Framingham Cultural Council
Mission
The mission of the FCC, a local partner of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, is to promote excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences thereby improving the quality of life for all Framingham residents and contributing to the economic vitality of our community.
The council is responsible for ensuring that MCC and other local Framingham funds are distributed broadly to Framingham’s creative community through grants, awards, scholarships and other forms of public awareness and recognition, and reflect the city’s cultural diversity.
Grants with funds provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Council are paid when the agreement form is completed. Grants with funds from local fundraising are paid on a reimbursement basis.
Click Here to read the full LCC Program Guidelines,
Awards Reception
The FCC holds an Awards Reception to recognize grant recipients and to designate the Cultural Council Contributor of the Year Award and/or a Special Recognition Award.
Click here for more information about past receptions.
Rita and Bill Collins Memorial Arts Scholarship
The Framingham Cultural Council (FCC) awards one or more scholarships to seniors at Framingham high schools or grade 12 equivalent who have demonstrated talent in the arts. The students must be residents of Framingham and in good standing at their high schools.
Click here for more information on the arts scholarship.
Click here for more information on the Framingham Cultural Council.
Contact
Kerry Najarian
[email protected]
508-532-5440
https://www.framinghamma.gov/2567/Cultural-Council
Address
150 Concord Street
Framingham, MA 01702-8325
Application Information
FY26 Allocation
$46,500
FY26 Local Priorities
Priority for funding will be given to projects that meet one or more of the following listed items in addition to the eligibility and other criteria documented by the Mass Cultural Council: https://massculturalcouncil.org/communities/local-cultural-council-program/lcc-toolkit/the-grant-cycle/eligibility-criteria/.
1. Projects that provide substantial or unique benefit specifically to the Framingham community, particularly live performances (music festivals, concerts, plays) and events celebrating diversity.
2. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Access (DEIA): Projects that create opportunities for or celebrate the diversity of Framingham, particularly including previously marginalized communities based on race, national origin, culture, language, gender, economic condition, disability, or sexual orientation. Refer also to the Mass Cultural Council statement on DEIA: https://massculturalcouncil.org/about/racial-equity-work/dei-plan/.
3. Projects that seek to enhance the vitality and esthetic appeal of Framingham’s downtown and older manufacturing centers.
4. Applicants who have not had previous grants and whose projects provide something different from others that have been approved in the past.
5. Grants that do not have substantial funding from other sources
FY26 Local Guidelines
FY26 Local Guidelines
1. Projects must take place between January 1 and December 31 of the year following the application deadline. Any funds not used during the year must be returned to the FCC.
2. The applicant must be a Framingham resident, a Framingham-based organization, a partnership that includes a Framingham-based organization, or be held in a Framingham venue or location (see #3 below).
3. Except for field trips, projects must be held or performed at least once at a Framingham site. A letter of commitment is required from the venue unless it is owned or controlled by the applicant. If this letter is not included with the application, it must be provided no later than March 1. Grant funds cannot be dispersed until it has been received.
4. The application must indicate what will be done if it is not awarded 100% of the amount requested since limited FCC funds often require partial funding. For example, would the scope of the project be reduced, or would other funding sources be obtained?
5. The application must include the intended number of sessions and the location of each to the extent that they have been identified. Lack of this information could impact funding or become a contingency before funds are provided. The final report must specify the actual attendance at the event.
6. Grants will not be awarded for more than two projects for an individual organization unless that organization has different physical addresses.
7. For field trips, transportation expenses must be included in the grant application budget.
8. Budget salaries/stipends must be listed as an expense but salaries, or prorated portion of salaries, cannot be for an employee who would be paid independent of the project. FCC funds may not be used for institutional overhead on salaries.
9. To provide funds to both large projects and small projects, it is expected that there will be a cap on the amount of a project award.
10. Grants with funds provided by the Mass Cultural Council are paid after the funds have been received by the city and after the applicant has returned all required forms. Grants with funds from local fundraising are paid on a reimbursement basis.
11. Expectations for projects that receive FCC grants:
a. Provide a description of the project, preferably with icons and pictures, for use on the FCC website.
b. Acknowledge both the Mass Cultural Council and the Framingham Cultural Council in advertising, marketing and social media posts.
c. Submit a final report for the project using the official report form provided by the FCC. Grants will not be considered if the applicant did not submit a required final report in a previous year.
