The budget situation is going to hell for everyone in Massachusetts, including, apparently, the Mass. Cultural Council. But today the MCC and MassDevelopment announced $12.4 million in Cultural Facilities Fund grants from moneys already appropriated for FY2009. Assuming these actually get deposited, the money supports "Massachusetts non-profit cultural organizations with building projects that increase tourism, create new jobs, leverage private funding, and expand arts and cultural activities." But it may be the last such round of grants we'll see ever for a while; a spokesman says further funding "has not been a part of the FY10 budget drafts released by the Governor, House Ways & Means, and Senate Ways & Means."
Of the amount awarded, $12,009,900 will support 61 capital projects, $379,000 will be used by 17 groups for feasibility and planning studies, and $79,000 will be used by 17 groups as systems replacement plan grants. Deserving groups range from the Revolving Museum in Lowell ($12,000 for a feasibility study for a new cultural center in Lowell) to the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton ($391,000 for maintenance, including major repairs to the HVAC system).
No doubt the end results in most cases will be wonderful, but in these very difficult times for smaller cultural organizations in particular, there may be some grumbling about the rich getting richer. Also among the recipients are the Harvard Art Museums (above, $359,000 for the abatement phase - whatever that is - of the Fogg building renovation and expansion project) and the Museum of Fine Arts ($400,000 for improvements to the west entrance on Museum Road to create a dedicated Group Entrance).
Some $6.5m of the FY09 money comes from a 2006 economic stimulus bill, about half what was provided in the two previous fiscal years. The rest comes from a a $7 million appropriation made by Gov. Deval Patrick as part of a 2009 capital bond allocation. “These grants will help cultural organizations flourish in every corner of our Commonwealth,” Patrick said in a statement. “They are a sound investment in the state’s vibrant creative economy, and promise to have a direct economic impact throughout Massachusetts.”
The complete press release and list of grant awards follows after the jump, or click here for detailed project descriptions.
STATE INVESTS $12.4 MILLION IN CULTURAL FACILITIES
CULTURAL FACILITIES FUND SUPPORTS CREATIVE ECONOMY INFRASTRUCTURE IN MASSACHUSETTS
Eighty-five organizations* across Massachusetts will receive grants ranging from $4,000 to $400,000 from the state’s Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF). The grants, totaling $12,467,900, were announced today by MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), which administer the program jointly. Of the amount awarded, $12,009,900 will support 61 capital projects, $379,000 will be used by 17 groups for feasibility and planning studies, and $79,000 will be used by 17 groups as systems replacement plan grants. (*Complete funding list follows below.)
CFF grants support Massachusetts non-profit cultural organizations with building projects that increase tourism, create new jobs, leverage private funding, and expand arts and cultural activities in communities across the state. The latest round of CFF grants was made possible by a $6.5 million appropriation by the Legislature in July 2008 as part of the FY 2009 state budget, and a $7 million allocation by the Governor in April as part of a 2009 capital bond.
“These grants will help cultural organizations flourish in every corner of our Commonwealth,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “They are a sound investment in the state’s vibrant creative economy, and promise to have a direct economic impact throughout Massachusetts.”
Recipients are located in 45 communities statewide from Adams to Fall River; and run the gamut from small community heritage sites to large museums, theaters, and performing arts centers.
Barnstable’s Cahoon Museum of American Art will draw on a $400,000 grant to construct a new addition to its historic 1775 building that will add gallery, classroom, storage and administrative space and draw new visitors to Cape Cod. A $90,000 grant will help repair the Roxbury Center for the Arts at Hibernian Hall, which has helped revitalize Roxbury’s Dudley Square neighborhood. And the internationally renowned Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket will use a $400,000 grant to construct a new performance stage and facility to enhance its appeal to hundreds of thousands of summer visitors to the Berkshires.
“Our rich array of cultural organizations draws visitors from across the nation and around the world,” Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) said. “These grants are an economic driver that help foster growth in this key sector of our economy, creating jobs and generating new income in our communities.”
“The construction projects funded through these grants will provide short-term stimulus to our economy,” said House Speaker Robert DeLeo of Winthrop. “And over the long term, investments like this will position our cultural organizations to attract more visitors to Massachusetts and make our cities and towns better places to live and work.”
