Creative Projects for Schools
Frequently Asked Questions
Changes in the 2024-2025 School Year
What happened to STARS Residencies grants?
This school year (2024-2025), we expanded our education grants to fund Creative Projects for Schools — including but not limited to residencies. Any type of project incorporating the arts, sciences, and humanities for a school audience is now eligible, given that it meets other eligibility requirements.
Creative Projects for Schools funds all types of creative projects proposed by a school or an organization — including residencies, field trips, performances, art showcases, poetry readings, mural projects, arts integration trainings, oral history projects, and more.
Any type of project for a school audience that incorporates the arts, sciences, and/or humanities is now eligible, so long as it meets the program’s other eligibility requirements. (If you’ve applied to STARS Residencies in the past, you’re encouraged to apply to Creative Projects for Schools.)
Can I still apply for a residency in the 2024-2025 school year?
Yes, any project that would have been eligible for last year’s STARS Residencies funding is eligible and encouraged to apply for this year’s Creative Projects for Schools funding. Creative Projects for Schools applications are due on October 10, 2024.
Why does the application look different this year?
If you’ve applied to STARS Residencies in the past, you might have noticed that the application looks different this year. We are making these changes in preparation for merging all grants concerning creative projects, festivals, and experiences into one program in 2025.
Woah! So that’s what’s happening for the 2024-2025 school year. How do I start preparing for the 2025-2026 school year?
If you are interested in applying for funding for a school-based project in the 2025-2026 school year, that application will open in Spring 2025. After this year, there will no longer be an education projects grant in the fall. 2024 will be the last year it runs in the fall.
Through our new Creative Experiences program, organizations (including schools) can apply to fund residencies, festivals, projects, and other cultural activities in the arts, humanities, and/or sciences. This program combines Creative Projects for Schools and Festivals & Projects into one program.
The Creative Experiences application will open in early March and close in late April. Applicants will receive notice of funding in September 2025. Hopefully this helps you prepare for the next school year. Please read on for more question and answers about Creative Projects for Schools grants for the current school year (2024-2025).
Eligibility
Who can apply?
Any Massachusetts school (public, private, or charter school) serving grades K-12 can apply. Organizations can also apply. However, they must name the school that they plan to work with. Please read the eligibility guidelines for more in-depth information on what types of organizations are eligible.
Individuals are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant.
Is there a limit to the number of projects and applications per school?
Schools may host only one project per school year. This means a school may be involved in only one Creative Projects for Schools application per school year, whether they are the applicant or not.
What if two applications are submitted for the same school?
If two applications are submitted involving the same school, the application from the school will receive priority and/or the highest scoring application will be kept, and the others deemed ineligible.
Is there a limit to the number of applications per organization?
Organizations can only be the primary applicant on one application. However, organizations can be co-applicants on more than one application with the school as the primary applicant.
Several schools in the district are working with the same cultural partner. Can we submit a joint application?
No, each school must submit its own application. However, you can indicate in the narrative that the schools are collaborating on the same project.
What is a ‘co-applicant’? Do I need to have a co-applicant?
The grants management system allows two users, the primary applicant and the co-applicant, to work on the online application and the final report. Having a co-applicant is NOT required.
You must invite your co-applicant as part of the online application process. You can’t invite the co-applicant after the application has been submitted.
What’s the difference between the primary applicant and the co-applicant?
The primary applicant starts the online application on the Agency’s grants management system and will handle the contracts and receives the grant payment. The co-applicant is a feature on the grants management system that allows another user to help the primary applicant edit and submit the application.
Can the primary applicant (the school or organization) direct the grant payment to a co-applicant?
No, only the primary applicant can receive the grant payment. It cannot be transferred or redirected.
Why can’t I see the ‘Creative Projects for Schools’ under ‘current opportunities’ in the grants management system?
Only organizational entities, including schools, are eligible to apply for Creative Projects for Schools grants. If your profile is set up as an individual applicant account, used to apply for grants for individuals, you cannot see the grant opportunities meant for organizations. Individuals are not eligible to apply to this program.
If you are also an authorized representative of an eligible organization, you should login with the account associated with that organization. If your organization does not already have an account, you will need to register and create an organizational profile using a different email address than the one associated with your individual account previously used with our grants management system.
