Salem Cultural Council
The Salem Cultural Council joins communities across the state in support of the Local Cultural Council Program, administered by the Mass Cultural Council. The SCC specifically awards grants to individuals and organizations who reside, work, or are based in Salem and bring arts and cultural opportunities to our community.
As proud residents of Salem, we hope to find meaningful ways to contribute to the vibrant arts and culture scene by awarding grants, supporting community events, and collaborating with the local organizations that bring arts and culture to life in Salem.
Online applications open September 1, 2026, and the deadline to apply is October 15, 2026. Any Massachusetts resident can apply, but the SCC prioritizes awarding grants to individuals and organizations who reside, work, or are based in Salem; bring arts and cultural opportunities to our community; and align closely with our stated council priorities.
Here is a PDF of our Grant Guidelines & Priorities. Visit our website for more information, or contact the SCC at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
Contact
[email protected]
617-555-5555
Address
93 Washington Street
Salem, MA 01970-3528
Connect on Social
Facebook
Application Information
FY27 Allocation
$31,700
FY27 Local Priorities
The Salem Cultural Council (SCC) focuses on funding local art and cultural projects that serve and inspire the Salem community and highlight the diverse history, cultures, and positive attributes of our unique city. Grant funds are limited. In this grant cycle …
SCC will prioritize:
• Community Access: Projects that include a clear plan for making attendance and participation free/low-cost and accessible to a broad range of Salem community members.
• New and/or Under-Represented Categories: Projects that are a truly unique offering and/or represent a modality/experience/population underrepresented in Salem.
• Deeper Community Connection: Projects that cultivate real, meaningful and ongoing connection among Salem community members (i.e., active participation vs. passive, ongoing connection vs. one-time only).
SCC will give low priority to:
• AI-Generated Work: We choose to support human-imagined, created, and delivered projects/programs. We will give low-to-no priority to AI-generated work (i.e., no use of AI in your project design, fabrication, marketing, or final output/delivery).
• Witch History/October Tourism: We give low-to-no priority to projects focused on witch-trial history and/or catering to October tourists.
• Non-Compliant Grantees: Any current/prior grantee who has not submitted their Final Grant Report for funding already received will not be considered for new/additional funding. Final Reports are due to SCC within 2 weeks of the completion of your project.
• For-Profit Business Expenses: We give low-to-no priority to for-profit business expenses (e.g., start-up costs to be a paid tour guide, production of a retail product, etc.)
Tips for writing a strong grant application:
• Provide Confirmed Details: Provide a clear, specific and thorough project plan (who, what, when, where, and why + a detailed budget and execution plan) and attach evidence of any progress already made and/or support/resources already secured, especially if they are essential to completing your project. (E.g., Partnership agreements, facility rental confirmations, City/school board approvals, other funding received, confirmation of equipment loans, etc.).
• SCC Acknowledgement: Specify how you will acknowledge any SCC funding you might receive. (NOTE: The SCC logo cannot be included on any AI-generated marketing materials.)
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El Consejo Cultural de Salem (SCC) se centra en financiar proyectos artísticos y culturales locales que sirvan e inspiren a la comunidad de Salem y que resalten la diversa historia, las culturas y los atributos positivos de nuestra singular ciudad. Los fondos para subvenciones son limitados. En este ciclo de subvenciones…
SCC dará prioridad a:
• Acceso comunitario: Proyectos que incluyen un plan claro para facilitar la asistencia y la participación. Gratuito/a bajo costo y accesible a un amplio abanico de miembros de la comunidad de Salem.
• Categorías nuevas y/o poco representadas: Proyectos que son una oferta verdaderamente única y/o que representan
• Conexión comunitaria más profunda: Proyectos que cultivan una conexión real, significativa y continua entre los miembros de la comunidad de Salem (es decir, participación activa en lugar de pasiva, conexión continua en lugar de una sola vez).
La SCC dará baja prioridad a:
• Trabajo generado por IA: Elegimos apoyar proyectos/programas imaginados, creados y ejecutados por humanos. Daremos poca o ninguna prioridad al trabajo generado por IA (es decir, no se utilizará IA en el diseño, la fabricación, la comercialización ni el resultado/entrega final de su proyecto).
• Historia de las brujas/Turismo de octubre: Damos poca o ninguna prioridad a los proyectos centrados en la historia de los juicios por brujería y/o dirigido a los turistas de octubre.
• Beneficiarios que no cumplen con los requisitos: Cualquier beneficiario de años anteriores o actual que no haya presentado su Informe Final de Subvención para fondos ya otorgados no recibirá nuevos fondos. Los Informes Finales deben entregarse a SCC dentro de las 2 semanas posteriores a la finalización de su proyecto.
• Gastos de negocios con fines de lucro: Damos poca o ninguna prioridad a los gastos de negocios con fines de lucro (por ejemplo, costos iniciales para ser un guía turístico remunerado, producción de un producto minorista, etc.)