GRANT AWARDS BY REGION
Central
Capital Grants:
American Antiquarian Society, Worcester $293,000
Old Sturbridge Village $135,000
ValleyCAST!, Douglas $160,000
Worcester Art Museum $310,000
Worcester Center for Performing Arts $62,000
Systems Replacement Plan Grants:
American Antiquarian Society, Worcester $6,000
EcoTarium, Worcester $6,000
Greater Boston
Capital Grants:
Agassiz Neighborhood Council, Inc., Cambridge $400,000
American Repertory Theatre Company, Inc., Cambridge $169,000
Boston Center for the Arts, Inc. $386,000
Boston University Concert Hall $400,000
Central Square Theater, Cambridge $68,000
Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline $36,000
Friends of the Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge $132,000
Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge $359,000
Longy School of Music, Inc., Cambridge $312,000
Mudflat Pottery School, Inc., Somerville $300,000
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston $400,000
New Art Center, Newton $50,000
New Repertory Theatre, Inc., Newton $26,000
Newton Historical Society $218,800
Paul Revere House, Boston $362,500
Roxbury Center for the Arts at Hibernian Hall, Boston $90,000
Spontaneous Celebrations, Inc., Boston $28,000
Springstep, Medford $209,000
Strand Theatre, City of Boston $234,000
TheatreZone, Inc., Chelsea $270,000
Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, Boston $400,000
Zumix, Inc., Boston $200,000
Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants:
Artists for Humanity, Inc., Boston $38,000
The Bostonian Society $38,000
Charlestown Working Theater, Inc. $9,000
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Inc., Boston $15,000
Massachusetts College of Art Foundation, Boston $15,000
Suzuki School of Newton, Inc. $27,000
Systems Replacement Plan Grants:
Dante Alighieri Cultural Society, Cambridge $4,000
The Boston Conservatory $5,000
New Art Center, Newton $4,000
Spontaneous Celebration, Inc., Boston $5,000
Springstep, Medford $5,000
Metro West
Capital Grants:
Amazing Things Arts Center, Framingham $218,000
Concord Art Association $170,000
The Discovery Museums, Acton $172,000
Fiddlehead Theatre Company, Norwood $31,000
Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants:
Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham $37,500
Systems Replacement Plan Grants:
Fiddlehead Theatre Company, Norwood $5,000
Northeast
Capital Grants:
Cape Ann Historical Society, Gloucester $75,000
Essex Art Center, Inc., Lawrence $95,000
Longyear Museum, Mary Baker Eddy House, Lynn $395,000
Lowell Memorial Auditorium $310,000
LynnArts, Inc. $75,000
Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln $145,000
New England Quilt Museum, Lowell $77,000
Old Town Hall, Salem $174,000
RAW Art Works, Lynn $138,000
Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Inc. $400,000
Sargent-Murray-Gilman-Hough House, Gloucester $19,000
Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants:
Massachusetts Air and Space Museum, Bedford $8,000
Peabody Essex Museum, Inc., Salem $38,000
The House of Seven Gables, Salem $22,000
The Revolving Museum, Inc., Lowell $12,000
Systems Replacement Plan Grants:
New England Quilt Museum, Lowell $4,000
Southeast
Capital Grants:
Cape Cod Art Association, Barnstable $10,000
Cahoon Museum of American Art, Barnstable $400,000
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton $391,000
Spinner Publications, Inc., New Bedford $24,000
Soule Homestead Education Center, Middleboro $107,000
Sturgis Library, Barnstable $246,700
Tilden Arts Center, Barnstable $157,000
Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants:
Espirito Santo Museum Foundation, Fall River $38,000
Little Theatre of Fall River, Inc. $3,000
Natural Resources Trust of Easton, Inc. $2,000
System Replacement Plan Grants:
Academy of Performing Arts, Orleans $5,000
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Brewster $4,000
Natural Resources Trust of Easton, Inc. $4,000
Vineyard Playhouse Company, Inc., Vineyard Haven $4,000
Western
Capital Grants:
Community Music School of Springfield $391,000
Double Edge Theatre Productions, Inc., Ashfield $43,000
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst $7,900
Hancock Shaker Village, Inc., Pittsfield $400,000
Historic Deerfield, Inc. $63,000
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Inc., Becket $400,000
New Marlborough Village Association, Great Barrington $45,000
Susan Anthony Birthplace Museum, Inc., Adams $24,000
The Berkshire Music School, Inc., Pittsfield $65,000
The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield $234,000
The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge $190,000
The Springfield Museums $307,000
Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants:
Available Potential Enterprises, Ltd., Northampton $15,000
Greenfield Community College $23,000
Hampshire/Franklin/Hampden Agricultural Society, Northampton $38,000
The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge $38,000
System Replacement Plan Grants:
American International College, Springfield $5,000
Berkshire Music School, Pittsfield $5,000
Double Edge Theatre Productions, Inc., Ashfield $4,000
Earthdance Creative Living Project, Inc., Plainfield $4,000
About CFF:
The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund is an economic stimulus program that invests in the planning, acquisition, rehabilitation, and construction of nonprofit and public cultural facilities in Massachusetts. Since its creation by the Legislature in 2006, the CFF has awarded more than $37 million to more than 200 cultural facilities projects across the state.
MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council co-administer the program. MCC solicited and evaluated CFF applications for this latest round of grants, received 132 requests for funding totaling $27.5 million. The MCC then recruited 28 experts from across the U.S. with experience in tourism, facilities finance and operations, real estate, construction, organizational development, and historic preservation to review and rank the applications using a weighted set of criteria. All applications were also reviewed by an appointed Cultural Facilities Fund Advisory Committee with statewide representation. The board of Directors of MassDevelopment approved the awards, which MassDevelopment manages and disburses. Award decisions were based on the recipients’ ranking, annual operating budget, and location. Maximum awards are capped at $400,000. Grants announced today must be matched one-to-one by the recipient with funds from other sources.
About MCC:
The Massachusetts Cultural Council is a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities, and sciences to improve the quality of life for Massachusetts residents and contribute to the state’s economic vitality. MCC is committed to building a central place for arts and culture in the everyday lives of communities through a combination of grants, services, and advocacy for cultural organizations, schools, and artists. MCC receives an annual appropriation from the state and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources.
About MassDevelopment:
MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development authority, works with businesses, financial institutions and local officials to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2008, MassDevelopment financed or managed 265 projects statewide representing an investment of more than $3 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are supporting the creation of 4,001 housing units and more than 10,384 jobs: 5,424 permanent and 4,960 construction-related.
Comments