Massachusetts Cultural Facilties Fund

Program Guidelines

Program Overview
Program Administration
Grant Pool
Eligibility Requirements
Grant Categories
Award Ranges and Cash Matching Requirements
Grants Administration
Deadlines

Program Overview
The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund is a new 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 legislative appropriation to the Fund for this, the first year, is $13 million.

The goal of the Cultural Facilities Fund is to increase investments from both the private and public sector to support the sound planning and development of cultural facilities in Massachusetts.

The Fund will provide Capital Grants and Feasibility and Technical Assistance 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.

Eligible applicants include nonprofit cultural organizations and municipalities and institutions of higher education that own cultural facilities, subject to some limitations.

Program Administration
The legislation that establishes this program calls for the Fund to be administered by MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). It also calls for the creation of a new statewide Cultural Facilities Fund Advisory Committee. The roles of each of these bodies are described below.

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 rules and guidelines for the program, offering technical assistance to applicants, and managing the review process for grant applications.
The Cultural Facilities Advisory Committee is responsible for advising MassDevelopment on the management and operation of the Fund. The Committee is comprised 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 each represent different geographic regions of the state.

Grant Pool
TBD once the 2009 fiscal year budget is finalized.

Eligibility Requirements
The following entities ("Cultural Facilities") are eligible:

Nonprofit cultural organizations: 501 (c)(3) organizations that are primarily concerned with the arts, humanities, or interpretive sciences. The legislation includes but is not limited to museums, historic sites, zoos, aquariums, theaters, concert halls, exhibition spaces, classrooms, and auditoriums. Eligible facilities must be owned, leased, or used by one or more nonprofit cultural organizations, and must be accessible to the public.
Municipalities that own cultural facilities - provided that the cultural facility is at least 50,000 square feet in size, and at least 50% devoted to cultural purposes.
Public or private institutions of higher education that own cultural facilities - provided that the cultural facility provides service and open access to the community and the general public beyond their educational mission, and can demonstrate financial need.

Grant Categories
The legislation calls for two broad categories of investment.

Feasibility and Technical Assistance Grants: For expenses related to planning and feasibility assessment for a proposed Eligible Project.
Capital Grants: For the acquisition, design, construction, repair, renovation, rehabilitation or other capital improvements or deferred maintenance ("Eligible Projects") of a Cultural Facility. All of the following would qualify for consideration under this description:
- New construction.
- Additions to an existing structure.
- Renovations or repairs to an existing structure.
- Any combination of the above.

Award Ranges and Cash Matching Requirements
TBD once the 2009 fiscal year budget is finalized.

Grants Administration
TBD once the 2009 fiscal year budget is finalized.

Deadlines
TBD once the 2009 fiscal year budget is finalized.