Andover Cultural Council
The Andover Cultural Council supports excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences, and seeks to fund a range of projects that have a lasting cultural benefit and support working artists.
We are committed to reaching all members of the community through supporting a cross section of activities. Concerts, cultural celebrations, vocal performances, live theater, dance, public art installations, historical research and education, storytelling, and family, student, and senior citizen programs have all been recently supported.
Contact
Peter Fenzel
CulturalCouncil@andoverma.us
978-623-8200
https://andoverculturalcouncil.org/
Address
36 Bartlet Street
Andover, MA 01810-3882
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Application Information
FY26 Allocation
$13,400
FY26 Local Priorities
In addition to Mass Cultural Council’s LCC program criteria, we prioritize projects that…
– Are innovative, and, even in the instance of repeat grantees, propose new ideas and new artistic and cultural offerings for the community.
– Showcase the craft, skill, and expertise of human creators.
– Embrace diverse artists/scholars/scientists and diverse target audiences, reflecting the many dimensions of experience, culture, and identity in our town.
– Include collaborations, support, or involvement of individuals and constituencies in Andover.
– Involve some level of local in-person experience and foster a sense of local community and connection.
FY26 Local Guidelines
These are in addition to the program guidelines and eligibility rules listed by Mass Cultural Council:
– Your project must address local needs benefiting the Andover community. It must also be able to proceed with partial funding.
– Use of artificial intelligence to generate art, music, or other content or expression must be disclosed in your application.
– Your application must name a lead artist, scholar, or scientist.
– All projects must satisfy ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements. Learn more in MCC’s Accessibility Guide.
– The project budget must be balanced, realistic, and accurate. It must reflect the entire project budget with as much detail as possible at the time of application. And it must include all income, with notations about whether that income is confirmed, pending, or an identified opportunity.
– Letters of Support Requirements: letters of support are required for local partners or co-participant, including collaborators, venues, local institutions, or municipal and permitting organizations, etc.
– Location must be specified; for in-person events, the venue should be specified, and applicants must submit a commitment letter or email from the venue(s) where the program or project is to be held. If you have not yet confirmed a venue, please provide steps you have taken to confirm the venue. For virtual programs, the applicant must include an explanation of the logistics of the plan and how the project will be of specific benefit to the Andover community.
– All projects that involve the Robb Center / Andover Elder Services require a letter of support from the Director of Elder Services.
– All applications for arts-related projects taking place in Andover Public Schools, no matter the department or originating identity, must include a letter of support from the district’s Fine Arts Program Coordinator.
– School projects are also urged to seek matching funds from their respective parent advisory organization (PTO or PAC).
– Field trip requests will only be considered from school groups. Funds may not be used for transportation costs.
– Application System Questions: please contact Greg Torrales, our town’s Mass Cultural Council program officer: greg.torrales@mass.gov
– While the Andover Cultural Council is available to help applicants as well, please note receiving assistance or accepting feedback on an application does not guarantee approval.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY25 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Andover Chinese Charm Circle (ACCC) | 2025 Chinese New Year Celebration | $500 | Andover Public Schools | Middle School Show Choir Choreography Session | $1,000 | Andover Senior Center | Teaching Ukulele to Seniors | $250 | Andover WECAN | Youth Sustainability Fair | $750 | Bettagere Nagendra Prasad, Pranav Swaroop | Project SARANG - Colors of South Asian Music | $1,000 | Chinese Cultural Exchange of the Andovers, Inc. | Chinese New Year Festival | $1,200 | Hurlbut, Steven M. | Jumpin' Juba Library Concert | $380 | MUSIC Dance.edu | Hip Hop Chair Dance for Seniors! - a dance series | $380 | Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild, Inc. | The Massachusetts High School Drama Festival | $1,000 | Meng, Huihan | Fragrant Jasmine Suite by YiZhiYin GuZheng Ensemble | $650 | Merrimack Valley Community Music School, Inc. | Music For Andover Farmers Market | $3,000 | NSB, Inc. | Spring Series: Ethereal Space | $550 | New England Classical Singers, Inc. | 2024-2025: Diverse Voices | $1,000 | O'Hara, Emily | Botanical Immersion Box | $1,200 | Society for Historically Informed Performance, Inc. | 2025 Summer Concert Series - Society for Historically Informed Performance (SoHIP) | $1,000 | The Andover Historical Society | REV250: Revisiting the American Revolution 250 Years Later | $1,000 | Waterman, Jon | Live Music Making History Live | $300 | Whitney, David | Andover-At-Work | $3,000 | York, Matt | Johnny Cash Songs and Stories w/ Matt York | $550 |
Review Complete LCC Program Guidelines
