About the Fund
The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) is an initiative
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Fund was created as
part of a major economic stimulus bill that was approved by the
Massachusetts Legislature in July 2006. The most recent capital
budget appropriation to the Fund in FY2013 is $5 million. To date,
the Fund has awarded $49.8
million in grants to 231 cultural organizations across Massachusetts.
The goal of the Cultural Facilities Fund is to increase investments from both the public sector and the private sector to support the sound planning and development of cultural facilities in Massachusetts.
The Fund provides Capital Grants to promote the acquisition, design, repair, rehabilitation renovation, expansion, or construction of nonprofit cultural facilities in Massachusetts. All grants from the Fund must be matched with cash contributions from the private or public sector.
Fund Impact
Since 2007, CFF has made 335 grants to 231 cultural organizations
and communities to build, repair, and expand their facilities.
It has supported projects across the state, in communities as
diverse as Pittsfield and Provincetown. It has helped major tourist
attractions like Plimoth Plantation and Mass MoCA leverage millions
of private dollars to draw more visitors to Massachusetts. And it has also enabled smaller non-profits such as the volunteer-run Marblehead Little Theatre to offset the cost of essential expansion and accessibility improvements to achieve ADA compliance in a renovated 19th-century firehouse.
These cultural institutions are major economic engines for the
Commonwealth. According to a detailed survey conducted by the
Massachusetts Cultural Council in November 2012, Cultural Facilities
Fund grantees reported:
- 20.8 million visitors. Of these, 36% traveled more
than 50 miles; 29% came from out-of-state
- 9,057 full-time jobs and $551 million in wages and salaries.
- 14,808 architects, engineers, contractors and construction
workers working on Cultural Facilities Fund projects.
- 1,413 new permanent jobs projected in Massachusetts
as a result of Cultural Facilities Fund projects.
.
CFF also leverages private investment. Grantees are required
to raise a 1:1 dollar match from the private sector before they
can access CFF funds.
2012 CFF
Annual Report (PDF)
Funded Projects
Program Administration
The Fund is administered through a collaborative arrangement between MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. A Governor-appointed Cultural Facilities Fund Advisory Committee advises on the operation of the Fund.
MassDevelopment has authority on all matters of Fund administration, including final approval of all grant decisions.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council is responsible for managing most aspects of the grant review process, through a contractual relationship with MassDevelopment. This includes distributing guidelines for the program, offering technical assistance to applicants, and reviewing grant applications.
The Cultural Facilities Advisory Committee is responsible for advising MassDevelopment on the management and operation of the Fund. The Committee consists of nine members, six appointed by the Governor, plus the President and CEO of MassDevelopment, and the Executive Directors of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. The six members appointed by the Governor represent six different geographic regions of the state, as called for in the statute.
Advisory Committee Members
Wayne Capolupo, CEO and Principal
SPS New England
Salisbury
Marty Jones, President and CEO
Cultural Facilities Advisory Committee Chair
MassDevelopment
Boston
Michael A. Halperson, Vice-Chairman
Dome Publishing Company
Foxborough
John Plukas
Wainwright Bank & Trust Company
Boston
John William Poduska
Consultant and Businessman
Weston
The Honorable James Ruberto, Former Mayor
City of Pittsfield
Pittsfield
John C. Stowe, President and CEO
LUTCO, Inc.
Boylston
Anita Walker, Executive Director
Massachusetts Cultural Council
Boston
Betsy Wall, Executive Director
Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
Winchester
