Lawrence Cultural Council
The Lawrence Cultural Council is a volunteer group of Lawrencians appointed by the Mayor to disperse funds awarded to the city from Mass Cultural Council. Funds are awarded through a grant process. Grants may be submitted from individuals, schools, artists, and cultural groups. Activities receiving support from the council must take place in the city and serve all facets of the population, from children to the elderly.
Lawrence Cultural Council Mission Statement:
Our mission is to support programs in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences that contribute to the enhancement of the quality of life in Lawrence.
Contact
Patricia Mariano, Chair
lawrencemaculturalcouncil@gmail.com
978-620-3950
Address
PO Box 326
Lawrence, MA 01840-0023
Application Information
FY26 Allocation
TBD
FY26 Local Priorities
Lawrence Cultural Council (LCC) grants are open to individual artists, art organizations, community organizations, schools, and municipal agencies. All projects funded by the Lawrence Cultural Council must primarily serve and benefit the Lawrence community through exhibits, performances, readings, cultural events and/or field trips. Celebrating the diversity of our “Immigrant City”, we encourage projects which highlight our rich culture, equity, diversity and inclusion. The Lawrence Cultural Council prefers to fund local artists who live in the city.
FY26 Local Guidelines
The Lawrence Cultural Grant process is governed by requirements and regulations established by the Mass Cultural Council; failure to comply with the Lawrence Cultural guidelines may jeopardize a grant application. Additional information about grant programs may be found at: https://massculturalcouncil.org/.
New this year is assistance in translation services. We urge applicants in need of such help to access MCC at this address:
On September 18, @ 6:00PM, the Local Cultural Council will also hold an Informational Session concerning the grant process on Zoom. The link is listed below.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89784551560?pwd=hGeATMHYzfgrMBiRVQdeiW7cnrUZ9p.1
Meeting ID: 897 8455 1560
Passcode: 775257
All grants for FY 2025 must be submitted online. Application deadline for this funding cycle is October 16, 2024. Please add a letter of support verifying that a venue is secured to the supplemental materials. Field Trip requests are submitted on the same online application. The Lawrence Cultural Council does not fund transportation and/or food or beverage expenses.
Grants are awarded for projects taking place for the period January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.
Grants are evaluated based on the following criteria: quality of project, community benefit, budget, and funding.
Quality of the project
Is the project well thought out with evidence of planning? Are the specific dates and venues identified? Do the qualifications of the artist, humanist or interpretive scientist leading the activity suggest that the project will be of high quality? Does the proposal adhere to local priorities?
Community Benefit
Is there evidence that the proposal will benefit the citizens of Lawrence? What is the impact this proposal will have on the city of Lawrence and its citizens? Does the project contribute to the cultural vitality and well-being of the city as a whole? Is there community support for the project?
Budget and Funding Support
A budget limit has been set for $5000. Please adhere to the following guidelines when establishing your budget documentation.
Does the budget balance? Does the budget follow LCC guidelines? Is the budget realistic and clear? Are there other sources of funding or is Lawrence Cultural Council the sole source of funding? Is the project budget specific?
Reimbursement –
As part of our new Direct Grant Payment Option, you will receive your funding as a direct grant that will not require you to expend your own funds and request reimbursement. To accept your grant and receive payment, you must complete and return a Grant Agreement and W-9, which will be enclosed in the award letter within two weeks. In addition, you will be required to fill out a final report on your project once your program is complete.
