Medford Arts Council
Established in 1980, the Medford Arts Council works to bring high-quality cultural programming to the community, increase public access to Medford’s many cultural assets, and promote favorable conditions for our creative economy.
On an annual cycle we offer grants to artists, writers, performers, instructors, and cultural organizations seeking to engage the Medford public. We also help sponsor new public arts and humanities initiatives in Medford.
The funds we distribute are an annual allocation from the Massachusetts Cultural Council through their Local Cultural Council program. The Council also receives funding from the City of Medford.
The Council funds public events like the Arts Across Medford festival, Circle the Square, and West Medford Open Studios, as well as dozens of concerts, classes, field trips, performances, and other activities in disciplines including dance, theater, music, science, history, literature, craft and design, and the visual arts.
Contact
[email protected]
781-393-2454
www.medfordartscouncil.org/
Address
85 George P. Hassett Drive
Medford, MA 02155-3299
Connect on Social Instagram
Application Information
FY26 Allocation
$36,200
FY26 Local Priorities
In accordance with our requirement as a Local Cultural Council receiving more than $20,000 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, we have identified local priorities to guide our decision-making process for awarding grants.
Medford’s local priorities were developed using community input (through a public survey online and in-person) and strategic discussions at our recent public meetings. We will still accept, review, and approve a wide range of proposals including those that may be unrelated to our local priorities. However, we will use the local priorities to encourage, identify, and fund preferred proposals that are particularly suited to Medford’s needs at this time. Proposals are not expected to meet every priority listed, applicants should be clear and intentional about how their projects or programs align.
1. Clarity & Feasibility: Proposals that are feasible within the proposed time period, have a sound financial plan and have thoughtful marketing/outreach plans.
2. Community Impact: Proposals with an intentionally broad reach based on the number of people served.
3. Significance for Audience: Proposals that may have a smaller intended audience, but can demonstrate a depth of impact on that target audience.
4. Cultural Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Proposals that elevate the voices and experiences of historically marginalized groups to highlight the current and historical diversity of Medford as well as proposals that are age-inclusive or multi-generational.
5. Activating Public Spaces: Proposals that include temporary or permanent art — performing or visual, 2D or 3D, outdoor or indoor, physical or virtual — to be exhibited in public, open spaces in Medford, such as a park, municipal building, or neighborhood square.
6. Economic Impact For Medford Businesses: Proposals that draw visitors, boosting local businesses.
7. Proposals involving partnerships or collaborations among individuals, organizations, or businesses. We are especially interested in deeply collaborative processes that fully involve the talents, skills, and resources of multiple contributors and include different perspectives within the community.
8. Standard of Excellence: Proposals that demonstrate quality in the written application and supporting materials.
9. New Grantees: Proposals from first-time applicants encouraged!
10. 2025-2026 Community Highlighted Priority – Arts Continuing Education & Creative Skill Building: Based on community feedback, we are especially welcoming proposals that provide hands-on community art classes and artistic skill building.
FY26 Local Guidelines
The following are proposal conditions that are required and/or recommended for funding consideration:
Medford-Serving: Proposals must demonstrate value to the Medford community. Non-residents may apply if serving the Medford public with events in Medford.
Funding Amounts and Use: Grants awards typically vary from $250 – $5,000. Larger requests are occasionally considered, however, any request over $2,500 should show strong prospects for additional funding sources. Grant funds cannot directly support fundraising activities.
Proof of Local Planning: You must show that you have made specific plans to hold your event or activity in Medford and/or are seeking necessary approvals. This means including a specific letter of support from the organization that controls the local venue or demonstrating that you are taking necessary steps to receive a permit. For example, if you plan to hold your event at the Medford Public Library, you must include a letter of support from the Medford Public Library saying that they want to host your event. We do not fund applications which show no sign of specific local planning. Please upload your letters using the online application system.
Complete Applications Only: Only fully complete applications, including budget and necessary supplemental materials, will be considered.
Nondiscrimination: Per Council and State requirements, proposals must not bias race, gender, creed, color, origin, disability, sexual orientation, or age.
Accessibility: Per Council and State requirements, all funded proposals must be accessible to persons with disabilities—both in location and content.
