Holyoke Local Cultural Council
The Holyoke Local Cultural Council (HLCC) consists of community members appointed by the Mayor based on their credentials, interest in the arts, and commitment to arts programming in the city of Holyoke. The HLCC encourages individuals and organizations to apply for financial support through its annual grant program which is part of a statewide grant program administered by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC).
HLCC Members 2024-25
Tim Damon, Secretary
Christopher Dunay
Mark Dunlap
Navae Fenwick Rodriguez
Chris Fournier,
Gloria Caballero-Roca
Anne Thalheimer, Chair
Contact
holyokeculture@gmail.com
000-000-0000
Address
City Hall, Office of the Mayor
536 Dwight Street
Holyoke, MA 01040-5086
Connect on Social
Facebook
Application Information
FY26 Allocation
TBD
FY26 Local Priorities
HLCC Funding Priorities
The Holyoke Local Cultural Council (HLCC) typically receives requests totaling more than twice the amount of money available for us to grant. The goal of the HLCC is to provide some funding to as many qualified projects as we can. Local council support is not intended to be used as the sole source of funding for projects of a continuing nature. Most continuing projects receive only partial funding and for no more than three consecutive years. The HLCC supports projects that demonstrate a clear public benefit. Emphasis is placed on supporting local artists presenting work in Holyoke and public benefit to Holyoke. Funding is made available to the widest range of community cultural needs possible.
As determined by the most recent community surveys, the following are funding priorities for the 2024-25 grant cycle:
Professional development of local artists through community projects
Field trips for students to museums or performances
Public events like concerts or festivals
Projects celebrating diversity
Council Guidelines
HLCC Local Guidelines
Funded projects must be completed during the calendar year (January – December) following the October application deadline.
Field trips must be to destinations within the state.
The HLCC will consider projects designed for virtual, hybrid, or in-person presentation.
If you are hoping to work with a particular venue, indoor or outdoor, for a live presentation, a letter of support from the venue will strengthen your application. We encourage applicants to prepare and provide details for a virtual alternative in the event that in-person presentation is not possible.
If you need assistance with your application, please contact the Mayor’s Office at 413 -322-5510.
FY26 Local Guidelines
Information not provided
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Reimbursement Grants
FY25 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sensory Research through Art and Science at the YMCA | $2,000 | Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary | Birds of Holyoke | $400 | Arts Integration Studio LLC | Truth Tellers Theater Ensemble Year 2 | $750 | Battat, Daniel A. | Continuing Glass with Holyoke High Schoolers | $1,250 | Blues to Green, Inc. | Legacy Education Project – 2024 Lighthouse Harlem Renaissance & Hip-Hop Residency | $2,200 | Bombyx Brass Collective | Bombyx Brass Collective Masterclasses and Performance | $2,600 | Caballero, Gloria | Afro-Caribbean History through the Arts | $5,000 | Cepeda, Brendaliz | Project Proposal: "Bomba Beats: Integrating Puerto Rican Folklore Music into Our School Curriculum" | $2,500 | Comeau, Robert | Holyoke in the American Revolution | $250 | Comeau, Robert | Precious Blood Church Fire of 1875 | $225 | Flywheel Community Arts, Inc. | Flywheel Zine Workshops | $1,500 | Ghiz, Alexandra | Reflections of Hildegard: Musical Thoughts of the Middle Ages | $750 | Gordon, Damany | Dub N Grub | $1,850 | Holyoke Art | 2025 Great Holyoke Brick Race & Car Show | $750 | Holyoke Art | 2025 Holyoke Pride Talent | $5,000 | Holyoke Art | High Street Storefront Art | $3,000 | Holyoke Art | Art at Home with the Holyoke Senior Center 2025 | $2,250 | Holyoke Art | Artery Exchange | $1,250 | Holyoke Art | La Plaza programming | $1,250 | Holyoke League of Arts and Crafts | Weekly Artmaking and Annual Public Showcase | $2,500 | Holyoke Public Library Corporation | Historic Film Footage of Holyoke Revealed | $575 | Holyoke Public Library Corporation | Genealogy | $350 | Holyoke Public Schools | Youth Archivists for Social Change | $2,250 | Holyoke Public Schools | Holyoke Ethnic Studies Block Party | $1,500 | Holyoke Rows Inc | River Mosaic | $2,500 | Keezing, Jonathan A. | TIMELESS TALES! Puppet Show | $600 | LOCULUS Collective | LOCULUS Presents The Fourth Annual SIDEWAYS DOOR: a festival of ecstasies & escape routes | $1,250 | Massachusetts Academy of Ballet Educational Training Association | Cabaret with Broadway Brings Joy and Massachusetts Academy of Ballet Educational Training Association | $750 | Mazzola, Joseph | Learn to Sew Classes at Paper City Fabrics | $1,850 | Montgomery, Jason | Holyoke Community Ofrenda | $750 | Ms. Massachusetts Senior America Pageant Club | Ms. Senior Massachusetts Musical Review | $200 | Neill, David | Christmas and Holiday Sing along with the Fanfare Brass Emsemblecy | $700 | Nuestras Raices, Inc. | Festival Cultural de la Cosecha | $3,000 | Pioneer Valley Roller Derby, Inc. | Skating with Pride | $750 | Print Shop, Inc. | Art @ Home: Travel Kits | $634 | Print Shop, Inc. | Art at Home: Snow Day Edition | $650 | Print Shop, Inc. | School Vacation at the ARTery 2025 | $900 | Print Shop, Inc. | Hourly Comics Day & 24 Hour Comics Day Events At The Print Shop | $800 | Resilient Community Arts | Plein Air Painting & "Views of the Valley" Exhibition at Holyoke Heritage State Park | $1,000 | Ritornello Music | The Mead Tones: Buzzing Baroque! (working title) | $850 | Rodriguez, Julissa | Creative Youth Arts Lab | $2,000 | Rodriguez, Julissa | We Are Each Other's Magnitude | $1,000 | Sobel, Anna R. | Whale Tales Puppet Show at the Holyoke Public Library | $425 | Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Inc. | SSO Musical Petting Zoo | $750 | Tamarack Hollow Nature and Cultural Center, Inc. | Gaia Roots and the Valley Rhythm Keepers at Holyoke Media | $1,250 | The Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts, Inc. | Puerto Abierto/Brasil | $1,250 | The Wistariahurst Foundation, Inc. | Historical Lecture Series | $750 | The Wistariahurst Foundation, Inc. | Gallery Exhibits in Great Hall | $1,500 | The Wistariahurst Foundation, Inc. | Prison Reimagined Gallery Exhibit | $1,200 | Valley Arts Mentors | Mentorship Program & Webinar Series | $450 | Vega Yoga & Movement Arts, Inc. | 5 Public Performances: Fall Spooky Showing, Holyoke Historic Nutcracker, Holyoke Winter Cabaret, Spring Semester Showing, Summer Camp Showing | $3,000 | West, Amy | Shadow, Sound, Spectacle: Literary Monsters | $900 | Young at Heart Chorus, Inc. | Y@H x Holyoke: Remix | $2,000 | de la Guardia, Aliana | Commission of a New Work by Maria Sappho | $2,500 |
