Grants for Creative Individuals are unrestricted grants of $5,000 to Massachusetts artists, culture bearers, and creative practitioners to equitably advance creative expression throughout the diverse communities.
Donor Name: Mass Cultural Council
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/11/2023
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Mass Cultural Council believes creativity is the key to solving many of society’s concerns. Advancing this asset helps to make the Commonwealth a preeminent place in the nation for it to thrive.
The Grants for Creative Individuals Program mission is to equitably advance creativity throughout the Commonwealth with unrestricted grants to individuals who demonstrate achievement of creative expression and commitment to their artistic/cultural practice.
Funding Priorities
Mass Cultural Council seeks to broaden and diversify the range of persons who benefit from its grant programs. To that end, it will seek to attract and provide funding under this program to persons that may not have been, or had a fair opportunity to be, beneficiaries of Mass Cultural Council programs. Prioritization will include the following:
- Applicants who have not received a direct Mass Cultural Council grant in the last six fiscal years (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) which spans from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2023.
- Applicants who have been historically underfunded by similar programs:
- People who identify as BIPOC — Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Latine, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, and all other ethnicities of color.
- People who identify as a person with a disability.
- People whose creative practice has been limited by poverty. To receive this priority, applicants will need to provide proof of current participation in one of the following programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) formerly known as Food Stamps; MassHealth/Medicaid; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC); federal and state public/subsidized housing programs.
- Culture bearers or traditional artists. Applicants will self-identify as meeting the definition of a culture bearer or traditional artist. For this program, the definition of “culture bearer or traditional artist” includes individuals whose creative/artistic practice is reflective of the cultural heritage of a community. Most often, a culture bearer/traditional artist is trained for years by mentor artists or community elders and carries a commitment to sustaining a living tradition.
Who can apply?
An artist, culture bearer, or creative practitioner active in any artistic/creative discipline. For this program, the definition of “artist/culture bearer/creative practitioner” includes individuals whose creative expression is based in: community-based arts, crafts, dance, design, digital, film/video, folk/world/traditional arts, native/indigenous arts, literature, music, performance, photography, theater, and visual arts.
AND you meet all the following requirements:
- You are 18 years of age or older.
- You are a full-year resident of Massachusetts for calendar year 2023 AND when grants are awarded in Spring 2024. This means you maintain your “legal residence” in Massachusetts, and you meet the definition of a “full-year resident”. Both terms are defined in the Massachusetts tax code.
- You are not currently enrolled at a college or university as a full-time undergraduate student or as a graduate student in the arts.
- You did not receive a Cultural Sector Recovery Grant, Artist Fellowship grant, or a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant over $2,000 in 2021, 2022, or 2023.
- You are not a governor-appointed Mass Cultural Council member. Mass Cultural Council staff and family are likewise ineligible to apply.
Requirements/Important Payment Information
- You must provide a physical address in Massachusetts in your application and contracting documents, and failure to do so could result in forfeiting the grant.
- Mass Cultural Council reserves the right to request additional documentation to verify Massachusetts residency.
- Grant payments are conditional upon grant recipients’ acceptance of Mass Cultural Council policies, including a public announcement of grant recipients’ names and cities/towns on Mass Cultural Council’s website. Additionally, recipients full legal name and award amount will be searchable in the Comptroller’s CTHRU website.
- The grants are considered taxable income by the Department of Revenue.
- Payment will be made to you as an individual.
- If you receive public benefits that are income-limited and/or include asset limitations, this grant may impact those benefits. Please review this fact-sheet about grant impacts on public benefits.
- As a state agency, the grants are subject to the Commonwealth’s Intercept process, meaning grants can be intercepted in part or in full to pay for past due state fees and debts.
For more information, visit Mass Cultural Council.