Recognition requirements –
Acknowledgement is required in all published materials and announcements regarding activities supported by the Lawrence Cultural Council through funds. The sponsored individual or group must acknowledge this support with a written and/or verbal credit statement and by using the MCC logo. This credit is required by the MCC and failure to do so may jeopardize funding.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY25 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Act Org, Inc. | Prevention Play at Lawrence BGC | $2,050 | Alexander B. Bruce School | Who Will Tell Our Stories | $2,500 | Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 8 | Irish Heritage Month 2025 | $4,550 | Ancient Order of Hibernians Ladies Division 8 | Irish Christmas Festival | $1,775 | Arlington Middle School | Shrek the Musical Jr | $4,400 | Asociacion Carnavalesca de Massachusetts, Inc. | Vida Carnaval | $1,900 | Asociación de Peruanos Unidos, Inc. | Peru, pais rico en diversidad cultural. | $2,000 | Ateneo Dominicano de Nueva Inglaterra | Bohemian Sunset 2025 | $3,500 | Bellesini Academy | Field Trip to Tsongas Industrial History Center | $450 | Bellesini Academy | 7th & 8th Grade Field Trip to Tsongas Industrial History Center | $505 | Bettagere Nagendra Prasad, Pranav Swaroop | Project SARANG - Colors of South Asian Music | $750 | Bread & Roses Heritage Committee, Inc. | 41st Bread and Roses Heritage Festival | $4,550 | Cambiando El Mundo de Necesidades Especiales | Art and Inclusion | $2,500 | Chinese Cultural Exchange of the Andovers, Inc. | Chinese New Year Festival | $800 | Clear Path for Veterans New England, Inc. | Salute to Creativity: Arts from the Heart for Our Heroes | $800 | Colectiva Wellness & Healing | Areito: Healing through Taino Songs | $2,000 | Collazo, Felipe | Presente! Festival | $2,000 | Colombian Cultural Committee of the Merrimack Valley | Colombia is Passion - Tribute to Cumbia Colombiana | $2,000 | Communities Together, Inc. | Manos Felices STEM | $1,500 | Discovery Museum, Inc. | Open Door Connections | $400 | Edward F. Parthum Middle School | Aladdin Jr. | $4,325 | El Instituto Cultural de Puerto Rico, Inc. | Bomba & Plena Festival 2025 | $4,550 | Elevated Thought, Inc. | Youth Showcase | $3,000 | Essex Art Center, Inc. | Fiesta en la Calle 2025 | $4,550 | Ethnic Arts Center of Somerville, Inc. | Pop-Up Talking Puppets of My Family - Ethnic Heritage of Lawrence Legacy Project | $2,000 | Exposed Brick Literary Magazine, Inc. | Exposed Brick Literary Magazine Issue 6 Launch | $3,100 | Friends of Lawrence Heritage State Park, Inc. | Historical Trolley Tours of Lawrence | $1,775 | Grainy Daze Studios | Encounter the Real | $2,000 | Greater Lawrence Fellowship of the Arts, Inc. | Juneteenth Arts & Awareness Festival | $2,500 | Groundwork Lawrence, Inc. | Kite Festival 2025 | $2,775 | International Book Fair, Inc. | XIX International Book Fair 2025 | $3,050 | Jackson, Peter | Community Magic Show | $300 | Kevin C. Kynock Foundation for the Arts | Arts Immersion Trips to see Ja Ja Hair Braiding at SpeakEasy Stage and Don't Eat the Mangos at the Huntington Theater | $1,000 | Lawrence Boys and Girls Club, Inc. | Dance Academy | $2,550 | Lawrence Boys and Girls Club, Inc. | Digital Arts | $2,550 | Lawrence High School | Miss Saigon Music Direction | $4,550 | Lawrence High School | Stagecraft | $4,550 | Lawrence Ladies Lodge 2026 | Celebrating Italian Heritage through Music | $800 | Lawrence Public Schools | Raíces Creativas: Building Brands with Culture | $3,000 | MUSIC Dance.edu | Hip Hop Chair Dance for Seniors! - a dance series | $900 | MUSIC Dance.edu | I am Autistic I am Fantastic - The Musical | $680 | McGary, Diane | Resident Therapeutic Musician | $3,525 | Merrimack Valley Immigrants and Education Center, Inc. | Chinese/Vietnamese New Year & Asian Heritage Celebration Cultural Dances | $2,825 | Merrimack Valley Community Music School, Inc. | Music for Lawrence Farmers Market | $3,000 | Merrimack Valley Community Music School, Inc. | Music Therapy for Elderly | $2,200 | O'Shea/Chaplin School of Irish Step Dancing | Afternoon of Irish Dance and Music | $775 | Olde Essex Stage Company | 5th Annual Shakespeare in the Park | $4,000 | OnStage, Inc. | Petrushka & the Caterpillar | $775 | Rivera, Marianela | The Anthology Project | $750 | Robert Frost Foundation | Robert Frost Poetry & Music Festival: Connecting Lawrence Then and Now | $1,275 | Robert Frost Middle School | Seacoast Science Center Field Trip | $1,725 | Si, Se Puede, Inc. | Fairytale Storytelling Theatre | $3,035 | Sullivan, Duane | Swinging Standards | $750 | The Merrimack Valley Young Men's Christian Association, Inc. | Creative Art Space | $4,000 | The Musary, JRP Inc. | Musary Musical Instrument Lending Acquisitions | $750 | Three Saints, Inc. | 101st Feast of the Three Saints | $4,535 | Waterman, Jon | Live Music Making History Live | $400 | Williams Scott, Nerissa | MassQing Our Soul | $4,000 | Wise, Dennis | The Theft of Dignity: Lawrence Free Public Presentation | $680 | Xotyeni, Amy | Irise Dance Project Youth Company | $3,000 | Xotyeni, Mcebisi D. | African Dance Workshop | $1,500 | guerrero, mary | Writing in Lawrence | $2,775 |
