Cultural Districts
Resources
Mass Cultural Council, in partnership with other state and regional agencies, has identified programs and resources that benefit cultural districts.
The following is a partial list of programs and services available for the benefit, success and sustainability of cultural districts:
By State Agency/Organization
Mass Cultural Council
Contacts:
- Carolyn Cole, Cultural Districts Program Officer
- Lisa Simmons, Communities Program Manager
- Jay Paget, MA Cultural Facilities Fund Program Director
- Charles G. Baldwin, Cultural Equity and Access Initiatives Program Officer
Cultural Facilities Fund: Construction grants and technical assistance for a range of cultural facilities.
Artist Space Resources: Connect with existing spaces or seek help in thinking through the process of finding, financing, and developing your own space.
Local Cultural Council Program: Grassroots cultural funding supporting community-based projects.
Festivals & Projects: Grants to organizations to support public activities incorporating the arts, humanities, or sciences.
CultureRx: We see culture as a necessary ingredient for public health, one that is often neglected or underappreciated. The CultureRx Initiative aims to change that.
BIPOC-Centered Organization Self-Identification: to help further the Agency’s understanding of organizations working in the cultural community and ensure BIPOC constituents are being more equitably served.
Card to Culture: Along with our interagency partners, we are improving health and well-being through cultural participation.
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organization (AMPO)
Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC)
Formerly known as the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).
- Massachusetts Downtown Initiative (MDI)
- Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)
- Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
- Community Planning Grant Program
- Community Preservation Act (CPA)
- Rural and Small Town Development Fund
- Smart Growth Resources
- Zoning and Land Use Resources
- Guide to State Community Development Resources
- Local Rapid Recovery Program Technical Assistance Resources
Mass Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA)
The regional planning agencies can provide planning technical assistance to their municipalities and can also help municipalities apply for some of the other state funding sources listed on this page.
Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD)
- Find your MOBD Regional Directors
- Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP)
- Massachusetts Vacant Storefront Program
- Business Development Resources, Technical Assistance Providers and Tax Incentive Programs
- Small Business Guides
Mass Humanities
Contact: Katherine Stevens
- Grant Opportunities
- Expand Massachusetts Stories – Open Track and Advancing Equity Track
- Reading Frederick Douglass Together
- Staffing Recovery
Massachusetts Historical Commission
- Preservation Planning
- Technical Services
- Grants: Survey & Planning and Massachusetts Preservation Projects
- National Register of Historic Places
- Virtual Workshops for Local Communities
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
- Shared Streets & Spaces Program
- Complete Streets Funding Program
- Adopt-A-Visibility-Site Program
- Municipal Small Bridge Program
- Safe Routes to School
*BONUS Content*
Arts In Transportation Strategy Sampler provided by NASAA
Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism
- Find your Regional Tourism Council
- Find a list of Designated Cultural Districts
- MyLocalMA
- Tourism Destination Marketing District
- Destination Development Capital grants
- Chambers of Commerce
*BONUS Content*
Rapid Recovery Program Tourism & Hospitality Toolkit
MassDevelopment
- Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) Program
- Commonwealth Places Crowdfunding Program
- Underutilized Properties
- Collaborative Workspace Program
MASSCreative
- Current Legislative Agenda Watch
- Resources for Organizations
- Creative Economy & Workforce
- Cultural & Creative Spaces
Department of Conservation and Recreation
- About DCR (A-Z)
- Find Historic Parkways and Open Spaces
- Apply for a Permit
- Universal Access Program at DCR
By Topic Area
Equity & Access
- Mass Cultural Council’s Access Policy and Resources
- Mass Cultural Council’s Racial Equity Plan
- 2022/2023 Cultural Districts Check-In: Equity & Access Presentation by Charles G. Baldwin and Cheyenne Cohn-Postell
- Cultural Equity Learning Community
- NEA Toolkit for Employing People with Disabilities
- NEFA: Public Art for Spatial Justice
- NEFA: Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice
- Open Door Arts
- Universal Design for Learning Guidelines
- New England ADA Center
Policy & Planning
- Find your Local Community Foundation
- Find your Regional Planning Agency
- Massachusetts Municipal Association
- Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s (MAPC) Arts & Culture Department
- MAPC’s Making It Public Program with NEFA
- MAPC’s Arts + Planning Toolkit
Creative Community/Cultural Placekeeping & Public Art
- Native Land App
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s (LISC) Creative Placemaking Toolkit
- LISC’s Hiring Artists Toolkit
- Rural Placemaking Toolkit
- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grants
Community Engagement
- Engaging the Senior Demographic
- Mass MOCA’s Assets for Artists
- Mass Cultural Council’s Festivals Toolkit
- NEFA’s Creative Economy Network
Marketing & Data
Mass Cultural Council’s “What is a Cultural District?” Marketing Video
- Americans for the Arts: How Cities Can Use Data to Support the Arts
- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Economic Impact Data
- Rapid Recovery Program Marketing Toolkit
- NASAA Arts Advocacy Tooklit
- NASAA Creative Economy Data