d. If possible, participate in the awards ceremony planned for May or June. Information about past receptions: https://framinghamma.gov/2567/Cultural-Council
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY26 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| A Common Thread Theatre Company, Inc | Fun Home | $1,000 | A Common Thread Theatre Company, Inc | Hadestown:Teen Edition | $1,000 | Benton, Zachary | Music of the Beach Boys | $340 | Benton, Zachary | Howlin' Halloween Concert | $340 | Bettagere Nagendra Prasad, Pranav Swaroop | SARANG - Colors of South Asian Music | $500 | Boston Arabic Music Ensemble | Mourouj: Boston Arabic Music Ensemble in Concert | $1,000 | Boston Coalition for Autism, Inc. | Neurodiversity is Culture | $500 | Boston Opera & Zarzuela Corp. | Zarzuela y Olé! - Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Framingham | $1,000 | Boys and Girls Clubs of MetroWest, Inc. | Incorporating STEAM Experiences into Summer Learning | $1,000 | Cameron Middle School | McAuliffe Center Mars Simulation | $500 | Cameron Middle School | Field Trip Visit | $500 | Charlotte A. Dunning Elementary School | Field Trip to Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum | $500 | Charlotte Dunning Elementary Parent Teacher Organization | Dunning Variety Show | $500 | Chinese Family Network Inc (CFN) | Spring Harmony: Performances and Crafts | $1,000 | Christa McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning at Framingham State University | Challenger Series 2025-2026 | $1,000 | City of Framingham | Framingham 325th - Black History, Women's History & Hispanic History | $1,000 | City of Framingham | Framingham FEST | $1,000 | City of Framingham Parks & Recreation Department | Framingham Summer Concert Series | $1,000 | Costarelli, Eve | Mindful Mobility for All: An Adaptive Arts & Movement Program for Youth | $1,000 | De Musis, Rejane | McCarty Music | $1,000 | Druyan, Ron | Tiny Tutti | $675 | Edwards Church Incorporated A Congregation of the United Christ | Artist in Residence: Building Community through Art and Storytelling | $1,000 | Ethnic Arts Center of Somerville, Inc. | Circles of Love ME AND MY PALS Puppetry Esteem & Friendship Project | $750 | Framingham Centre Common Cultural District | Live Music on the Centre Common at Farmers Market | $1,000 | Framingham Garden Club, Inc | Building Bridges through Connections | $378 | Framingham High School | Beyond FHS: Your Story in Photographs | $600 | Framingham High School | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | $800 | Framingham History Center, Inc. | The Art of History in Framingham | $1,000 | Framingham Public Access Corporation | Access Film Festival | $1,000 | Framingham Public Library | 2026 Summer Reading: Plant a Seed, Read | $1,000 | Framingham Public Library | Bachata by the Bookmobile | $500 | Framingham Public Library | Summer Reading: Plant a Seed, Read | $1,000 | Framingham Public Library | FPL Jazz: 2026 Summer Concert Series | $1,000 | Framingham Public Library | Dark Summer Book Festival Guests of Honor | $1,000 | Framingham Public Schools | Harmony Grove goes to see the Boston Symphony Orchestra | $500 | Framingham State University | Adventures in Lifelong Learning | $500 | Framingham Townwide PTO Council | Around the World Fair | $500 | Framingham Townwide PTO Council | Matilda Jr | $500 | Framingham Townwide PTO Council | Music Program | $500 | Herzog, Jenny | Music Theory, Songwriting, Performance at MCI-Framingham | $1,000 | Hoops and Homework, Inc. | Music at Hoops | $1,000 | Jewish Family Service of Metrowest, Inc. | Metrowest Memory Cafe | $500 | Joseph P. Keefe Regional Technical High School | You're a Good Man Charlie Brown | $600 | Keezing, Jonathan A. | Classic Songs | $340 | List, Melina | Framingham Disability Cultural Series | $700 | Lora, Fanny | Mano a Mano: Arias in Dialogue | $1,000 | MUSIC Dance.edu | Hip Hop SQUARE Dance for Seniors! and chair dance | $500 | MUSIC Dance.edu | I am Autistic I am Fantastic - The Musical | $340 | MacInnes, Rebecca | Soloveychicks Concert of Yiddish Song | $375 | Martin, Jess | Echoes of Nature | $600 | Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild, Inc. | The Massachusetts High School Drama Festival | $500 | MetroWest Tourism and Visitors Bureau, Inc. | World Cup Fan Zone | $1,000 | Nocera, Josef | The GemsTones 50s Dance Party | $1,000 | Performing Arts Center of Metrowest, Inc. | PAC Winter and Spring Recitals : Instrument and Vocal | $1,000 | Pinefield Garden Club | Incorporating Natives in Your Garden | $340 | Polatin, David | Music from Memphis | $340 | Potter Road Elementary School | Crocodile River Music at Potter Road | $550 | ProGente Connections | ProGente Library Launch | $500 | Sordillo, Willie | Harmony Grove: A Legacy of Justice and Equality in Framingham | $600 | South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc. | Empty Bowls, 2026 | $1,000 | Stoney, Kimberly | Printmaking with a Gelatin Plate | $317 | Swanson, Kris | Songs & Stories Music Concert | $225 | Tasty Harvests | Roots & Recipes: Community Pop-Up Garden & Story Series | $1,000 | The Heritage Chorale, Inc. | Heritage Chorale Winter Pops Concert (“Page to Stage – A Literary Journey”) and Spring Concert (“America at 250 – Of Thee We Sing”) | $600 | The Raymond J. Callahan Center | Back to School...Without the Homework | $750 | The Raymond J. Callahan Center | Callahan Music Series | $1,000 | The Spectacle Collective, Inc. | Common Chords: The new generation of Chilean classical music | $600 | Utaegbulam, Rick | JuneteenthFest 2026 | $1,000 | Voices of MetroWest, Inc. | Evolution of Broadway | $500 | Walsh Middle School | Grade 8 Field Trip MFA | $500 | Waterman, Jon | Live Music Making History Live | $340 |