Power of Culture Blog
Testifying on Beacon Hill in Support of STEAM
Supporters of H. 561 may submit testimony by email until September 23, 2025
Bethann Steiner, Senior Director of Public Affairs
Last week Mass Cultural Council testified at the State House during a public hearing convened by the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight in favor of S. 2169, An Act clarifying eligibility to the Massachusetts cultural facilities fund.
Filed by state Senator Paul Mark, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, this bill proposes a narrow technical amendment to the enabling legislation for the Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF), and makes it clear that all nonprofit, municipal, and tribal cultural facilities are eligible applicants to the Fund.
The CFF, created by the Legislature in 2006, is a capital grant program co-administered by Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment. Its purpose is simple: to invest in cultural facilities across the Commonwealth, boosting jobs, tourism, and community vitality. Since its inception, the Fund has awarded $180 million to more than 1,600 projects, employing tens of thousands of architects, contractors, and construction workers, and helping cultural organizations create over 3,000 new jobs.
Unfortunately, the current law limits eligibility for municipally owned facilities to buildings that are either very large or very old. This has forced us to turn away strong projects from communities like Tolland, Leverett, Revere, New Bedford, and others—simply because the facilities don’t meet an arbitrary size or age requirement. Likewise, several tribal facilities have been denied because the law does not clearly state they are eligible.
S. 2169 offers a narrow but important fix. It removes the size and age restrictions for municipal facilities and clarifies that tribal facilities may apply. This amendment ensures the Fund works as intended: supporting all nonprofit, municipal, and tribal cultural facilities, regardless of whether they are housed in a 125-year-old building or a brand-new pavilion.
Mass Cultural Council believes this is a matter of equity, access, and good public policy. It will particularly benefit smaller communities, rural towns, and tribal nations. We have previously written about this proposal on the blog.
Thank you to our bill sponsor Sen. Mark, as well as the co-sponsors who added their names in support of S. 2169, Senators Comerford, Brady and Eldridge and Representatives LeBoeuf, Kerans, Sena, and Moakley. Lastly, note with appreciation our partners in administering the CFF program, MassDevelopment, for their counsel in this matter.
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