from the Governor and Lt. Governor. Apr. 2, 2024.
Save the date for Western States Arts Federation’s Creative Vitality Summit Apr. 9-10, 2024. Live streamed from Boulder, CO, the event will feature five panels with community-led discussions around the creative economy of technology, digital placemaking, and more.
The National Guild for Community Arts Education is hosting its 2024 national conference, Seeding Fractals: Cultivating Connections, Multiplying Impact, in Washington, D.C., Apr. 9-12, 2024. Exploring the exponential potential for positive change, the conference will feature an Advocacy Day, workshops and sessions, keynote speakers, networking opportunities, arts showcases, and D.C. site visits. Register by Mar. 22, 2024.
Register for Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education’s 2024 ABLE Assembly Conference, a catalyst for the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in all aspects of performing and visual arts education. In Boston and online from Apr. 19-21, 2024.
Grantmakers in the Arts is hosting Racial Equity in the Arts Funding Workshop Series, 4 three-hour modules with series available in March and May. Sessions include information on the history of racialization in the United States, the history of cultural funding, and real-world stories of success, and examples of racial equity funding, strategies, and resources you may bring with you back to your organizations.
Dance presenters can apply by Mar. 15, 2024 to participate in The National Dance Presenters Forum, collaboratively planned by Jacob’s Pillow, New England Foundation for the Arts, Association of Performing Arts Professionals, and Dance/USA. The six-session virtual forum will take place over Zoom and cover topics surrounding the ecology and landscape of dance presenting as well as how to encourage access and participation in the field.
The Boston Children’s Office of Community Health has a Request for Proposals for 2024 Youth Leaders for Mental and Behavioral Health. They are seeking applications for youth-led projects that address young people’s mental and behavioral health concerns related to climate change, social media, substance use, and war/global conflict. Projects will allow youth to engage with these issues and empower them to advocate for change. This RFP is made possible through the special initiatives fund of Boston Children’s Collaboration for Community Health. Eligible organizations include community-based organizations that serve Boston youth (ages 11-22) year-round or throughout the school year. Questions? Deadline: Mar. 29, 2024 at 5pm.
NAS’s Creative Community Fellows: New England is an eight month learning experience for trailblazers using arts-based approaches to drive change in their communities. Form a community of practice with 20 artists, community organizers, administrators, and entrepreneurs from around the region to be part of something bigger, learn tools to support and scale your work, and access a stipend of up to $10,000. Deadline: Mar. 31, 2024.
The Doris Duke Foundation has announced the Performing Arts Technologies Lab, a new effort to support the development of paradigm-shifting ideas in the performing arts. The foundation invites artists, technicians, designers, producers, performing arts presenting organizations, universities, national service organizations, research centers, and related artistic entities to participate. Lab participants will benefit from a range of supports, including funding, access to a production advisor, knowledge and network-building opportunities.
Applicants must submit concepts by Apr. 2, 2024. For questions not answered after reviewing the FAQs in the request for applications document, email foundation staff with “2024 Phase 1 Lab – [your last name]” as the subject line.
Watch the recording for Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in Our Communities. Hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts and the White House Domestic Policy Council, this summit explored fruitful cross-sector collaborations across the country.
The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation’s National Heritage Responders respond to the needs of cultural institutions and the public during emergencies and disasters through coordinated efforts with first responders, state agencies, vendors, and the public.
Mass Cultural Council has a Useful Links page highlighting institutions, organizations, and groups that offer resources and supports for people looking to better their cultural organization.
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.