After you login to your organization’s account, or register as an organization and set up your password, the Creative Projects for Schools grant will display under ‘current opportunities’.
What does it mean to be an authorized representative of an organization?
Only authorized representatives can register under an organization. Authorized representatives have permission to act on the organization’s behalf. Either as a member of the organization’s board or staff, or as someone duly authorized in writing by the organization to register as a contact for the organization to submit applications (i.e. grant writer, contractor, volunteer, etc.). Individuals that act on behalf of an organization without permission, may result in the withdrawal of any/all applications submitted, cancellation of any/all grants awarded, and the removal the individual’s profile from the organization’s record.
How do you define arts, sciences, and humanities?
As it relates to this program, Mass Cultural Council uses the following definitions:
- The arts are the creation of work in the crafts and performing, visual, media, folk, design, literary, and interdisciplinary arts. They also include the presentation and preservation of, and education about, works in these disciplines.
- The humanities are types of learning that deal with human values and aspirations, human thought and culture, language, and creativity. Examples include, but are not limited to, history, social studies, philosophy, criticism, and literature.
- The sciences are limited to the cultural, interpretive, and educational expression of science and refers to types of learning that deal with nature, science, and technology in ways that explain how they relate to people’s lives. Some organizations that conduct this type of activity include aquariums, botanical gardens, nature centers, natural history museums, planetariums, and science centers.
What are some examples of eligible projects?
Examples include, but are not limited to, residencies, field trips, performances, art showcases, poetry readings, mural projects, arts integration trainings, and oral history projects. These are only some examples. All types of projects are welcome to apply, provided they fit in the other eligibility guidelines.
Does my project have to offer in-person programming?
No, your project does not have to offer in-person programming to be eligible. It does not have to take place at a school. Virtual programming serving students at a specific school is eligible.
What do you mean by a project that ‘primarily serves students’?
The students at the school must be the project’s intended audience of engagement. If there were a smaller component of the project which included family members, teachers, or members of the general public, the project is eligible provided that the students are still the main group engaging with the project.
What if my project takes place in the summer?
For this program, your project must be complete by June 30, 2025 to be eligible.
What is the project’s required minimum expense?
Creative Projects for Schools must have a minimum of $5,000 in cash expenses, including the full cost of the project, which can include overhead or indirect costs. If your proposed project has more than $5,000 in expenses, you will report on the full amount in your application. Grant amounts for this program, if awarded, are $5,000, regardless of overall project size.
What types of expenses are eligible for this grant?
Any expenses directly related to your project are eligible including but not limited to; pay for teaching artists/scientists/humanists, professional development, planning time, materials, equipment, transportation, and overhead.
Can we include expenses for things like equipment, supplies, instruments, small capital projects (mirrors, dance floors, etc.)?
Yes, as long as they are directly related to an arts/humanities/science project.
What does ‘accessible to students with disabilities’ mean?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights legislative requirement that equitable provisions must be designed in your programs, services, and products. These considerations can and should be ongoing and improved over time. Access should be assessed within physical and virtual sites to achieve integrated settings, effective communication, and reasonable accommodations. For more info on access and inclusion resolutions contact the Mass Cultural Council’s ADA Coordinator for external requests.
How can I tell if my organization is incorporated in Massachusetts?
You may search for your organization using the search function on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s (SOC) Corporations Division’s website. When you find your organization, you can click on your organization’s record to see the status of your incorporation and any related filings. If your organization’s status is listed as revoked or dissolved on the SOC website, we will be unable to award you a grant. Your organization may also be at risk for liability and other issues, and you should work with the SOC to address it as soon as possible.
Does my organization need to have federal tax-exempt status?
No. If your organization is incorporated or registered in the state of Massachusetts and not dissolved or revoked, you are eligible. If your organization is not incorporated or registered in Massachusetts, you may apply using a fiscal agent.
My organization is in a state other than Massachusetts? Can we apply?
Yes, but you may have additional requirements in order to be eligible. Nonprofit and for-profit entities need to be registered with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and have a Massachusetts address. Unincorporated organizations must have a Massachusetts address and conduct the majority of their group’s programming in Massachusetts. The project proposed must be in Massachusetts.
Do we need to be a federally-recognized Tribal Government to apply?
