Amherst Cultural Council
The Amherst Cultural Council allocates state Arts Lottery funds, but it is directed to support and nurture arts activities in the community by seeking private or other public funds and initiatives.
Contact
Matt Holloway & Julianne Applegate - Co-Chairs
acc@amherstma.gov
413-259-3182
Address
4 Boltwood Avenue
Amherst, MA 01002
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FY22 Allocation
$45,900
FY22 Local Priorities
We will prioritize projects for and by BIPOC communities, individuals with disabilities, and low-income communities. We seek applications from people of all ages, races, and persuasions.
We encourage new applicants and welcome repeat applicants.
Grant applications will be prioritized by the benefit they bring to the Amherst community. Please provide detailed information about how your project will benefit people in the greater Amherst community.
FY22 Local Guidelines
1. Direct Granting
The ACC is embarking on a pilot of direct granting. Where previous ACC grant cycles were based on a reimbursement model, the 2021-22 grants will be provided to successful grantees up front. Successful grantees will receive an award letter specifying the terms of the direct grant, and will be required to sign a Direct Grant Agreement. Grantees will be required to provide a Final Report that includes receipts and accounting of funds, as well as information about participation, within two weeks of the project completion.
2. Priorities
We will prioritize projects for and by BIPOC communities, individuals with disabilities, and low-income communities. We seek applications from people of all ages, races, and persuasions.
We encourage new applicants and welcome repeat applicants.
Grant applications will be prioritized by the benefit they bring to the Amherst community. Please provide detailed information about how your project will benefit people in the greater Amherst community.
3. Requirements
Virtual events will be considered. Please include information on your virtual platform.
Venues and dates must be confirmed when submitting an application. Please include a letter from the venue as confirmation of date.
Only one application from each group or individual will be considered. Please combine multi program/project requests under one application.
Applications from students are encouraged, but we do not support projects whose sole purpose is fulfillment of a requirement for a degree program.
Travel expenditures will not be reimbursed.
Please identify recipients of stipends and the number of performances, if applicable.
K through 12 applications for projects and field trips must state how they relate to classroom activities and curriculum. The ACC will consider funding tickets for students and one adult for one trip per grade per school.
Do not attach more than ten pages of supplemental material.
All events and programs funded by the ACC must consider access for persons with disabilities, including the facility or event location as well as the content of the program. To ensure equitable access, an applicant should make a candid assessment and identification of barriers (physical, virtual, cultural, communication) followed by a bold and innovative plan for improvement.
4. Recommendations
As equity and inclusion are central to our work, we encourage applicants to develop accessibility practices and include accommodation services in their applications. ACC has dedicated funds to support accessibility — your grant budget may include additional funds for accommodation services that will provide improved access to your project. If it does, please specify the type of supports / services you are able to provide in your application narrative. Accommodations for greater access may include, but are not limited to: sign language interpreters; language interpreters and / or translations; open or closed captions; verbal and audio description; sensory modifications; and accessible website development?. Resources are available through the Mass Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Mass Commission for the Blind, Massachusetts Office on Disability, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Independent Living Centers, the New England ADA Center, and your city’s Office of Disability. Applicants seeking more information about writing accessibility supports into their grants may reach out to ACC Co-Chair Matt Holloway (acc@amherstma.gov).