Applicants are encouraged to visit www.medfordartscouncil.org for more information and council updates.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY26 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Anand, Divya | Artepreuners Integenerational Program | $1,200 | Arts Collaborative Medford Inc. | Medford Porchfest | $3,500 | Arts Collaborative Medford Inc. | Spring Poetry Festival during National Poetry Month | $3,000 | Arts Collaborative Medford Inc. | Mystic Art Crawl | $5,000 | Bates III, Davis R. | Celebrating the Season: A Halloween Harvest | $350 | Bodies Moving | Let's Move! Summer Dance Series | $2,000 | Brereton, Laura | Brooks Elementary School 3rd Grade Songwriting Project | $1,500 | CACHE in Medford, Inc. | Mystic River Celebration | $5,000 | Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library | Medford Moments: Capturing the legacies of our senior population | $1,000 | Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library | Family Craft Nights | $877 | Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library | Maker Fair | $2,500 | Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library | It's Rocket Science Week | $2,000 | Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library | Back Bay Ringers | $600 | Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library | Fairy Tale Ball | $1,500 | Consentino-Vilorio, Kerry | Pebble Art & Sea glass design workshop | $400 | Dickson, Glenn | 19th Century New England Music for Brooks Estate | $1,300 | Dussault, Ava | Breathe & Read: Storytime, Yoga, and Art for Children | $900 | Fasciano, Ella | Sonder Scribbles — A Community Project Celebrating People’s Power | $503 | Fox, Daniel | Music for Medford Seniors | $800 | Harding, Ashley | Imagination Engine Teen Art Group | $500 | Herman-Haase, Eileen | Social Partner and Line Dance Workshops with Dance Caliente | $1,200 | J Enterprising Productions LLC | Dances in Progress | $2,500 | Juventas Music, Inc. | Medford Public Library Concert and Community Sing | $2,500 | KevTech Services, Inc. | Digital Art and Photography Classes | $500 | Klein, Ellery | Traditional Music Series at Arts Collaborative Medford | $600 | Looking Back at Medford History Inc. | Sixth Annual Sarah Bradlee Fulton Day | $1,875 | MacInnes, Rebecca | Soloveychicks Concert of Yiddish Song | $750 | Medford Community Chorale, Inc. | “You Are My Inspiration” | $1,000 | Medford Council on Aging | Harmony & Hope: Singing to Uplift the Spirit | $1,000 | Medford Farmers Market, Inc. | Music at the Medford Farmers Market | $3,600 | Medford Jazz Festival Inc. | Medford Jazz Festival | $2,000 | Medford Public Schools | Mat Heagerty School visit -Creative Collaboration in Comics | $3,700 | Medford Recreation Department | Condon Shell Summer Concert Series | $3,000 | Missituk Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, Inc. | Brazilian Beats School-wide Assemblies: A sampler of Brazilian drumming and dancing from Bahia, Brazil | $2,225 | Mystic River Watershed Association, Inc. | Art Flows to the River | $2,500 | Nocera, Josef | The GemsTones 50s Dance Party | $2,500 | Pham, Windy | Voices of Heritage: AAPI Art & Education Workshop | $750 | Pustizzi, Katie | Liquid Spine Eco-Dance Performance | $1,000 | Roberts Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, Inc. | Roberts Arts Night | $1,500 | Tedesco, Daniella | The Screenless Project: Creating together across languages | $320 | The Delvena Theatre Company, Inc. | Bon Voyage Forever | $795 | The Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition (GMAACC) Inc | Imagine Medford Books: Community Care | $2,000 | The Queer Neighborhood Council, Inc. | Sew Gay Club | $1,800 | Todhunter, Stephanie | Unreliable Witness | $600 | Torgerson, Mark | Musi, Kadanz Jazz | $1,300 | Trisano, Marcelo | FM Collective: Pop-Up Latin Hip-Hop & Jazz in the Square | $2,370 | True Story, Inc. | Stories of families & support: across culture, race, and economic differences | $1,500 | West Medford Community Center, Inc. | Fresh Fridays Words and Music | $1,250 | White, Nerida | Maternal Journal | $1,250 | Willis, Christine | Accessible Art: Community Workshops Initiative | $2,000 |