Mass Cultural Council is thrilled to receive level funding in FY21.
In a joint advocacy effort by the cultural sector, the Executive Directors of MASSCreative, Mass Humanities, and Mass Cultural Council delivered the following letter to Governor Baker today.
Governor Baker has 10 days to review and act on the conference budget.
Legislature Invests $18.2M into Cultural Sector through Mass Cultural Council
Mass Cultural Council has received a level funding recommendation - equal to $18.2M and consistent with the House’s FY21 recommendation.
For Mass Cultural Council to receive a level funding recommendation during a global pandemic that has financially devastated the economy – including our cultural sector – is truly significant.
Pending necessary approvals on Beacon Hill, the Commonwealth stands poised to make a $69.3M investment of new public funds into the cultural sector through Mass Cultural Council.
The following testimony was submitted to the House and Senate Committees on Ways & Means today.
This figure equals the line item appropriation the Governor proposed in his original H2 budget bill in January – prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the next three months our grant programs will continue to be on hold pending a final FY21 state budget.
Mass Cultural Council anticipates announcing the 2021 round of Cultural Facilities Fund grants this fall.
A full timeline for the FY21 budget process is not yet available. It is unclear what processes the House and Senate will use to convene in formal sessions to safely have this important debate.
Mass Cultural Council has released a case statement on the benefits of arts and cultural funding to the state’s economy, communities, and the education of our young people – and what long-term reinvestment in Mass Cultural Council's work can accomplish.
Today Governor Baker released a budget for FY21 that proposes an investment of $16.3M for the arts, humanities, and sciences through the Mass Cultural Council, representing a 9.455% funding reduction from FY20.
The Mass Cultural Council released a spending plan for the new fiscal year that will invest more than $16.5 million in a range of grant programs, services, and initiatives to support the arts, humanities, and sciences in communities across Massachusetts.
Today we are celebrating a new budget. This is the Commonwealth’s investment, through the Mass Cultural Council, in innovation, inclusion, public service, global citizenship, and the arts. We are over the moon with joy that our elected leaders saw fit to substantially increase the financial resources available for this work by $2 million to a total of $18 million.
Governor Charlie Baker signed a state budget today that that boosts funding for the arts, humanities, and sciences through Mass Cultural Council by $2 million.
Today the state Legislature approved a budget for the new fiscal year that boosts funding for the arts, humanities, and sciences through Mass Cultural Council by $2 million. The FY20 state budget funds Mass Cultural Council at $18 million, a 12 percent increase over last year and its highest state appropriation since 2002.
Backed by a statewide grassroots advocacy campaign led by MASSCreative, Senators voted overwhelmingly to back amendments to boost funding for the arts, humanities, and sciences to $18 million for FY20 and assure Mass Cultural Council’s community-based partnerships and services continue.
We have a unique opportunity to increase state support for culture and ensure Mass Cultural Council continues its work in partnership with communities across the Commonwealth. Sen. Ed Kennedy of Lowell, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development, has filed amendments to the Senate Ways and Means budget for the coming fiscal year that would accomplish two key goals...
