Wellesley Cultural Council
Like all the Local Cultural Councils under the umbrella of the MCC, the Wellesley Cultural Council (WCC) exists to enrich the artistic and cultural life of (ALL) those who make this town their home, leading our residents to feel a deeper and richer sense of community. The amount of money the WCC is given to work with is very small relative to the size and diversity of our population. Therefore the WCC sees its job to be trying to foster a sense of community in Wellesley by attracting and trying to help fund the most high quality arts and education programs that will be of interest and benefit to as many segments of our population as possible with the very little amount of money we have to pay for them.
Contact
Nora Tracy Phillips
wellesleyculturalcouncil@gmail.com
000-000-0000
Address
Wellesley Town Hall
525 Washington Street
Wellesley, MA 02482-5992
Application Information
FY24 Allocation
$7,900
FY24 Local Priorities
The Wellesley Cultural Council exists to enhance the quality of cultural life for the residents of Wellesley by helping to fund programs in the Arts, Culture, and Interpretive Sciences (having to do with nature, science, and technology in ways that connect to how people live) that will be of interest and benefit to the greatest possible cross section of residents of this predominantly highly-educated, family-oriented, and increasingly culturally/racially-diverse town.
To that end, the funding Priorities of the Wellesley Cultural Council are
1. Programs that will take place in Wellesley, and which will most directly impact Wellesley residents.
2. Programs that attempt to bring together diverse cross sections of Wellesley residents.
3. Programs that introduce and/or support artists and educators who are residents of Wellesley themselves–even better if their programs address topics of local interest.
4. Programs that promote a sense of community among the town’s residents.
5. Programs that seek to enhance the vitality of Wellesley’s downtown and public places.
6. Programs that Make It New–that infuse our community with creativity, that bring new ideas, new experiences, and new interactive programs to Wellesley audiences. Applications for grants in support of the creation and/or display of public art, guided walking tours, new music/dance/theatre performances–especially those that originate in non-majority cultures, lectures on subjects of cultural or scientific interest, as well as those about art, collaborations between residents of the town and the local colleges are but a few examples of the sort of new proposals the WCC seeks.
FY24 Local Guidelines
1. The Wellesley Cultural Council (WCC) will review grants for projects that began after July 1, 2023 and which are due to be completed by December 31, 2024.
2. The deadline for applications for the 2024 fiscal year is 11:59 p.m., October 17, 2023. Applicants must apply electronically (on-line) by following links from www.mass-culture.org/Wellesley. Any supporting material to be considered in an application (co-sponsor/venue agreement letters, brochure, letters of recommendation, etc.) must accompany the electronic application.
3. If applicants require a venue for presentation of their proposed projects, the WCC requires that applicants will have made at least provisional plans for use of a venue with its “keepers,” and that the application will include proof of the established provisional plan via a letter from an authority at the venue.
4. Similarly, if an applicant’s project will require the cooperation of a co-sponsor, the WCC requires proof of the co-sponsor’s agreement to work with the applicant via a letter from the co-sponsor in the grant application.
5. All proposed venues must be fully handicap-accessible.
6. Applicants’ applications must demonstrate a record of experience and/or engagement in the type of activity for which a grant is being requested.
7. Preference will be given to applications that reveal significant logistical pre-planning of the applicant’s proposed program/activity, if applicable. The WCC wants to know that realistic thought has been put into how a proposed activity would run, if funded.
8. The WCC is very rarely able to fund the full amount of a grant request. WCC grants generally range from $100-$1,000. Applicants should answer as fully (and honestly) as possible the “Other potential/arranged sources of financial support” in the Budget section of their applications. The WCC will want to know if an applicant does/does not have a back-up source of funding if the WCC is able to grant the applicant only partial funding.
9. The WCC does not grant money to fund administrative positions nor does it award grants for field trips.
10. The WCC gives higher priority to first time applicants with original proposals than it does to repeat applicants requesting grants to fund variations on previously-funded programs or projects.
11. While the WCC will give them consideration, applications for grants to fund capital expenditures will receive low priority.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Reimbursement Grants
FY23 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lappen, Henry | Henry the Juggler Performance | $400 | Root, John A. | Ice Magic | $350 | Wellesley Chamber Players | Wellesley Chamber Players Concert | $1,000 | Wellesley Choral Society | Masters of the Mass | $950 | Wellesley Society of Artists, Inc. | WSA's 90th Anniversary: A Community Celebration of the Arts | $1,000 | Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, Inc. | Wellesley Symphony Orchestra 2022-23 Season | $1,000 |
