News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2009
Contact: Kelsey
Abbruzzese, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2086; or
Greg Liakos,
Massachusetts Cultural Council, 617-727-3668 x343
STATE TO INVEST $177,375 IN CULTURAL
FACILITIES
MassDevelopment
and the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) announced today that
nine organizations* across Massachusetts will receive feasibility
and technical assistance grants from the Commonwealth’s
Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF), totaling $177,375. (*Complete
list follows below.)
Awards from the fund, a program that MassDevelopment and the
MCC administer jointly, will support Massachusetts nonprofit cultural
organizations in increasing tourism, creating new jobs, leveraging
private funding, and expanding arts and cultural activities in
communities across the state.
“The creative economy is vital to Massachusetts,”
said MassDevelopment President/CEO and CFF Advisory Committee
Chair Robert L. Culver. “These organizations attract visitors
to Massachusetts, and each institution offers unique and stimulating
activities for residents. Investing in the maintenance and improvement
plans of cultural facilities represents an intelligent investment
in the Commonwealth.”
Recipients are located in Chelmsford, Franklin, Lynn, Pittsfield,
Provincetown, Somerville, Wellfleet, Worcester, and Yarmouth.
Awards include $37,500 for the Wellfleet Preservation Hall and
$26,250 for the Lynn Memorial Auditorium.
”The CFF has now invested $37 million in the Massachusetts
cultural sector since 2007,” said MCC Director Anita Walker.
“The program has justified its original inclusion in an
economic stimulus bill by creating thousands of new jobs and strengthening
our organizations’ capacity to draw new visitors to Massachusetts.”
The Massachusetts Cultural Council received and evaluated 18
requests for planning funds totaling $450,000 and recommended
the $177,375 in nine new grants, bringing the program total to
224 recommended grants totaling over $37 million. MCC recruited
experts from across the United States who had served on panels
in at least one of the previous rounds. Panel members had experience
in real estate development, debt financing, real estate project
management, organizational capacity building, nonprofit accounting,
grant making, and historic renovation and preservation. They reviewed
and ranked the applications using a weighted set of criteria.
MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors approved the awards,
which the Agency manages and disburses. Award decisions were based
on the recipients’ rankings and annual operating budgets.
The Legislature created the Cultural Facilities Fund in July
2006 by appropriating an initial $13 million as part of an omnibus
economic stimulus bill. In FY 2009, the Commonwealth added to
the Fund with a budget appropriation of $6.5 million and a capital
bond appropriation of $7 million.
Grant Awards:
| Berkshire Carousel |
Pittsfield |
$16,875 |
| Center for Arts at the Armory |
Somerville |
$12,950 |
| Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Inc. |
Yarmouth |
$7,875 |
| EcoTarium |
Worcester |
$18,750 |
| Lynn Memorial Auditorium | Lynn |
$26,250 |
| Massachusetts High School Drama Guild | Chelmsford |
$25,300 |
| New England Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. | Franklin |
$18,750 |
| Provincetown International Film Festival | Provincetown |
$13,125 |
| Wellfleet Preservation Hall | Wellfleet |
$37,500 |
###
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.
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.
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