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
Connect on Social
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Application Information
FY27 Allocation
$24,400
FY27 Local Priorities
The Northampton Arts Council prioritizes addressing systemic inequities that have disproportionately affected individuals who hold historically marginalized identities. Applications are scored using a 20-point rubric based on the following criteria:
* ARTISTIC MERIT (0–6 pts): Projects displaying exceptional artistic integrity, originality, clear creative vision, high technique/execution, and engagement.
* ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSION (0–4 pts): Projects designed to reduce barriers (venue accessibility, affordable/free admission, captioning, family/caregiver friendly) that center BIPOC perspectives and historically excluded voices.
* COMMUNITY IMPACT (0–4 pts): Projects addressing clear community needs, offering educational or professional development value, dismantling systemic racism/inequity, and connecting diverse populations across Northampton, Florence, and Leeds.
* PROJECT FEASIBILITY (0–3 pts): Achievable, well-planned proposals featuring confirmed venues/dates, confirmed collaborators, clear marketing strategies, crisis backup plans, and realistic budgets with multiple funding streams.
* EMERGENCE (0–3 pts): Priorities are given to new projects, first-time applicants, up-and-coming/emerging artists, or creative practices/perspectives underrepresented in Northampton.
FY27 Local Guidelines
APPLICATION TIMELINE & REQUIREMENTS:
* Project Start/End Dates: January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027.
* Grant awards historically range between $250 and $2,000. Grants rarely cover 100% of project costs; applicants must show multiple funding sources (applicant cash, other grants, or in-kind donations).
* Supplemental materials (resumes, work samples, letters of commitment, venue confirmations) are REQUIRED for all applications.
ELIGIBILITY & VENUE REQUIREMENTS:
* Projects must take place in Northampton, Florence, or Leeds, Massachusetts, and include a clear public component.
* Open to MA residents, non-profits, public/tribal entities, for-profits (with public benefit), and sole proprietors.
* For school-based projects: The school itself must apply, not the individual artist.
* Live-streamed/virtual events must include accessibility plans (e.g., captions or post-event transcripts).
WE DO NOT FUND:
* Projects completed prior to application.
* Continuation funding for previously awarded projects.
* More than one application per artist or cultural group per cycle.
* General operating support or replacement of municipal funding.
* Fundraising events that do not directly benefit the arts.
* Humanities and Science projects.
* Applicants with outstanding FY20–FY25 LCC final reports.
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 |
Review Complete LCC Program Guidelines