News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2008
Contact: Adam Bickelman, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2086; or
Gregory Liakos,
Massachusetts Cultural Council, 617-727-3668 x343
STATE INVESTS $2.1 MILLION IN CULTURAL FACILITIES
Cultural Facilities Fund Supports Creative
Economy Infrastructure in Massachusetts
Twenty-two
organizations across Massachusetts will receive grants ranging
from $675,000 to $10,000 from the state’s Cultural Facilities
Fund (CFF). The grants, totaling $2,121,996, were announced today
by MassDevelopment
and the Massachusetts
Cultural Council (MCC), which administer the program jointly.
Of the amount awarded, $1,982,871 will support 17 capital projects,
and $139,125 will be used by five groups for feasibility and planning
studies.
CFF grants will 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 $7 million appropriation by the Legislature
in October 2007 as part of a FY2008 supplemental budget. MassDevelopment
and the MCC disbursed roughly $5 million in February 2008, with
the balance of the supplemental appropriation along with earned
interest income supporting this new round of grants.
“I’m glad we can add to Governor Patrick’s
recent good news announcement of a first-in-the-nation creative
economy director by announcing this next round of Cultural Facilities
Fund grant recipients,” said Robert L. Culver, MassDevelopment
president/CEO. “This funding demonstrates the Legislature
and Administration’s commitment to our creative economy,
and its role in attracting visitors to Massachusetts, generating
revenue, creating jobs and enhancing our quality of life.”
Recipients are located in 18 communities statewide from Dennis
to Stockbridge; and run the gamut from small neighborhood-based
cultural organizations to large museums, theaters and performance
groups. Brewster’s Cape Cod Repertory Theatre Co.,
Inc. will draw on a $150,000 allotment to renovate the
historic Crosby Cape House into a multi-use facility featuring
rehearsal space, meeting and reception rooms and staff housing.
The Boston Conservatory will use a $675,000 grant
to construct new studios, performance space and an orchestral
rehearsal hall, as well as to undertake extensive renovations
to the Conservatory’s existing 350-seat theater. In Stockbridge,
the Berkshire Theatre Festival, Inc. will use
a $160,000 grant to renovate its five-and-a-half acre campus and
carry out needed maintenance and repairs to existing buildings.
“This program has already invested in more than 100 exciting
cultural building projects across the state,” said Anita
Walker, MCC Executive Director. “In the first 62 projects
alone, we’ve helped stimulate $600 million in capital projects,
created hundreds of permanent jobs, and provided a major stimulus
to tourism. These new grants will build on that effort and expand
the program’s impact in new communities.”
See a grant list by region
About CFF:
The Legislature created the Cultural Facilities Fund in July 2006,
appropriating an initial $13 million as part of an omnibus economic
stimulus bill. In September 2007, MassDevelopment and the MCC
announced the first 62 organizations to receive funding through
the program. The FY2008 state budget provided an additional $5
million allocation, as well as $7 million in supplemental funding.
MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council co-administer
the program. MCC solicited and evaluated CFF applications, received
201 requests for funding totaling $80 million, and recruited 28
experts from across the U.S. with experience in tourism, facilities
finance, real estate project management, construction, facilities
operations, organizational development, grant making and historic
renovation and 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 $675,000.
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
Legislature 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 FY
2007, MassDevelopment financed or managed 211 projects statewide
representing the investment of more than $2 billion in the Massachusetts
economy.
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