Christian Kelly, Public Relations & Events Manager
FY25 Cultural Facilities Fund Grant Cycle Now Open; Applications Due December 19, 2024
Last week at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MassDevelopment and Mass Cultural Council were joined by state Senator Jo Comerford (D- Northampton), state Representative Mindy Domb (D- Amherst), Amherst Town Council President Lynn Griesemer and Councilors Mandi Jo Hanneke and Pam Rooney, other state and local officials, grantees, and cultural partners to announce and celebrate a new $2,608,000 public investment into 17 nonprofit and municipal cultural organizations through the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF), which the two state agencies jointly administer.
The CFF provides capital and planning grants to nonprofit organizations, colleges, and municipalities that own or operate facilities primarily focused on the arts, humanities, and sciences. CFF awards invest in the acquisition, design, repair, renovation, expansion, and construction of nonprofit and municipal cultural facilities. All CFF awards are subject to a 1:1 matching requirement.
The Cultural Facilities Fund is funded annually through the Governor’s Capital Spending Plan. In FY25 the Healey-Driscoll Administration invested $10 million into the CFF, which supports this grant round, and the awards that were announced.
“Across Massachusetts, art plays a critical role in supporting strong communities and our local economies,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I am proud to see the Cultural Facilities Fund invest throughout the state and help preserve the unique Massachusetts story.”
“As a former Mayor, I know how transformative these cultural centers are — they help educate our youth, create thousands of jobs and provides outlets for expression,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Today’s investments will ensure that this work can continue to help connect more residents with these artistic opportunities.”
“These investments are crucial for sustaining the creative and cultural heartbeat of our communities,” said Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council. “These spaces serve as gathering places for artistic expression, learning, and shared experiences that enrich the lives of all who engage with them. By investing in infrastructure in this way, we help them remain vibrant, accessible, and adaptable to the evolving needs of the public. This is not just about preserving buildings but fostering environments where creativity can thrive – which contributes to the creative vitality and economic health of the entire Commonwealth.”
“The Cultural Facilities Fund strengthens our economy by investing in the places where we love to spend time – our museums, theaters, historical sites, and other destinations,” said Marcos Marrero, Deputy Director and Senior Vice President, MassDevelopment. “Today’s grants will help these places renovate and expand to better serve their communities, attract visitors, drive tourism, and create jobs for the benefit of Massachusetts.”
Celebrating 17 New Investments into Massachusetts Cultural Facilities
Seventeen capital grants, totaling $2,608,000 were recommended by the Cultural Facilities Fund Advisory Committee and approved by a vote of the MassDevelopment Board of Directors. A complete list of funded projects is available online. Some examples include:
- Double Edge Theatre, located in Ashfield, received a $200,000 capital grant to build a new Community Design Center as part of their rural campus.
- Heritage Museums & Gardens of Sandwich received a $200,000 capital grant to construct a new Welcome Center.
- Preservation Worcester, Inc. received a $186,000 capital grant to restore and repair the exterior of the Salisbury House.
- The Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester received a $125,000 capital grant to restore their Tower façade masonry, roof, and drain system.
- The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst received an $88,000 capital grant for new security systems, archival storage A/C, repairs to the cooling tower and parking lot drainage, roof drainage upgrades, and to resurface the Museum’s façade.
Representatives from two cultural organizations spoke at last week’s event to detail the impacts of this public investment.
“We are extremely grateful to be one of the recipients of a 2024 capital grant,” said Jennifer Schantz, the Executive Director of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. “The funds from this grant make so much of our necessary work possible, ensures the security and functionality of our building and helps protect our precious collection of picture book art. We feel so fortunate for all of the ways Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment support arts and culture in Massachusetts.”
“Double Edge Theatre is extremely proud to be a recipient of a Cultural Facilities Fund award,” said Travis Coe, Co-Artistic Director, Double Edge Theatre.
“This funding will support the construction of a new Community Design Center that will be adjacent to our main center in rural Ashfield and be a place for community to gather and work in multi-medium art forms. The building will be managed collaboratively with No Loose Braids, a Nipmuc led organization, with spaces created specifically for Indigenous art forms. Double Edge Theatre is an extremely proud recipient of the Cultural Facilities Fund. This program has been instrumental over the years in securing our organization’s future. This grant is to support the construction of a new Community Design Center that will be adjacent to our main center in rural Ashfield and be a place for community to gather and work in multi-medium art forms. The building will be managed collaboratively with No Loose Braids, a Nipmuc led organization, with spaces created specifically for Indigenous art forms.”
Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment were also joined by state Senator Jo Comerford (D- Northampton) and state Rep. Mindy Domb (D- Amherst), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development.
“Spaces like the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, the Northampton Community Arts Trust, and Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity are integral in building a connected community,” said Senator Jo Comerford (D- Northampton). “I am heartened that these organizations are receiving Cultural Facilities Fund grants, and I am deeply grateful to Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment for investing in the places and spaces that foster creativity and culture in the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester District.”
“Cultural facilities are anchors of our communities that shape our collective identity and inspire creativity in our daily lives. They contribute greatly to our local economies by attracting visitors and generating revenue for our small businesses,” said Rep. Mindy Domb (D- Amherst). “I am excited that the awards announced today provide necessary capital funds to museums, historic sites, theaters and more here in western Massachusetts and across our Commonwealth. The Legislature understands that these investments support more than just individual institutions like The Eric Carle Museum, but rather help support our region’s entire economy, including the artists and community members who benefit from these cultural cornerstones.”
FY25 CFF Application Now Open
The agencies also announced the launch of the FY25 CFF grant cycle. Nonprofits, municipalities, and colleges with cultural facilities seeking capital or planning assistance are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is December 19, 2024. Awards are expected to be announced in May 2025.
There are three types of awards available through the Cultural Facilities Fund:
- Capital Grants, which support the acquisition, design, construction, repair, renovation, rehabilitation or other capital improvements or deferred maintenance of a cultural facility.
- Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants, for costs and expenses related to overall planning and feasibility for a proposed eligible project.
- Systems Replacement Plan Grants, A 20-year capital needs assessment conducted by a preselected contractor hired by the Cultural Facilities Fund to assess the facility’s structure and its mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and life-safety systems.
Applicants seeking more information about the program are encouraged to review the FY25 program guidelines, register for a virtual information session or sign up to attend online office hours with CFF program staff.
About the Cultural Facilities Fund
The CFF was created by an act of the Legislature in 2006 to achieve the following goals:
- Enhance Massachusetts’ creative economy through financing for acquisition, construction, expansion, renovation, and repair of cultural facilities.
- Increase employment, entrepreneurialism, and tourism in the regions where these facilities are located, especially drawing new visitors from outside the Commonwealth.
- Stimulate further investment in the arts, heritage, and sciences by preserving cultural resources.
From 2007 through today, the CFF has awarded more than $174 million to 1,532 projects across the Commonwealth, employing 36,830 architects, engineers, contractors, and construction workers. The organizations engaged in this work have reported adding 3,220 new permanent jobs as a result of these projects.
The CFF’s impact extends beyond the nonprofit cultural sector in ways that benefit Massachusetts’ broader economy. The organizations awarded grants generate millions in annual economic activity through direct spending on everything from supplies to energy and advertising and are popular tourist destinations. The CFF has also spurred private investment, leveraging nearly $3 billion in spending from the funded projects. Finally, CFF grants contribute to cultural preservation by helping to restore and expand many of our nation’s most treasured historical landmarks.