Brookline Commission for the Arts
The mission of the Brookline Commission for the Arts is to support artists and arts-related organizations in Brookline. We encourage them to apply for grants, which are intended to enlarge their audiences and to make the arts available to community members of all ages.
Contact
Gillian Jackson
brooklinearts@gmail.com
617-730-2135
https://www.brooklinearts.org
Address
Office of the Select Board
333 Washington Street
Brookline, MA 02445-6863
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Application Information
FY25 Allocation
$18,300
FY25 Local Priorities
Council Priorities
All projects that are consistent with our mission will be considered:
The Brookline Commission for the Arts supports and promotes a diverse range of artists, cultural organizations, and events in the Town of Brookline, Massachusetts for the benefit of all in the community. This includes soliciting proposals and distributing funds from the town and from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, in accordance with their terms, to foster access, inclusion, engagement, and collaboration between individuals, private groups, and public organizations in support of the arts and humanities.
Based on feedback from the community, grant funding will be prioritized based on the proposal review criteria listed below.
● Arts and humanities/cultural projects that contribute to the cultural life of Brookline with the venue and/or artist being located in Brookline. We aim to fund projects that represent a balanced mix of types of arts/cultural events.
● Programs that are available to the general public (not just one demographic), either free of charge or priced to be accessible to as wide an audience as possible.
● Applicants and programs that embrace the diversity of Brookline, especially those that represent the voices, experiences, and communities of historically marginalized groups in Brookline.
• Brookline-based non-profit arts and cultural organizations and local individuals who work in the arts or humanities.
● Important: Please read our complete guidelines which are available on our website: www.brooklinearts.org.
FY25 Local Guidelines
Please include the following in your plan of work:
Specific Aims: State your objectives clearly in list or summary form, with the project’s benefit to the Brookline community in mind.
Timeline and Confirmed Venue: Include an overview of key dates and venue: either the venue or the participating artist(s) must be Brookline based. Hybrid activities and events (combining both virtual and in-person participation) are permissible as long as they are associated with Brookline organizations. Priority will be given to applications where the event/program location and date has already been approved and a letter of confirmation is submitted from the venue.
Marketing Plan: Describe how you plan to market and communicate your event. Promotion of all activities and events (in person and hybrid) should target and attract Brookline audiences.
Project Description: Please be brief and clear.
Budget: Provide a realistic budget indicating costs associated with the project and noting that the BCA is not the sole source of funding; if either the venue or artist(s) is/are not in or from Brookline, or if collaborating with separate Brookline artists, clearly delineate the cost(s) associated with the Brookline-based portion of the project.
Grants typically average $500 to $1500, with a maximum grant of $2000 for any one organization/project.
Exclusions:
● School-supported/funded programs, requests for food/beverages, personal requests for scholarship, capital improvement funding, and requests for event/program support that would promote any political or religious cause, individual or group.
● Applications from for-profit organizations incorporated with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, including corporations, partnerships, and Limited Liability Companies (LCC), must show that a public benefit results from the project for which they seek funding.
Applicants must demonstrate that they have been engaged in the kind of activity for which they are seeking funds for at least two years. Evidence may be previous sale or exhibition of work, performances, reviews, etc.
Funding:
● Applicants may apply for funding for projects that will be completed during the calendar year following the application deadline.
● Any individual or organization may only be funded for a maximum of three consecutive years. Applications may be submitted again in the fifth year.
● There is no limit to the total number of grants provided to any individual or organization.
Supplemental materials or media: Please follow the on-line MCC application guidelines for links and PDF attachments.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY25 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bettagere Nagendra Prasad, Pranav Swaroop | Project SARANG - Colors of South Asian Music | $900 | Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Limited | Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) | $500 | Brookline Arts Center, Inc. | Community Workshops | $1,800 | Brookline Community Band | Brookline Community Band Concert Series | $1,400 | Brookline Music School | BMS Summer Music Program | $900 | Brookline Pollinator Pathway | Intersecting Art, science, and history at the intersection of Walnut and Kennard Streets | $750 | Brookline Symphony Orchestra, Inc. | Brookline Symphony Community Concerto Competition | $1,800 | Brooklinedotnews, Corporation | Brookline Stories Live | $1,700 | Chan, Fernadina | Not Eye, Us | $1,400 | Chen, Hudson | Inspiring Vitality: The Timeless Beauty of the Silk Road Art | $900 | Coolidge Corner Community Chorus, Inc. | "Illumination" - Spring 2025 Concert | $1,800 | Friends of Fairsted, Inc. | Art in the Park | $1,400 | Herman-Haase, Eileen | 3 Ballroom Line Dance Workshops with Dance Caliente | $1,100 | Juventas Music, Inc. | Juventas New Music Ensemble - Free Neighborhood Series Concert | $900 | McKendry, Joseph | Putterham Electrical Box | $900 | Non-Event, Inc. | Waterworks 2025: A Festival of Experimental Sound | $1,400 | Opera on Tap Boston | Flower and Opera: Opera, Flowers and a Food Drive | $1,800 | Polatin, David | "Women Singers of the British Invasion” | $500 | Rehearsal for Life, Inc. | Rehearsal for Life's Freelance Players | $600 | Studios Without Walls | 26th Annual Studios Without Walls Sculpture Exhibition | $1,800 | The Boston Cecilia, Inc. | Tipping Point - A celebration of the rich and varied traditions of Asian and Asian-American choral music | $1,800 | The Boston New Music Initiative, Inc. | Title: BNMI’s 15th Anniversary Guerilla Concerts | $150 | The Brookline Chorus, Inc. | Brahms in Brookline | $1,800 | Voices Boston, Inc. | The Hobbit | $1,800 | Zoll, Jonathan | The Payphone | $710 |
