We offer grants to artists and organizations in Medford, and we work to support the growth of the arts and the arts community in Medford. Each year we provide funds to support numerous public activities in Medford in the areas of arts and culture, including concerts, festivals, performances, classes, and school field trips. The funds we distribute are an annual allocation from the Massachusetts Cultural Council through their Local Cultural Council (LCC) program.
You can apply for LCC grants and PASS grants from the Medford Arts Council. LCC grants can cover a broad range of cultural activities, and PASS grants are used to request money for K-12 students' field trips to cultural performances, tours, and exhibits. Application forms are available on the web at http://massculturalcouncil.org/applications/lccapp.html for LCC grants and http://massculturalcouncil.org/applications/passapp.html for PASS grants. Mail your grant application and any supporting documents to Medford Arts Council, Medford City Hall, 85 George P. Hassett Drive, Medford, MA 02155. The postmark deadline is October 15, and the state requires us to reject any application which is postmarked after that deadline.
The project budget on the application form must be filled out completely. The project expenses in the budget must equal the project income in the budget. Include information about other sources of project income in your project budget. Grant funds may not be used to purchase food, refreshments, or gifts.
Timetable: For the grant cycle with a deadline of October 15, 2010, grant applications must be for events or programs taking place between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2011.
Local planning: You must show that you have made specific plans to hold your event or activity in Medford. That means including a specific letter of support from the organization which controls the local venue. For example, if you plan to hold your event at the Medford Public Library, you must include a letter of support from the Medford Public Library saying that they want to host your event. We do not fund applications which show no sign of specific local planning.
Collaboration: Projects involving collaboration must include a letter from the collaborating individuals or organizations confirming their commitment to the project.
Transportation: We do not fund transportation in PASS grants.
Funding priorities
New projects: We are particularly interested in new projects. At least 20% of the Council's funding will be awarded to new initiatives.
PASS grants: Up to 7% of the Council's funding will be granted to the schools through the PASS program. (This guideline was updated July 1, 2010.)
Please also see our scoring sheet (pdf) to better understand how we review and decide on grant applications.
Grant application assistance
Questions about the grant application process or how to fill out the forms? We encourage all grant applicants to talk to us. We'd love to hear about your project and help you submit a better grant application. You can also contact us by phone or e-mail.
After you apply
We review all grant applications using the state and local guidelines and our scoring sheet (pdf). Each member of the council scores each grant application, and applications with higher average scores are more likely to receive funding. We also balance the amounts granted to different sorts of projects and different audiences so our grants can best serve the entire community.
We send preliminary notification to all applicants shortly after we vote on grants. Declined applicants are notified first to allow for the reconsideration process. Approved applicants generally receive a letter along with a reimbursement form (pdf) in December or January. Grants are made on a reimbursement basis only, so you must send us the completed reimbursement form and receipts after your event or program has taken place.
If the project involves a public performance or exhibition, grant recipients are required to send an announcement of the event to the Council two months prior to the event so that the Council can attempt to publicize it and have the option of attending the event.
Grant recipients must include the following acknowledgment on advertising and publicity materials, event programs, and event announcements: "The project is supported in part by the Medford Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council." The Massachusetts Cultural Council logo must also be included. Please see the Credit & Publicity Kit for LCC Grant Recipients for details and logos.
We encourage you to send us digital photos of events we've funded that we can use on our web site. We have a rotating gallery of images on our what we have funded page. This is a great way to help us promote Medford as a community with many arts and cultural activities. Send photos (or links to on-line photos) to michael@medfordartscouncil.org.
Our 2009 reception for grant recipients
Royall House and Slave Quarters, Medford, March 8, 2009