No, Native American and/or Indigenous organizations may be eligible with other legal statuses as well, including for-profits, nonprofits, and unincorporated organizations.
Can I apply as an individual?
No, this program is for organizations. However, individuals can be a co-applicant on an application with the school or organization as the primary applicant. The contract and payment process would then be handled by the primary applicant.
I operate as a sole proprietorship, or a single-member Limited Liability Company, am I eligible?
No, these types of entities are considered individuals, and individuals are not eligible to apply to this program.
Are higher education institutions allowed to apply?
Yes, as long as programming is intended for students at a K-12 school.
Our organization applied to Operating Grants for Organizations and/or FY25 Festivals & Projects and we are waiting to find out if we got a grant. Can we apply to Creative Projects for Schools?
Yes, you can submit an application, however you will only receive one grant. Mass Cultural Council will default to award the largest grant that your organization is eligible to receive and the other applications will be declined.
What does it mean to apply with a fiscal agent?
A fiscal agent is an organization that agrees to act as the legal and contractual representative of the unincorporated group. They can provide a variety of services as part of the agreement, but the most important is that they maintain supervision over the funds, making sure that they are used for the purpose of the agreement.
Grantees using a fiscal agent will not be paid directly, the fiscal agent will complete the contract and receive the payment on the grantees’ behalf.
Eligible fiscal agents must have active 501(c)3 status with the IRS and be registered to do business in Massachusetts – meaning they are listed in the Corporate Division’s Business Entity database (not dissolved or revoked), or registered with the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division. For the purpose of this program, Massachusetts municipalities are also able to serve as an applicant’s fiscal agent.
Can individuals apply if they get a fiscal agent?
No, individuals are not eligible to apply.
Applying Online
How do I access the online application?
Start by registering in the Agency’s grants management system as an organization if you are applying for a grant on behalf of an organization, school, town, or another group. In this case, the organization is the applicant and grant recipient, and you are the primary contact for the application.
Typing your organization’s name into the ‘Organization Name’ field will prompt a list of organizations already registered in our system. Select your organization from the list, and then complete your contact information. If your organization is not listed, follow the directions to add your organization information and your contact information to register your organization.
To see if you already have a profile in the grants management system, log in and click ‘Forgot password?’ and enter your email address. If the email you entered matches the one in our system, you will be sent an email from ‘masscultural_noreply@smartsimple.com’ with instructions for resetting your password.
If we received a grant from a Local Cultural Council, does this count as being ‘previously funded’?
If you received funding from Local Cultural Councils, your organization won’t be considered as receiving previous funding from the Mass Cultural Council.
How do I know if I have an individual account or an organization account?
If you have an individual user account, your portal displays ‘My Profile’.
If you have an organization account, your portal page shows ‘My Profile’ and ‘My Organization Profile’.
How do I know if my application has been successfully submitted?
You should be able to see a ‘Congratulations’ header at the top of your submitted application on the grants management system and receive a confirmation email.
Review Process
How are funding decisions made?
Creative Projects for Schools will review all applications for eligibility. If we don’t have enough funding to fund all applications, funding decisions will then be made using a combination of the prioritization factors, which can be found in the guidelines.
As part of the Agency’s commitment to equity, access, and inclusion across all programs, we will prioritize funding certain projects and organizations that align with our initiatives. Check out the guidelines to see which applications will receive priority points.
What are the funding priorities?
Funding priorities are used in the situation where we don’t have enough funding to fund all eligible applications. We use funding priorities to support equity, access, and inclusion initiatives.
Should I still apply if I don’t meet any funding priorities?
Yes, you should still apply. Funding priorities are not the same as eligibility. If you are eligible for Creative Projects for Schools, we still encourage you to apply.
Why are you prioritizing applications that include Massachusetts artists/humanists/scientists?
Mass Cultural Council envisions a diverse creative and cultural sector that is valued as essential in the Commonwealth. By paying Massachusetts artists/humanists/scientists, we demonstrate that they are valued, and the impact of the Creative Projects for Schools grant is amplified because it benefits both the organizations/schools and individual artists/humanist/scientists in the Commonwealth.
Our school’s art teacher who is leading the project is also a Massachusetts artist, should we include them in the application/budget as a Massachusetts artist?