Consejos para redactar una solicitud de subvención sólida:
• Proporcione detalles confirmados: Proporcione un plan de proyecto claro, específico y completo (quién, qué, cuándo dónde y por qué + un presupuesto detallado y un plan de ejecución) y adjunte evidencia de cualquier progreso ya realizado y/o apoyo/ recursos ya obtenidos, especialmente si son esenciales para completar su proyecto. (Por ejemplo, acuerdos de asociación, confirmaciones de alquiler de instalaciones, aprobaciones de la ciudad/junta escolar, otros fondos recibidos, confirmación de préstamos de equipos, etc.).
• Reconocimiento de SCC: Especifique cómo reconocerá cualquier financiación de SCC que reciba. (NOTA: El logotipo de SCC no puede incluirse en ningún material de marketing generado por IA).
FY27 Local Guidelines
The Salem Cultural Council (SCC) is a local council of volunteers entrusted to distribute Massachusetts state funds in partnership with Mass Cultural Council (MCC). The funds allocated to Salem are granted by SCC to qualified individuals and organizations to support a wide variety of community-based projects and activities in the arts, humanities, history, and interpretive sciences that represent and serve the broad diversity of the Salem community.
Funded projects must be completed within the 2027 calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2027). Programs that have received SCC funding for multiple years may receive lower funding priority so we can consider new applications. SCC members do not use AI to review grant applications or to make grant decisions; each stage of SCC’s grant cycle is a human-centered process.
KEY GRANT CYCLE DATES:
• Sep 1, 2026 — 2027 Grant Cycle opens
• Sep 10, 2026 — Virtual grant Q&A session AT 6pm ET (hosted by Mass Cultural Council). Registration required.
• Oct 15, 2026 — Grant Cycle closes. No applications accepted after 11:59 PM ET
• Jan 15, 2027 — Grant decisions announced
• Feb-Mar 2027 — Grant agreements signed and grant award payments issued
* SCC funded projects must be completed within the 2027 calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2027)
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DIRECTRICES PARA LA CONCESIÓN DE SUBVENCIONES: El Consejo Cultural de Salem (SCC) es un consejo local de voluntarios encargado de distribuir fondos estatales de Massachusetts en colaboración con el Consejo Cultural de Massachusetts (MCC). Los fondos asignados a Salem son otorgados por el SCC a personas y organizaciones cualificadas para apoyar una amplia variedad de proyectos y actividades comunitarias en las áreas de artes, humanidades, historia y ciencias interpretativas que representan y benefician la gran diversidad de la comunidad de Salem.
Cada proyecto financiado por SCC debe completarse antes del año calendario 2027. Los programas que hayan recibido financiación de SCC durante varios años podrían tener menor prioridad de financiación para que podamos considerar nuevas solicitudes. Los miembros de SCC no utilizan IA para revisar las solicitudes de subvención ni para tomar decisiones sobre las mismas; cada etapa del ciclo de subvenciones de SCC es un proceso centrado en las personas.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY26 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| A Valatka, Jacqueline | Roots - The Spice of Life Bridging Cultures through Food | $1,500 | Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem, Inc. | Act Now Social Emotional Learning (SEI) Theatre Curriculum Workshops | $2,573 | City of Salem Mack Park Farm | Roots of Salem: Explore the Herbal Traditions of Indigenous People and Colonists | $1,500 | Ethnic Arts Center of Somerville, Inc. | WONDERFUL ME Toy Theatre Salem Esteem and Legacy Project | $2,000 | Express Yourself, Inc. | BLOOM - Express Yourself | $1,500 | Lucky Knot Arts | AANHPI Mini Market 2026 Lion Dance and Art Workshop | $1,600 | MUSIC Dance.edu | Hip Hop Chair Dance for Seniors! a dance series | $600 | Music Organizers of the North Shore (MOON) | Free Fridays on Artists' Row | $750 | North Shore Community Development Coalition, Inc. | The Creative Kid Program | $1,500 | North Shore LGBTQ Network, Inc. | Trans Day of Visibility/Trans Day of Remembrance | $2,500 | Olde Essex Stage Company | 6th Annual Shakespeare in the Park | $1,000 | Reynolds, Tristan | Tartuffe | $704 | Salem Community Arts Center Incorporated | Salem Film Fest 2026 | $1,500 | Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, Inc. | Salem Jazz and Soul Festival | $1,000 | Salem Main Streets | Salem Arts Festival Community Art Project | $2,000 | Salem Philharmonic, Inc. | Salem Philharmonic Winter Concert Series | $1,500 | Salem Sound 2000, Inc. | Watershed Adventures | $2,000 | Scrimgeour, J.D. | Pieces of Salem: A Quadricentennial Anthology | $1,000 | The Delvena Theatre Company, Inc. | A Christmas Carol | $500 | The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association | Fusion Fest Expansion | $1,500 | The Proprietors of the Salem Athenaeum | Salem Literary Festival 2026 | $2,000 |
Review Complete LCC Program Guidelines