Bellingham Cultural Council
The goal of the Bellingham Cultural Council is to provide Bellingham residents including their schoolchildren to the arts, sciences, humanities, culture and heritage in the most positive manner available. We do this by exposing children, adults and seniors to different types of programs that enhance their expertise and knowledge. This is accomplished through performances, exhibits, workshops, lectures, and creative activities held within local Bellingham Community schools, public buildings, park like settings or taking participants to another local venue. We seek to be a contributing source of funding to local artists for a balance of Arts, Humanities, and cultural programs that helps us achieve the needs and desires of the Bellingham Community. As wonderful and meaningful as LCC programs conducted outside of the Bellingham community may be, we are unable to participate in those programs. We reserve the right to balance those LCC applications to the arts AND Humanities AND Science programs that best serve the Bellingham Community. Due to the COVID-19 experience and the advancement in technologies, we encourage the use of broadcast arts, humanities, and cultural programs provided that these projects are specific to benefitting the Bellingham residents and local artists. Applicants will need to provide details on how they are ensuring these videos are broadcast to the Bellingham community and specific promotional effort that will be undertaken to inform Bellingham residents of such broadcasts.
Contact
Kevin Staley
[email protected]
973-738-7591
Address
10 Mechanic Street
Bellingham, MA 02019-1698
Application Information
FY27 Allocation
$11,200
FY27 Local Priorities
Information not provided
FY27 Local Guidelines
These guidelines outline the eligibility requirements and grant conditions related to the Bellingham, Massachusetts Local Cultural Council whose purpose is to support the arts, humanities and sciences of our local community through projects, programs and events.
1. Definitions
a. In cases of a dispute of terms or policies, Mass Cultural Council (MCC) Guidelines take precedence over BCC Guidelines.
b. Parties
i. Mass Cultural Council is a Massachusetts organization that advances the Commonwealth’s creative and cultural sector by celebrating traditions and talents, championing its collective needs, and equitably investing public resources and which receives an annual appropriation from the state Legislature and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, and others, a portion of which is distributed to local cultural councils.
ii. Bellingham Cultural Council or BCC, is the Local Cultural Council of the Massachusetts Cultural Council serving the residents of Bellingham, Massachusetts and is comprised of at least 2 voting members including a Chairperson as appointed by the Bellingham Select Board
iii. Applicants are any eligible individual or group as defined in section 4 that has submitted an application to the BCC
iv. Grantees are eligible individuals or groups as defined in section 4 whose application has been approved by the BCC for the current or prior fiscal years
c. How does the Mass Cultural Council define the arts, humanities, and sciences?
i. Arts refer to the creation of work in the crafts and performing, visual, media, folk, design, literary, and inter-disciplinary arts. They also include the presentation, preservation of, and education about works in these disciplines.
ii. Humanities are types of learning that deal with human values and aspirations, human thought and culture, language, and creativity. Examples include, but are not limited to, history, social studies, philosophy, criticism, and literature.
iii. Science is limited to its cultural, interpretive, and educational expression and refers to types of learning that deal with nature, science, and technology in ways that explain how they relate to people’s lives. Some organizations that conduct this type of activity include aquariums, botanical gardens, nature centers, natural history museums, planetariums, and science centers.
2. Grant Awards and Financial Oversight
a. BCC awards Reimbursement Grants only. A reimbursement grant from MCC/BCC is one whereby the grantee is reimbursed after their event has completed and funds have been spent.
b. BCC should meet with the Bellingham Finance Department at the beginning of each granting cycle to find out how much money is available to grant.
c. The town has 30 days upon receipt of reimbursement requests to make payments according to state MCC guidelines.
3. Program Eligibility
Any MA resident artist, culturalists or scientist may apply for a MCC/BCC grant with preference given to applicants who reside in or whose work directly benefits residents of the town of Bellingham, Massachusetts
b. Eligible applicant categories include:
i. Individuals, which include sole proprietors, show a public benefit for the proposed project.
ii. Individual council members of BCC who observe all conflict-of-interest laws and regulations in the granting process.
iii. Organizations incorporated as nonprofits with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
iv. A group of individuals coming together with a common purpose (e.g., local community band, theater group) that do not have nonprofit status.
v. For-profit organizations incorporated with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. This includes corporations, partnerships, and Limited Liability Companies (LLC). Applicants must show that a public benefit results from the project for which they are applying.
vi. Tribal, federal, state, and municipal government organizations. This includes any governmental entity such as public schools, libraries, other municipal agencies, and the BCC itself.
