The City of Cambridge Local Cultural Council grant program offers funding to individuals and organizations for cultural projects, public art, ticket subsidy programs, cultural field trips for children, and other activities.
Donor Name: City of Cambridge
State: Massachusetts
City: Cambridge
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/17/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to $5,000
Grant Duration: 18 months
Details:
LCC Grant Descriptions
- Project Grants support the development and presentation of new arts programs or public art that benefit Cambridge communities.
- Field Trip Grants are used to purchase tickets for Cambridge youth, grades pre-K through 12, to attend professional arts and cultural events, in or outside of Cambridge.
Note: Projects and field trips must be completed within the allotted 18 months from July 1st of the submission year to December 31st of the following year. Recipients who fail to complete their project or submit the required final report documentation will be ineligible for future grants for a term of two years, will have their final payment withheld, and may be required to reimburse Cambridge Arts the initial granted amount. All programs and field trips should be designed with public health precautions in mind, and if any projects or field trips cannot move forward as planned, grantees can work with Cambridge Arts to make appropriate accommodations.
Funding Information
LCC Grant amounts will vary depending on the amount requested and available funding. Applicants can apply for up to $5,000 for projects.
Eligible Projects
- Program Eligibility
- All approved projects and field trips must be completed within an 18-month window of eligibility, between the July 1st preceding the application deadline in November, and December 31st of the following year.
- Arts, Humanities and Interpretive Sciences
- The funds may only be used to support programs in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences in Cambridge. This definition includes the study, pursuit, performance, exhibition, and appreciation of cultural activities.
- Public Benefit
- Projects must demonstrate a community benefit. Funds support activities that contribute to the cultural vitality of the community as a whole, rather than benefiting any one private individual or group. This does not mean that a large audience needs to participate in order to satisfy the requirement of community benefit.
- Non-Discrimination
- Cambridge Arts will not fund projects that discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, creed, color, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or age.
- No Substitution
- LCC funds are neither intended to replace nor supplement existing public funds for programs in the arts, humanities, or interpretive sciences, nor to be used as the sole source of project funding. Any item or activity that is generally considered the financial responsibility of the City will not be approved, even if funding did not previously exist for that item or activity. Expenses related to classroom or other school-sponsored programs or extracurricular activities are not eligible for funding.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be based in Cambridge (as a resident, an employee, or partnered with a Cambridge organization). For applicants who are not based in Cambridge, a letter of collaboration and support from a Cambridge-based partner is required. All projects must be based in Cambridge and benefit Cambridge residents. The location of the project must be at a Cambridge venue or site.
Individual artists, artist groups, arts organizations, community organizations, and municipal agencies working in all genres and media are all eligible to apply for LCC Grant funds. Funding supports projects, workshops, residencies, public art initiatives and other such activities in the fields of arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences.
- Individuals
- Individual applicants must show that the project will benefit the community. (Although funds cannot be used to support activities that benefit only the individual applicant, a public presentation of an individual’s work may provide the needed public benefit.)
- Private nonprofit organizations
- This includes organizations with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Associations that can establish a nonprofit objective This includes organizations that can establish a nonprofit objective– that is, groups of individuals with a common purpose (e.g., local community band, theater group) that do not have nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
- Schools, libraries, or other public agencies
- Public agencies are eligible to apply for funding, but funds may not be used to replace municipal funding for the arts, humanities, or interpretive sciences.
- Religious Organizations
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- Religious organizations or groups with a religious affiliation are eligible to apply for the same funding of cultural programming available to the general public. However, Cambridge Arts cannot approve applications that are not primarily cultural in their intent, have the effect of advancing religion, or substantially benefit religious organizations or schools.
For more information, visit City of Cambridge.
