Northampton Arts Council, Inc.
The Northampton Arts Council serves over 25,000 diverse residents of Hampshire County annually—including artists, students, families, seniors, immigrants, low-income individuals, and underrepresented cultural groups—ensuring our programming reflects the whole community.
We are deeply rooted in our region, Northampton, as well as Holyoke, Springfield, Greenfield, and the rest of the Valley, and meet eligibility criteria across Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties through:
Local presence: administrative staff and board members live locally, and events are produced within our service region.
Community participation: decisions are guided by residents via surveys, listening sessions, and public forums, especially when designing public art initiatives like the Northampton Public Arts Festival.
Community members lead our work in multiple ways:
Resident-led board: 16 local artists, educators, nonprofit professionals, and community members oversee funding decisions, strategy, and programming priorities.
Grant review process: Our 11-person Local Cultural Council grant panel is peer-led, empowering community applicants to review and decide among local arts and culture projects. It consists of over 55% LGBTQ members and 18% BIPOC,
Direct input: For the 2025 Public Arts Festival, neighborhood feedback called for inclusive public art. As a result, we commissioned two permanent murals by artist Sabrina Dorsainvil that reflect themes of identity, equity, accessibility, and civic care—expressing community voices in a visible way. The new murals will be seen by over 1 million visitors annually.
We operate within a strategic focus of supporting a vibrant local arts and creativity ecosystem and increasing equity and opportunity for regionally underserved communities.
Contact
Brian Foote, Executive Director
[email protected]
413-587-1069
http://www.northamptonartscouncil.org/
Address
240 Main Street
#1
Northampton, MA 01060-3584
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Application Information
FY26 Allocation
$23,600
FY26 Local Priorities
Arts projects that include a public component, such as exhibits, festivals, short-term artist residencies, performances, workshops, readings, virtual presentations, and lectures held in Northampton, Florence, or Leeds; this includes programming held in schools.
Artists residing in Massachusetts, whose projects will be held in Northampton, Florence, or Leeds. For individuals, “reside” does not mean they have to be a “legal resident” of Massachusetts as defined by the State for tax purposes. They need to reside in Massachusetts.
Nonprofit cultural and educational institutions offer programs and events that bring the arts and culture to a Northampton area audience.
Work demonstrating the highest artistic merit.
Projects that are financially feasible and have multiple sources of funding.
If you are live-streaming a public event, captions should be provided. In place of captions, you might consider having a message that says, “This event will be recorded and then embedded on our YouTube channel, where captions and a transcript will be available.” Before putting on a virtual program, you could ask people to register, and in the registration submission, ask people to communicate any accessibility needs with a deadline by which they need to let you know. It is easier to book a captioner and cancel (with at least 48 h notice) than to get one in 48 hours.
Also note: Schools, not artists, should apply for projects that take place in schools.
For-profit entities that propose projects that provide public benefit.
“Public entities” include Tribal, Federal, State, and Municipal government entities.
Sole proprietors are considered individuals and are eligible.
FY26 Local Guidelines
The Council does NOT fund:
Projects or events completed before applying.
Fundraising or profit-making events that do not benefit the arts.
Continuation funding for projects already awarded a grant from the Northampton Arts Council.
More than one application by the same artist or cultural group.
General operating support.
Money to replace municipal funding for the arts.
Humanities and Science Applications.
Applicants who still need to submit their final report for FY25 or FY24 or FY23 or FY22 or FY21 or FY20 LCC Grants they received.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY26 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ayres, Wylder | Project Transmutation | $1,655 | Bombyx Brass Collective | Bombyx Brass Collective Masterclasses and Performance | $930 | Bridge Street School | Super Stories Fifth Grade Mural | $1,255 | Carlino, Kim A. | Fun Sized: A Tiny Public Art Festival | $1,505 | Center for Human Development, Incorporated | All In Drum Circle | $1,805 | Da Camera Singers | Hear Our Voices; We've Always Been Here! | $600 | Ferry, Chris | Emerging Filmmakers of Western Massachusetts | $1,500 | Flo Fest | Flo Fest | $1,630 | Florence Poetry Carnival | Poetry and Pie | $840 | Ghost Ensemble, Inc. | Deep Listening in Community: Public Performance | $905 | Goffe, Deborah A. | Liturgy|Order|Bridge: Practice Sessions | $305 | Green Street Brew A Capella Group | Local Vocal Chord Bowl #15 | $785 | Grow Food Northampton, Inc. | Grow Food Northampton Farmers Market Music | $1,815 | Herskovitz, Rebecca | Silent Disco Studio Hour | $1,215 | Manselle, Jafar | West African Drumming Workshop - Come Out to Play | $200 | Means, Pamela | Pamela Means presents Black, Brown, and Beige: Our Shared History and Present Day | $730 | Northampton Center for the Arts, Inc. | 2026 Youth Performance Festival | $1,260 | Pandina, Melissa | Steamroller Festival | $1,860 | Play Incubation Collective, Inc | 2026 PIC PIPS and Development Workshops | $905 | Ripp, Alexandra | Imaginary Friends | $1,290 | ServiceNet, Inc. | Whole Children/Milestones theater production | $610 |