No, any employee of the school involved in the project is taking part/being compensated in their capacity as an employee of the school. They are not considered a Massachusetts artist/humanist/scientist for the application and funding priority.
The project administrator/manager is also an artist, should we include them in the application/budget as a Massachusetts artist?
No, if they are only acting as a project manager/administrator and are not acting in their capacity as an artists, they are not considered a Massachusetts artist/humanist/scientist for the application and funding priority.
Our organization is BIPOC-Centered, if we work with a BIPOC-majority school will that increase our priority?
No, each application will only receive prioritization once based on the primary applicant. If your organization is BIPOC-Centered, you will receive the priority regardless of which school you partner with.
Our organization is not BIPOC-Centered, but we are working with a BIPOC-majority school, will we get the prioritization?
Each application will only receive prioritization once based on the primary applicant. This means that if the school is the primary applicant, the application would receive the prioritization. However, if your organization is the primary applicant, then the application would not receive the prioritization.
Why is the BIPOC prioritization factor focused on the applicant and not the audience?
Based on the Agency’s Racial Equity Plan, we acknowledge that BIPOC-led and -serving organizations have historically had less access to grant funds than other types of organizations. As a result, the Agency created the BIPOC-Centered Self-Identification form/process and prioritized BIPOC-Centered Organizations in its organizational grant programs to increase their chances of accessing funds they have not had equitable access to previously. However, in this program, and in Creative Experiences program where cultural organizations and schools are applying for project funds, schools would be disadvantaged because a K-12 public school cannot meet the definition of BIPOC-Centered Organization we have set. Therefore, we have established an alternative measure for K-12 schools based on standardized, required reporting data they provide the Department of Secondary Education (DESE).
Our school is submitting an application, do we have to fill out the BIPOC-Centered Organization Self-Identification form?
No. Not If you are a school with a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) ID, we will use your DESE reported by Data Source data to assign the priority factor (2023-2024). [See the 2023-24 Enrollment By Race Report (School).] It will automatically be applied to schools with reported data of 50% or more Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC) students. The vast majority of schools report this data.
If yours is one of the schools that does not report student demographic data to DESE, then your school would need to meet the characteristics of a BIPOC-Centered Organization in order to receive prioritization and should submit a the BIPOC-Centered Self-Identification form. To get access to the form, you must first contact Amy Chu.
Will applications be reviewed on a first-come, first-reviewed basis?
No. We will review all eligible applications received by the grant deadline.
Contract & Payment
If funded, when would we receive the grant?
Grant recommendations will be approved by Mass Cultural Council’s governing Council in November. If your grant has been approved, you will receive an electronic funds transfer after your contract with us is fully executed. This is usually 4-6 weeks after Mass Cultural Council receives your completed grant contract package. We expect to be able to send contracts to grantees in mid- to late-December.
Can we hold over funds for another related project?
You are unable to hold over funds. Grant funds need to be spent on your proposed projects unless discussed with Mass Cultural staff after the approval process.
How do we request a modification to our original proposal and description?
You must reach out to staff in reasonable time with your request to modify your original proposal. Staff will then make an internal note on your application. You will fill out the final report with updated details regarding your new project.
We are not able to do our project within the time frame of September 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025. Do we lose our grant funding?
You have a few options:
- Discuss with staff about a project modification that will still happen within the time frame. Staff will make a note on your application, and you will provide details about your updated project on the final report.
- If your project needs to be postponed until after June 30, 2025, you will fill out the final report after you conclude your program, but you will not be eligible to apply for the FY26 cycle that opens Spring 2025.
Final Report
Do we have to complete a final report? When is it due?
Yes, every grantee must complete a final report in the grants management system. The report is due within 30 days after the project is completed or no later than July 17, 2025. The report asks for things like feedback, number of attendees, and photos from the project.
Grantees that fail to submit a final report will not be eligible to apply for another Mass Cultural Council grant in a future school year until the report has been completed or until two years have passed.
Where do I find the final report?
The final report is not available in the grants management system until we have approved your contract. When it is available, you can find it in the section called “Requires Attention” under “Pending Reports”.
Additional Questions?
Technical questions about the online application or grants management system? Contact our grants team.
Programmatic questions about application requirements? Email our program staff or call 617-858-2735.
