Westborough Cultural Council
Our mission is to support the cultural enrichment and creative opportunities that provide diversity and availability to all residents of our town.
Cultural life helps to define our community’s character and purpose and the Westborough Cultural Council’s efforts bring meaningful programs and events to Westborough that further promote Westborough as a thriving hub of activity in the Commonwealth.
As a community festival and as a means to raise local funds to support the arts and culture in Westborough, the Westborough Cultural Council created ARTS IN COMMON (AIC) a free town-wide arts event. AIC is an opportunity for the entire community to join together in celebration of art, music, dance, food and fun. The twelfth anniversary of ARTS IN COMMON will be held on October 1, 2022 on Bay State Common in Westborough.
Contact
Holly Kenny
westboroculture@gmail.com
617-717-4843
Address
34 West Main Street
Westborough, MA 01581-1998
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Application Information
FY23 Allocation
$8,900
FY23 Local Priorities
We intend to encourage area performers and artisans of all ethnicities, religions, sexes and ages.
We will request public feedback to ensure the Cultural Council is effectively supporting the cultural needs
of the community.
We will continue to request an appropriation from Annual Town Meeting, not only for its spending power
but as a further measure of community support. We have found that town funding gives us validity when
seeking other local support and sponsorships.
We will accept grant applications for events scheduled at a distinct location on a specific date in
Westborough or, in the case of field trips, originating and terminating in Westborough. Events must be
advertised as open to the public and handicapped accessible.
It will be our objective to have sufficient funds to grant some support to every approved grant. We also
try to apply town funds to approved grants from Westborough-based organizations.
We will continue to encourage grant applications from new sources, but we will not turn down
applications from groups who have had previous grants. However, we will limit the number of
consecutive years the Council funds a grant to ensure the grantee does not become dependent on
Cultural Council funding to support their organization or event.
We will establish and maintain cordial relationships and advocacy with town governance, legislators and
the MCC. They will be invited to Council events, such as our grant reception and ARTS IN COMMON.
We will continue to market ARTS IN COMMON both as a popular community festival, as well as a source
of locally raised funds to support grants and cultural events in Westborough.
We will strive to maintain a membership of about a dozen volunteers and to include one or more high
school students both as links to that community and as civic responsibility trainees.
We will attend and monitor performances by grantees to determine their quality and fitness for future
consideration.
We will develop and publicize a calendar of cultural events for the community
FY23 Local Guidelines
1. Only grant applications meeting the following minimum requirements will be considered.
a. Specific venue and date of event must be scheduled prior to submitting application.
b. Event must be held in Westborough.
c. Event must be open to the public and be so advertised.
d. Event must be sponsored by a non-profit organization or be a non-profit event.
e. Event must be handicap accessible.
f. All field trips must be for the benefit of Westborough residents.
2. Applications not meeting all the above criteria will be rejected.
3. All applications meeting all of the above criteria will be considered and evaluated as in past years.
Please make sure that the Westborough Cultural Council is kept informed of the contact person. Questions
may be directed to Maureen Johnson, Treasurer (508) 366-6326 or westboroculture@gmail.com
Frequently asked questions can be answered on-line at https://massculturalcouncil.org/communities/local-cultural-council-program/faqs/
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Reimbursement Grants
FY23 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Annie E. Fales School | Fales Community Festival | $1,000 | Assabet Valley Mastersingers, Inc. | Assabet Valley Mastersingers Summer Sing 2023 | $1,500 | Black, Barbara | Winter Concert | $500 | Elsie A. Hastings Elementary School | Spring Flower Festival | $650 | French, Eric | Westborough Jazz Concert Series | $2,500 | Hundredth Town Chorus | Rainbow Connections | $500 | Lappen, Henry | Henry the Juggler Performance | $450 | MUSIC Dance.edu | Hip Hop Chair Dance for Seniors! | $300 | McKenney Lydick, Lynne | Yours for Humanity-Abby | $500 | Newman, Howard | Musical Baseball Show | $375 | Northborough Area Community Chorus | NACC 2023 Spring and Christmas Programs | $500 | Parnes, Janet | Quaker Girl Takes Washington's Center Stage::The Rise of Dolley Madison | $310 | Shir Joy Chorus | Sing for Joy, in person or at home | $250 | Westborough Community Chorus, Inc. | British Pop Rock & Roll | $1,000 | Westborough Community Land Trust, Inc. | Snakes of New England and the World | $1,100 | Westborough Connects, Inc. | Fifth Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration | $1,500 | Westborough High School | West Africa: music, dance, art and culture | $2,000 | Westborough Historical Society | Living History: Eleanor Roosevelt | $100 | Women of Note, Inc. | Women of Note Concert - In Harmony Against Hunger | $515 | York, Matt | Johnny Cash - Songs & Stories | $550 | lemos, tonya | Botanical Art Workshop Mini Series | $750 |
