The Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) applications are now available, kicking off the FY23 round of grants that support the planning and construction of cultural facilities in Massachusetts.
Donor Name: Mass Cultural Council
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/02/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $50,000
Details:
Over $9 million will be awarded to support repairs, renovations, new construction, and acquisition of facilities. Planning grants are also available for analysis, design, and feasibility studies that relate to a cultural facility.
Grant Categories
- Capital Grants: For the acquisition, design, construction, repair, renovation, rehabilitation or other capital improvements or deferred maintenance of a cultural facility. Any of the following would qualify for consideration under this description:
- New construction.
- Additions to an existing structure.
- Renovations or repairs to an existing structure.
- Fixed/integrated equipment.
- Any combination of the above.
- Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants (FTA): For costs and expenses related to overall planning and feasibility for a proposed eligible project.
- Systems Replacement Plan Grants (SRP): These are a specific type of Feasibility and Technical Assistance Grant specifically designed for organizations without full-time maintenance staff. The SRP is a 20-year capital needs assessment of the building and its mechanical systems.
Applicants may only apply for one grant per round, with the exception of:
- A Systems Replacement Plan Grant, which may be applied for in tandem with any other grant category.
- Beginning in FY23, applicants may apply for a Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grant in tandem with a Capital Grant, if it is for the purpose of planning for the reduction of carbon emissions.
Statutory Threshold Criteria for All Grants
The statute of the Cultural Facilities Fund has established five threshold review criteria for all its grants:
- Project must be an “eligible project”
- There must be a demonstrated community need for the project.
- The project must be able to demonstrate that it will benefit tourism in the local area.
- There must be a demonstrated financial need for a grant.
- The project must be able to demonstrate local support.
- In addition to the statutory threshold criteria:
Capital Grant applicants must meet “financial capacity” threshold criteria.
- Capital Grant applicants must either own or lease the facility.
- A College or University must demonstrate that its cultural facility provides service and open access to the community and the general public outside of the regular educational mission.
- A Municipality must demonstrate how 50% or more of its facility is for arts, humanities, or interpretive science programming.
Award Information
- FEASIBILITY & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS
- Grants up to $50,000 1-1 match
- SYSTEMS REPLACEMENT PLAN GRANTS
- Grants from $7,000 to $12,500 1-1 match
- CAPITAL GRANTS
- Award maximums for Capital Grants have not been set at this time. Maximum grant amounts in the recent past have been $200,000. A maximum grant amount will be set by the Cultural Facilities Fund Advisory Committee during the review process.
Eligibility Requirements
The following entities (“Cultural Organizations”) are eligible to apply for grants for cultural facilities:
- Nonprofit cultural organizations: 501(c)(3) organizations that are primarily concerned with the arts, humanities, or interpretive sciences. The legislation includes but is not limited to museums, historic sites, zoos, aquariums, theaters, concert halls, exhibition spaces, classrooms, and auditoriums (“Cultural Facilities”). Eligible facilities must be owned, leased, or used by one or more nonprofit cultural organizations, and must be accessible to the public.
- Municipalities that own cultural facilities: provided that the cultural facility is at least 50,000 square feet in size, and at least 50% devoted to cultural purposes provided. However, if such building, structure, or site is 125 years old or older and is significant in the history, archeology, architecture or culture of the nation, the commonwealth, or the community in which it is located, it may be of any size.
- Public or private institutions of higher education that own cultural facilities: provided that the cultural facility provides service and open access to the community and the general public beyond its educational mission and can demonstrate financial need.
For more information, visit Cultural Facilities Fund.