4. Application Process and Funding Timelines
a. To submit an application to the BCC for the Local Community Cultural Grant, go online to the Massachusetts state website (https://massculturalcouncil.smartsimple.com/). Deadline: October 15, 2026
b. Applicant Interviews
i. MCC discourages BCC from holding interviews for grant applicants unless it is necessary to reach a granting decision. If councils find it useful to conduct applicant interviews as part of the grant review process, they must take extra precautions to ensure that the interview process is consistent, fair, and equitable. As such,
(1) Interviews must not be required of all applicants.
(2) BCC cannot disapprove an application for the sole reason that the applicant was unable to attend an interview.
c. Reimbursement Timelines
i. Applicants may apply for reimbursement grants for programs that take place during an 18-month window of eligibility from July 1, preceding the application deadline in October, through to 12 months after receiving a grant award approval.
ii. In general, applicants are notified of grant award approval February 1 after the application cycle closes.
iii. Applicants may apply for projects that have already happened or which happen prior to grant announcements of the current fiscal year cycle, with the knowledge that funding is not guaranteed.
iv. For Fiscal Year 2027, reimbursements must be completed prior to February 1, 2027 for programs occurring July 1, 2026 through February 1, 2027.
5. Grant Conditions
a. Financial Support: All grant recipients are required to acknowledge the financial support of the BCC which approved their grant and the Mass Cultural Council in all published materials and announcements about their approved project.
b. Council Programs and Membership Promotion:
i. Every Grant Applicant must agree to help support BCC’s programs and membership drives, including but not limited to interviews, testimonies, event promotion, event attendance, demonstrations, and exhibits.
ii. BCCs will communicate any such promotional requests to the applicant in writing (email or hard copy) and note such requests in the BCC meeting minutes.
c. BCC may place conditions on any approved application, including but not limited to conduct, timing, and location.
d. Conditions may also require submission of specific documentation related to receipt of grant funds or with the applicant’s final reports after a program or event has occurred.
e. BCC must communicate any conditions to the applicant in writing (email or hard copy) and note such conditions for the application in the BCC meeting minutes.
f. If the applicant or grantee at any time does not agree to conditions imposed by BCC, they can choose not to accept the grant and may disqualify themselves from grant awards and reimbursement of funds. Additionally, if a grantee refuses to participate in conditions, including promotional programs, after having received reimbursement of grant funds, they will be required to return said payments to the Town of Bellingham and be barred from applying for any future BCC grants.
6. Grantee Reimbursement Payments
a. Timing: Grantees must send their reimbursement request to BCC within two (2) weeks of the completion of your project, program or event.
b. Eligible Payees: Payments may be made either directly to the applicant or to third party vendors (not encouraged) who have provided goods, materials, or services to the applicant.
c. Tax Implications: Grantees should be advised that grant payments can be considered taxable income depending on a variety of factors. All recipients of grant payments will be required to complete a W-9. Recipients should discuss the impact of any grant payment on their tax filings with a tax professional. Individuals who are the recipient of income-based benefits should not receive payment without first contacting the agency or agencies providing the benefits as one-time payments can disrupt benefits.
d. Grantee Payment Request Process: To request payment for reimbursements from BCC, the recipient must complete and submit to BCC the following, either by email (to the BCC chairman: [email protected]) or standard mail ATTN: BCC, Bellingham Town Hall 10 Mechanic St., Bellingham, MA 02019
i. All materials must include GRANT ID
ii. A completed and signed 2025 MCC Payment Request Form
iii. Completed and signed W-9
iv. A copy of the grantee’s invoice(s)
v. Copy of any BCC Conditional Agreement at time of approval
vi. Copy of the BCC Award Letter originally sent to grantee
vii. If any third-parties are to be paid directly by BCC per the grant award agreement, then an invoice and a W-9 is required from each such third party
viii. Documentation of ‘proof’ of the occurrence of said event, including but not limited to, advertisements, newsletters, pictures of the event, or letters confirming the event from the venue
ix. Copies of promotional material showing that sponsorship was publicized in part or totally by BCC and MCC
x. Statement of Non-discrimination
e. Progress Payments: Progress payments to a grantee may be made at the discretion of the BCC during the application award negotiations. Payments should always be proportional to the percentage of the project that has been completed. Progress payments need to be requested at the time of submitting grant applications and should be agreed upon by BCC prior to approval of the grant.
f. Reimbursement Timeline & Extension Requests:
i. All grant recipients have one year from the date of their approval notification to request reimbursement. Late requests, made outside the valid reimbursement period, risk loss of funds as BCC is required to regrant unspent funds each year. If the funds have not already been regranted, it is up to BCC’s discretion whether or not to honor a grantees’ late reimbursement request.