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY22 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Abbey Paccia | Half in Dream | $300 |
| Amherst Cinema Arts Center, Inc. | Virtual Cinema & Masked Mornings | $1,300 |
| The Amherst Ballet Theatre Company, Inc. | Amherst Ballet Spring Dance Performance | $2,100 |
| MUSIC Dance.edu | Hip Hop Dance Chair Exercise for Seniors! | $600 |
| Andrew Harms | Folk, Jazz, and Film Music for Trumpet and Piano | $600 |
| Matt York | Songs and Stories - The Highwaymen | $200 |
| Authors and Artists Festival | Authors and Artists Festival | $500 |
| Racial Justice Rising | Community Outreach for Racial Justice - Year 2 | $200 |
| Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum and Foundation | Wednesday Folk Traditions 2022 | $1,500 |
| Hilltown Families, Inc. | Hilltown Families Suggests | $700 |
| Pamela Tillis | In the Spirit and the Flesh: The Cultural Legacy of Dr. Frederick C. Tillis (working) | $2,500 |
| Nancy Meagher | "Millicent and the Day it Rained Buttons, a Leeds, Mill River Fish Tale" | $700 |
| Arcadia Players, Inc. | Arcadia Players Presents Three Concerts by Artistic Director Finalists | $1,800 |
| Jessica Scott | The Name is the Guest of the Substance | $1,150 |
| Amherst Business Improvement District, Inc. | Kamil Peters | $1,800 |
| Roger L. Tincknell | Children's Songs and Singing Games Family Concert | $500 |
| Mohawk Trail Concerts, Inc. | Summer Festival 2022 | $200 |
| Amherst Historical Society | Strings at the Strong | $1,800 |
| Hampshire Young People's Chorus | Digital Piano for Outdoor Singing | $700 |
| Amherst Public Art Commission | Portal Gallery on Boltwood exhibition | $2,500 |
| Paul Sticca | Strong House Summer Concert | $900 |
| Peter Nelson | LastRequest | $1,450 |
| Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Inc. | Pride Concert | $450 |
| Starlight's Youth Theatre, Inc. | Peter Pan Jr | $500 |
| Travelnitch, Inc. | The World on Wheels | $400 |
| Sebastian Son | Reasons to Leave - A New Musical | $1,500 |
| William Blatner | A Concert of Sacred Music: Reaching for Freedom, Hope and Justice | $500 |
| Kenneth Longstreeth | FREE CONCERT BY JEFF GAVIOLI AND HIS BAD NEWS JAZZ AND BLUES ORCHESTRA FEATURING CINDY REED | $1,000 |
| Amherst Community Band | Community Band music funds | $450 |
| Amherst Community Television, Inc. | Access For All- Amherst Cultural Council | $250 |
| Hitchcock Center, Inc. | Nightwings: A Storytelling Program for Children and Families | $500 |
| Town of Amherst | Juneteenth 2022 | $1,000 |
| Amherst Center Cultural District | A Celebration of the Arts | $1,500 |
| KO Theater Works, Inc. | Clear Creek at Ko Festival- 3rd time's the COVID-rescheduling charm | $1,600 |
| Hampshire College | Look and Feel: Senegalese Graffiti Artist Residency and Exhibition | $1,500 |
| Multi-Arts, Inc. | Project Earth | $1,000 |
| Kate O'Connor | Climate Healing Chorus Concert | $700 |
| Northampton Center for the Arts, Inc. | Youth Performance Festival 2022 | $1,000 |
| The Valley Winds, Inc. | Orchestra in the Orchard Plus | $1,450 |
| Gallery A3 | Expanding Community II | $2,500 |
| Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Inc. | Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestras' Performance | $1,000 |
| African Heritage Reparations Assembly | Documenting Reparations For Residents of African Heritage in Amherst, Massachusetts Part One | $500 |
| Friends of the Mount Holyoke Range, Inc. | Summit House Sunset Concert Series | $600 |
| Ethnic Arts Center of Somerville, Inc. | Watch, Make, Share! CULTURES OF AMHERST! | $500 |
| Andy Grant | Shedding light on the namesake Amherst | $1,000 |
| Wildwood Elementary School | Wildwood Outdoor Learning Initiative | $700 |
| Charlemont Forum | Charlemont Forum Summer Speakers Series 2022 | $300 |
| Elizabeth Ryan | Winter Holiday | $300 |
| Robert Masla | Life Appreciation Through Drawing and Painting | $200 |
| Ezzell Floranina | Home Sweet Home- A Climate Crisis Community Festival and Obstacle Course for All Ages | $300 |
| Swing Set Singers | Vocal Jazz Concert by Swing Set | $625 |
| Justin Beatty | Odenong Powwow | $3,000 |
| Mei Seva | To Begin Anew | $900 |
| Valley Light Opera, Inc. | Mozart Requiem | $500 |
| Ira Brezinsky | Community Band Festival | $450 |
| Youssoupha Sidibe | Virtual African Traditional Music Workshop | $700 |
| Julia Petersen | Making Space for the Fiber-Curious | $500 |
| Novi Cantori of Greater Springfield, Inc. | Spring Concert | $700 |
| CitySpace, Inc. | Wild & Precious Arts Festival | $500 |
| Hilltown Youth Performing Arts Program, Inc. | Hilltown Youth Performing Arts Program Summer Workshop | $500 |
| Sankofa Gumbo, Inc. | Community Kwanzaa | $1,750 |
| Maitreyee Chakraborty | East Meets West - Tagore and Dickenson | $450 |
| Shoshona King | Juneteenth Celebration | $2,000 |
| Cat Milo Keatinge Bezark | The Fairy Festival | $750 |
| Sean French-Byrne | Emerging Playwrights Festival | $950 |
