Lisa Simmons, Program Manager
Mass Cultural Council believes that festivals are the fabric of our communities. From cultural celebrations, to holiday strolls, to artists exhibitions they provide opportunities to honor the arts and culture of a community. As COVID-19 halted many of these public gatherings over the last 10 months, we saw other festivals get creative and move online or reimagine outdoor options producing festivals in a safe and engaging way.
It is this creativity that inspired the Agency to move forward with FY21 Spring/Summer Festivals grants. These grants will support festivals taking place between March 1 and August 31, 2021.
We have made a few changes to the program guidelines based on what we learned from our Festivals Audience Lab designed by ArtsBoston, which was completed in early fall 2020. The Lab built a community of practice around marketing and audience development and using data-informed experimentation to test new strategies intended to build and deepen more diverse audiences. It also explored engagement techniques for when a physical festival could not take place.
Application opens: January 27, 2021, 10am (ET)
Information session: February 4, 2021, 4pm (ET)
Application deadline: March 15, 2021, 5pm (ET)
Review program guidelines and our resources for festivals.
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