Montague Cultural Council
The Montague Cultural Council aims to increase the cultural vitality of our town by supporting activities that enrich the lives of residents of its five villages: Turners Falls, Millers Falls, Montague Center, Montague City, and Lake Pleasant.
Our Council is participating in the new system which no longer requires the reimbursement process. Instead, grant money is available in full once projects are approved and proper paperwork is submitted by grantees. If you are awarded a grant, you will be required to submit a final report to the Local Cultural Council upon completion of your program. Please read the LCC Program Guidelines and our Council Priorities before you apply.
Contact
Kathy Lynch
culturalcouncil@montague-ma.gov
413-863-3200
Address
Town Hall
1 Avenue A
Montague, MA 01376-1168
Connect on Social
Facebook
Application Information
FY25 Allocation
$8,600
FY25 Local Priorities
Montague Cultural Council Priorities 2025
The Montague Cultural Council wishes to encourage proposals from a broad range of applicants and to fund programs that allow Montague residents in all five villages to experience a diverse array of cultural events.
We weigh many factors when making decisions about which proposals to fund. This year we will look most favorably on:
Projects which focus on Cultural Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Projects that elevate the voices and experiences of historically-marginalized groups to highlight the current and historical diversity of Montague. Projects should create opportunities for artists and community members who identify as Black, Indigenous, POC, LGBTQX, Latinx, refugee, immigrant, or person living with a disability.
Projects based on Montague hIstory or science projects
Montague based creative projects
Projects which demonstrate community support and planning will be prioritized.
In your application, you should:
Tell us how your program will have significant public benefit for Montague residents.
Describe specific efforts you will make to ensure that your program is accessible and inclusive.
Explain how the work will be shared with the general public.
Tell us how your program will increase opportunities for underserved audiences
In your application, you must::
Demonstrate that you have thoroughly considered the logistics of implementing your project.
Provide as much specific information as possible about venue, costs, collaborators, and scheduling.
Please Include letters of support from venues and collaborators if you can. The online application system will allow you to upload supplemental materials. If you are unable to upload, you can email or mail documents to the address below.
(Email is preferred whenever possible.)
Email: culturalcouncil@montague-ma.gov
Montague Cultural Council
Montague Town Hall
1 Avenue A
Turners Falls, MA 01376-1128
FY25 Local Guidelines
Montague Cultural Council Guidelines 2025
Applicants can be: arts, humanities, or interpretive science organizations; individuals, including artists, science educators, historians or other humanists, parents, or community members; or community organizations including, but not limited to, schools, social service organizations, civic groups, neighborhood centers, or youth, senior and family associations.
Please read the section on eligibility in the Mass Cultural Council LCC Program Guidelines PDF at https://massculturalcouncil.org/communities/local-cultural-council-program/lcc-toolkit/guidelines-forms/
Evaluation of applications:
Grant applications are evaluated based on several review criteria: artistic or creative merit; project design; qualifications and track record of the individuals and organizations involved; physical accessibility of any facilities being used; and Montague community benefit and involvement. Montague-based applicants and programs are given preference over those based in other towns.
Projects may include the participation of outside professionals. The Council seeks to support new, innovative projects rather than recurring requests. The Council has determined that its allocation of funds is most effective when larger percentages of its limited resources are provided to fewer projects that represent the potential capacity to reach a broad cross-section of the Montague community.
Proposals from schools and libraries cannot include requests for support of expenses that should be or have been part of the municipal budget (i.e. teacher salaries, classroom supplies, school-sponsored clubs and organizations, library books/videos).
Timeline for applications
New grant cycle begins September 1, 2024
Application deadline: October 16, 2024
Notification of disapproved applications: November – December, 2024
Final notification of approved applications: on or before January 16, 2025
Grantees must claim award or request an extension by Dec 31, 2025
Final reports due: by January 16, 2026
Application process
All applications must be submitted through the LCC grants page on the Massachusetts Cultural
Council website: https://massculturalcouncil.smartsimple.com/
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY25 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Antenna Cloud Farm, Inc. | Antenna Cloud Farm Music Festival, Artist Retreat, and Institute 2025 | $1,000 | Bettagere Nagendra Prasad, Pranav Swaroop | Project SARANG - Colors of South Asian Music | $500 | DeWalt, Dan | River Connections, music and musicians along the Connecticut River Watershed | $500 | Ferguson, Carrie | Carrie Ferguson & The Grumpytime Club Band | $300 | Franklin County Pride, Inc. | Franklin County Pride Parade and Festival 2025 | $400 | Good Music Makes Good Neighbors | Good Music Makes Good Neighbors | $1,000 | Kachulis, Nick | Life with Bill | $400 | MUSIC Dance.edu | Hip Hop Chair Dance for Seniors! | $280 | Millers Falls Community Improvement Association | Millers Falls Block Party | $1,000 | Montague Community Band | Summer Concert Series plus Holiday Concert | $400 | Musica Franklin, Inc. | Community Concert Series | $500 | Musica Franklin, Inc. | Fun Fest | $750 | Peters, Kamil | Traces Of Jazz And It's Immortal Past | $1,500 | Pioneer Valley Symphony, Inc. | “Peer Gynt” - 2025 Education Concert | $200 | Piti Theatre Company | Inclusion Improv | $1,000 | RPM Fest | RPM Fest | $1,000 | Shea Theater Arts Center, Inc. | Montague Shakespeare Festival Presents: Macbeth | $1,000 | Silverthorne Theater Company, Inc. | The Scariest Thing to See in the Woods: A Theater Thursday Reading | $800 | Sobel, Anna R. | Magical Family Days at the Castle: Real Magic | $500 | Stepanek, Julie | Musical Story Time | $200 | Stevig, Tev | The Art of Makam: a six class immersion in Turkish makam music (TAOM) | $400 | The Brick House Community Resource Center, Inc. | Liberation Playback Theatre 2025 Season | $800 | The Nolumbeka Project, Inc. | A Celebration of Native American Art, Music, and Cultures | $500 | The Nolumbeka Project, Inc. | Full Snow Moon Gathering and Social Dance | $250 | Thomas, Cynthia | Danse Cafe - French and Breton Traditional Folk Dance | $250 | Tincknell, Roger L. | Children's Songs and Singing Games Family Concert | $316 | Weathervane Community Arts | Montague World Music Mini-fest | $1,000 | WholeTone Music Academy Teaching Collective | Instrument Petting Zoo and Mutant Adoption Agency | $500 |
