News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2009
Contact: Adam Bickelman, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2086; or
Gregory Liakos,
Massachusetts Cultural Council, 617-727-3668 x343
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.
CFF grants support Massachusetts nonprofit 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.”
###
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, receiving 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
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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