The Grant Cycle
Grant Cycle Timeline
A broad overview of Local Cultural Council business throughout the year.
July
- LCCs conduct community input and use the results to craft updated local guidelines and priorities.
- LCCs begin to recruit new members – to maintain the minimum of 5 current members – including youth and people willing to take on leadership responsibility.
- LCC members register and create, or update accounts in the online grants management system.
August
- August 28, 2025: New Cycle Report due in grants management system.
- Update Council Profile and LCC contact information.
- Indicate whether the LCC will use a direct grant or reimbursement payment process.
- Update/Include local guidelines and priorities (if any).
- Update members list.
- LCCs publicize the grant program locally.
- Mass Cultural Council notifies LCCs of their allocation amounts.
- Mass Cultural Council sends Municipal Fiscal Officers the LCC Account Form.
September
- September 2, 2025: Grant cycle opens.
- Online application available.
- LCCs’ local guidelines and priorities are published to their Council Profile on Mass Cultural Council’s website.
- LCCs meet with Municipal Fiscal Officer to determine the amount available to grant for the cycle.
- LCCs hold grant workshops.
- LCCs publicize the grant cycle.
- Mass Cultural Council sends LCC Allocation contracts to Municipal Officers.
October
- October 9, 2025: Financial Report due in grants management system, including two sections:
- LCC Account Form.
- Calculate Amount Available to Grant.
- October 16, 2025: Grant application deadline.
- LCCs generate their panel books in the grants management system and begin reviewing applications.
- LCCs schedule voting meeting(s) to review applications and publicly post the meetings according to the Open Meeting Law.
November-December
- LCCs conduct their grant cycle voting meetings and use the grants management system to send denial notifications immediately following the meeting.
- LCCs observe the 15-day reconsideration period during which Mass Cultural Council receives reconsideration requests and notifies LCCs.
- December 31, 2025: Last day to enter denials into the grants management system.
- LCCs send detailed approval letters and forms to grantees directly after a brief approval notification goes out through the grants management system.
January
- January 16, 2026: Grant Decisions Report due in the grants management system.
- After the Grant Decisions Report is complete, LCCs publicize grant awards and begin processing reimbursement or direct grant payments.
February-June
- LCCs process reimbursement requests.
- LCCs ensure grant recipients acknowledge Mass Cultural Council and LCC funding.
- LCCs hold grant receptions inviting grantees, the broader community, Mass Cultural Council program staff, and elected officials.
- LCCs present at their municipality’s annual meeting about the programs and individuals they have funded.
- LCCs attend grantee programs.
- LCCs recruit new members as term limits approach.