ii. Grant recipients have one year from the date of their approval notification to request payment. Grant recipients will need the BCC’s written permission (email or hard copy) to make changes to their projects.
iii. At their sole discretion, BCCs can approve reasonable extensions and modifications for projects and or events. The modification should not significantly alter the original purpose of the approved application.
iv. Project extensions and modifications must be requested in writing and responded to in the same manner.
v. To review an extension or other modification to an approved grant, a subcommittee of a minimum of two members can review and approve the request.
vi. The joint decision should be documented and later reported to the full council at the next meeting.
vii. If the subcommittee is unsure whether to approve the request the BCC must convene a quorum of members and vote. The BCC must inform the applicant of their decision in writing and ensure that the vote is reflected in the BCC meeting minutes.
g. BCC Processing:
i. BCCs should process grant requests for payment as they arrive to ensure timely payment to grantees. The guideline is to take no longer than four weeks to forward approved reimbursement requests from BCC to the Bellingham Finance Department.
ii. Upon receipt of a request for payment, A BCC sub-committee of a minimum of two council members must ensure all documentation has been received and completed correctly.
iii. Both members can sign the form to indicate approval, or one member can sign the form on behalf of both. Because the payment is made after the project is completed, a final report is not required of grantees unless BCC adopts guidelines specifying this requirement.
iv. If only one BCC member signs the form, it is important that the joint decision is documented and later reported to the full council at the next meeting. This should be noted in the minutes.
v. All required forms and supporting documentation provided by payment requestor to BCC for payment approval are forwarded to Bellingham Finance Department, who will manage and obtain authorization for the release of funds to the approved requesting payee.
vi. MCC Guidelines stipulate that BCC will not keep a copy of any W-9. All must be forwarded to Bellingham Finance department with payment request
h. Addressing Concerns Related to Project Completion: If the BCC is not satisfied that a project or event was completed as promised or not completed at all, the council must contact the grantee with their concerns prior to approving payment and allow the grantee the opportunity to respond. Two council members and the grantee may work out a solution, which should be finalized in writing (email or hard copy). If a compromise cannot be reached, the council must convene a quorum of BCC members to vote on the grant payment request. The BCC council may vote for full, partial, or no payment. Results should be reflected in the BCC meeting minutes, and the grantee should be given final notification in writing of the outcome of the vote.
i. If the grantee is not responsive, the council should institute the penalties as outlined in the Grant Agreement Form.
ii. Any grant payment previously made according to the Grant Agreement Form must be repaid to Bellingham in accordance with the BCC vote as noted above.
iii. Should BCC Grantees not repay the grant funds to the BCC, this will jeopardize any future funding for them.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Reimbursement Grants
FY26 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Adams, Amy | Painting with Amy | $500 | Applefield, Janet | Combatting Hate and Prejudice | $450 | Blackstone Valley Education Foundation, Inc. | Arts in the Valley | $500 | Consentino-Vilorio, Kerry | Pebble Art & Sea Glass Design Workshop | $550 | DiPietro Elementary PTO | Tanglewood Marionettes | $1,500 | Friends of the Bellingham Public Library, Inc. | Bellingham Library Summer Reading Program | $1,300 | Friends of the Bellingham Public Library, Inc. | Bellingham Local Author Expo | $517 | Friends of the Bellingham Public Library, Inc. | Multicultural Festival | $1,300 | Hurlbut, Steven M. | Jumpin' Juba senior concert | $400 | KevTech Services, Inc. | Digital Art and Photography Classes | $1,000 | Langlois, Celeste | Thankful Frame | $450 | MUSIC Dance.edu | Hip Hop SQUARE Dance for Seniors! and chair dance | $450 | MetroWest Tourism and Visitors Bureau, Inc. | World Cup Fan Zone | $400 | Newman, Howard | Knock on Wood, acoustic folk-rock duo | $500 | Parisi, Rita | Women of '76 | $450 | Polatin, David | “Music from Memphis” | $400 | Silvia, Elizabeth | The BaNannies | $500 | Stall Brook Elementary School | Drum Perks | $1,500 | Sullivan, Carolyn | Write Your Own Obituary (Before Someone Else Does It Badly) | $205 | Tincknell, Roger L. | From Ireland to America | $500 | Waterman, Jon | Live Music Making History Live | $300 | Wise, Dennis | The Theft of Dignity: Webster Presentation | $950 |
Review Complete LCC Program Guidelines