Pittsfield Cultural Council
With funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Pittsfield Cultural Council (PCC) provides grants to help underwrite projects, programs, and events in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences. We are committed to supporting the work of local artists, cultural institutions, and schools, as well as the work of community members who identify as Black, Indigenous, POC, LGBTQX, refugees, immigrants, or people living with disabilities. Our ultimate goal is sustaining and enriching the diverse creative community of the city of Pittsfield, with a focus on making cultural activities accessible and engaging to all.
Contact
Marilyn Gerhard
[email protected]
413-442-6120
Address
PO Box 1192
Pittsfield, MA 01201-6250
Application Information
FY27 Allocation
$52,000
FY27 Local Priorities
The Pittsfield Cultural Council gathers input yearly from the community and develops funding priorities based on the feedback received. In the 2027 cycle, the Pittsfield Cultural Council will give priority to:
1) Projects planned by Pittsfield artists or organizations.
2) Projects with a direct benefit to Pittsfield residents.
3) Projects that are available for free or at minimal cost to Pittsfield community members.
4) Projects that promote community engagement and cohesion.
5) Projects that reach diverse audiences, especially audiences that do not usually benefit from cultural or artistic offerings.
6) Emerging or independent Pittsfield projects that have a goal of promoting new growth in the arts, sciences, or humanities.
7) Projects for which a thorough and complete budget has been presented with the inclusion of all other funding sources.
8) Projects that are presented with a venue and date confirmed with a letter of support from the site manager.
FY27 Local Guidelines
1) A resume (for an individual) and/or statement (for an organization), detailing the applicant’s qualifications must be included with the application.
2) The project location (performance venue/gallery space, etc.) and the date of the event must be secured in advance of the application. In addition, a letter of support from the site manager or sponsor must be included in the application.
3) Any change to the project after approval of the original grant application must be submitted in writing (email is acceptable) and approved by the Pittsfield Cultural Council in advance of those changes.
4) The Pittsfield Cultural Council and Massachusetts Cultural Council logos must be displayed prominently in all promotional materials such as posters, advertisements, and program booklets. Grantees who fail to do so may be ineligible to receive subsequent funding. You may google “Pittsfield Cultural Council logo” to find the image. The MCC logo is also readily available on-line.
5) Grantees are generally required to send the final reports within two weeks of finishing their projects: failure to do so may result in the grantee becoming ineligible for subsequent funding. The importance of the final report is that it informs the council members that the project has been completed.
6) Applicants will not be funded for more than three consecutive years, after which the applicant must wait one year before re-applying for a grant.
7) Only one application will be considered from any individual or organization within each grant cycle.
8) The PCC does not fund fund-raising projects, grant scholarship requests, or general operational costs.
9) All venues must be handicapped accessible. Consideration should be made in presenting programs close to bus stops, for example, for those community members who do not have personal transportation.
10) Funding for each grant is at the discretion of a quorum of council members. Applicants should understand that the council members will make every effort to provide funding to every worthy application, but not necessarily at the full amount requested by the applicant.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Direct Grants
FY26 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Arts in Recovery for Youth | Arts in Recovery for Youth (AIRY) | $1,000 | Berkshire Art Association, Inc. | BAA Biennial Show 2026 | $1,000 | Berkshire Children's Chorus, Inc. | Joyful Voices of Berkshire Children; North, South and Central County | $1,000 | Berkshire Concert Choir, Inc. | Berkshire Concert Choir 2025-6 Concert Season | $1,250 | Berkshire County Arc | Music Therapy | $1,000 | Berkshire Garden Center, Inc. | Farm & Garden Afterschool Program at Herberg Middle School | $400 | Berkshire Lyric Theatre,Inc. | Educational Programs and Concerts | $1,000 | Berkshire Music School, Inc. | Pay-What-You-Can Community Group Classes | $2,500 | Berkshires Jazz, Inc. | Berkshires Jazz Summer Showcase | $1,500 | Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Limited | Pittsfield Makes Comics | $1,250 | Clay, Sarah | Day Dream | $700 | Downtown Pittsfield Cultural Association, Inc., The | First Fridays Artswalk (FFA) and Art in the Park | $1,000 | Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. | Pittsfield Beautiful – “Where Nature and City Meet” Storefront Paint Project | $1,000 | Elizabeth Freeman Center, Inc. | Healing Through Harmony – Music Therapy for Survivors | $2,500 | FIRTELL, Diane | Plein Air at Roots Rising | $750 | Geraldi Folegatti, Luiza | All the power / Todo el poder | $1,000 | Greenagers, Inc. | Greenagers Education and Environmental Stewardship | $1,000 | Heart & Soil Collective Inc. | Community Cooking Days | $2,500 | Hernández, Maurice A | Spanish community magazine: Revista Somos Berkshires | $1,000 | IS183, Inc. | Visual Arts Programming for The William Stickney Pittsfield Adult Learning Center | $1,000 | Katunemo | Katunemo Community Exhibition | $1,250 | Latinas413 | Sewing Workshops | $1,250 | Leff, Alex | The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year Struggle for Democracy | $1,000 | Literacy Network of South Berkshire, Inc. | LitNet's Storytelling Project | $1,250 | Literacy Volunteers of Berkshire County, Inc. | Project 45: Celebrating 45 Years of Literacy and Community through Music | $1,750 | Maichack, Mary Jo D. | Girl Talk: Finding Your Voice: Storytelling for Older Girls | $487 | Mandel, Bruce | “The View From Behind This Guitar” | $550 | Meli, Amanda | Songbird Soul | $350 | Neill, David | Patriotic music by the Fanfare Brass Ensemble | $625 | Nutshell Playhouse, Inc. | Nutshell Playhouse at Kidzone | $800 | Parisi, Rita | Women of '76 | $625 | Ricci, David | From Antique Fairs to Photobook – Unpacking American Cultural Identity | $350 | Rites of Passage and Empowerment | R.O.P.E.Celebrates Black America | $1,140 | Roots Rising, Inc. | Pittsfield Farmers Market | $1,250 | Ross, Sheldon | Ragtime Five Brass Quintet | $600 | Ryan, Elizabeth | Totality | $720 | Santangelo, Jay | First Line: Community Storytelling & Performance SeriesProject Title: Depot After Dark: Free Summer Dance Series | $1,250 | Shakespeare & Company, Inc. | 2026 Fall Festival of Shakespeare | $1,250 | Small Planet Dancers | The Roaring Twenties | $600 | Staples-F, Noel | African Rooted Dance and Drum | $1,000 | Tamarack Hollow Nature and Cultural Center, Inc. | Celebrate Malinke Culture from Guinea: Drum, song and culture w/ master artist Bolokada Conde | $600 | The Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Inc. | Recovery Rewards: Healing Through Art | $1,254 | The Eagles Band, Inc. | Eagles Band Colonial Theatre Free Annual Concert | $1,750 | The Stockbridge Sinfonia, Inc. | The Stockbridge Sinfonia Summer Concert Series | $1,250 | Trustees of Berkshire Athenaeum | Berkshire Book Con: A Celebration of Reading & Writing | $2,000 | Tupper, Lara | Memoir Writing: What's Your Story? | $425 | Van Egmond, Timothy | Performances For Baby Animals Festival at HSV | $140 | Witt, Mary | Music for Community | $400 |
Review Complete LCC Program Guidelines