The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) is a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.  The Council pursues this mission through a combination of grant programs, partnerships, and services for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists.

Local Cultural Councils (LCCs) will send preliminary notification to all applicants shortly after they vote on grants.  Disapproved applicants are notified first to allow for the reconsideration process.  Approved applicants generally receive letters from LCCs in December or January.  Final approval from the state is given in March/April and money is available to reimburse applicants in April.  Please note that funds may be transferred to local accounts before April in some communities.

There are two kinds of applications that local cultural councils review from applicants: standard LCC applications, which can cover a broad range of cultural activities, and PASS applications, which are used to request money for K-12 students’ field trips to cultural performances.

Suggested institutions for these field trips are designated with a “Type: P” in the MCC Roster.

An applicant may apply to any number of LCC’s.  If you do apply to more than one LCC for the same project, it is important that you indicate the amount you requested from the other LCC’s on the appropriate budget line.  Some LCC’s have guidelines regarding requests from applicants from other communities.  Applicants should find out about any local guidelines before applying.

The statewide, yearly deadline to apply to LCC’s is October 15.

Send in your application form to the Local Cultural Council (LCC) by the October 15 deadline.  While all LCCs use the same basic application forms, some may require additional information from their applicants.  It’s a good idea to speak with the chair of the LCC in the towns where you plan to apply. The chair can provide information about where applications must be sent and explain any local requirements (for example, multiple copies of applications or interviews with applicants). It’s up to the applicant to research each LCC before sending an application.

Both the Local Cultural Council (LCC) application form and PASS application form are available at the link below, beginning September 1, with a submission deadline of October 15.

Local Cultural Council Program

 
Forms are also available locally from the chair the Goshen Cultural Council.

Local Cultural Council Programs, administered at the state level by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, provide state funds to cities and towns to regrant at a local level. Municipally-appointed volunteers meet and decide how to distribute local funds to projects in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences.