The Cultural Facilities Fund is an initiative of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is administered jointly by MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC).  The goal of the Cultural Facilities Fund is to increase investments from both the public and private sector to support the sound planning and development of cultural facilities in Massachusetts.  The Fund provides Capital Grants, Feasibility and Technical Assistance Grants and - new this year - grants for Systems Replacement Plans.   Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, municipalities and institutions of higher education.  Please refer to the Program Guidelines for all of the eligibility criteria.

The legislative appropriation to the Cultural Facilities Fund for the 2008/2009 Round is $6.5 million.  The deadlines for this cycle are as follows:

Intent to Apply Deadline:                    Friday, October 31

Draft Application Deadline (Optional):    Friday, October 31

Final Application Deadline:                   Thursday, December 18

This year, we are pleased to announce that the application process will be available in an electronic format.  The program guidelines are online now, and can be accessed here.  The full online application system will be up and running the week of September 29.

We strongly recommend that all applicants review the program guidelines, review criteria, and applications thoroughly before starting the online application process.  The guidelines provide a detailed description of all the requirements under each grant category.  Please read each section carefully, and if at any time you need assistance feel free to contact MCC staff.   

We will send out a notification the week of September 29 letting you know when the full online application is accessible.

Please note, we are also planning a series of seven Cultural Facilities Fund public information sessions around the state beginning in early October.  During the sessions MCC staff will explain the guidelines, go through the application questions and answer any inquiries you have about the process or the content of the application.

Please visit our website for the current schedule and location of the public information sessions, and please check back as more sessions are added in other parts of the state.

Once again, please don't hesitate to write or call if you have any questions.  We look forward to working with you in the coming months.

Jay Paget, Program Director

Rebecca Polan, Program Coordinator

posted September 25, 2008

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