Creative Experiences Grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council fund festivals, projects, residencies, and other cultural activities in the arts, humanities, and sciences. The program provides one-year grants to organizations, creative businesses, government entities, and schools in Massachusetts, supporting activities that bring arts and culture to communities across the state.

Awards of $2,500 or $5,000 are available, with a deadline of June 30, 2026. Eligible applicants are organizations in Massachusetts conducting activities in the arts, humanities, and sciences that align with the program priorities of expanding access to cultural experiences and supporting diverse artistic expression.

Application Process – Mass Cultural Council Operating Grants for Organizations Guidance on Application Narrative Feasibility and Technical Assistance Grants Systems Replacement Plan Grants Under-Resourced Cities & Towns ConnectorCare Card to Culture Resources for Organizations Universal Participation Initiative UP Designated Organizations BIPOC-Centered Organization Self-Identification Capacity Building Toolkit Legal Issues for Arts Administrators Leadership and Management Cultural Investment Portfolio Creative Experiences provides grants to organizations, creative businesses, government entities, and schools to fund festivals, projects, residencies, and other cultural activities in the arts, humanities, and sciences.

The program provides one-year grants of $2,500 or $5,000 to fund activities taking place between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027. Además, usted también puede solicitar la traducción de los materiales de la aplicación y que estos se le sean enviados digitalmente. Este proceso tardará de 5 a 10 días hábiles.

Mass Cultural Council is happy to offer alternative formats, auxiliary aids, translation, interpretation, and other services necessary so that any individual can participate in Mass Cultural Council’s programs and services. Contact staff for help . To facilitate your request in a timely manner, please contact us at least three weeks before any Mass Cultural Council event or grant deadline.

Mass Cultural Council aims to build a diverse and equitable creative and cultural sector in the Commonwealth. To that end, historically underfunded organizations are encouraged to apply, including but not limited to Native American, Indigenous, or Urban Indian organizations, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) organizations, d/Deaf & Disability organizations, and organizations serving vulnerable populations.

Read the program guidelines below and the Frequently Asked Questions . Download a sample application or a sample application when using a fiscal agent . Watch a recorded information session ( a PDF of the slide deck and a copy of the session’s Q&A are also available) and/or drop-in on virtual office hours to ask staff questions.

Learn more about requesting an accommodation for accessibility or requesting translation services​ . Create a user profile or login to your account in the grants management system. (Details under “Grants Management System” below.)

Complete and submit the online application by April 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (ET). Questions? Join our virtual office hours , contact program staff , or call 617-858-2821.

Eligibility: Applicant Organizations Eligible organizations must be: Based in Massachusetts or recognized to do business in the Commonwealth, and have a Massachusetts address. In good standing with the relevant oversight entity (i.e. not dissolved or revoked). Responsible for the production, presentation or facilitation of the proposed experience.

The following organization types are eligible to apply: Nonprofit Organizations: registered with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth OR recognized by the IRS as tax exempt and registered with the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Nonprofit Organizations/Public Charities Division . For-Profit Organizations: registered with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth .

This includes profit corporations, multiple-member Limited Liability Companies (including C Corporation, S Corporation, and Partnership LLCs), limited partnerships or limited liability partnership, and benefit corporations. Other Creative Businesses: Must have an eligible fiscal agent in order to apply.

This includes sole proprietors and single-member Limited Liability Companies, even if they are also incorporated with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth . Government Entities: A federally recognized tribal, state, or municipal government entity in Massachusetts.

Pre-K–12 School: Any Massachusetts public school district, public school, charter school, private school, collaborative, approved special education school or program serving grades Pre-K – 12. The school must be recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) with a DESE ID 25-26 . Unincorporated Organizations: Must have an eligible fiscal agent in order to apply.

An unincorporated organization is a group of people who have come together to pursue a common goal without forming a separate legal entity. If you have any questions about whether your organization is eligible for this grant, refer to the FAQs for more guidance , and/or contact program staff before starting the application.

Notes for applicants using fiscal agents: Fiscal agents are responsible for completing all contract documents, and will receive the payment on the grantees’ behalf, restricted to the use of the applicant organization. The fiscal agent must be in place at the time of the application. If awarded a grant, organizations using a fiscal agent will not be paid directly.

Eligible fiscal agents must have active tax-exempt status with the IRS and be registered to do business in Massachusetts – meaning they are listed in the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Business Entity database (not dissolved or revoked) or be registered with the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Nonprofit Organizations/Public Charities Division.

For the purpose of this program, Massachusetts municipalities are also able to serve as an applicant’s fiscal agent. Eligibility: Creative Experiences Eligible experiences must: Contribute to the cultural vitality of Massachusetts by being intended for and promoted to the general public or offered to a specific community. Be accessible to people with disabilities.

Take place between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027. Take place in Massachusetts. To be eligible for a $2,500 grant, your experience must: Incorporate the arts, humanities, or sciences.

Mass Cultural Council’s definition of these terms is intentionally broad and includes art forms and cultural enrichment that may not fall into “traditional” disciplines. Have a minimum project budget (actual cash expenses) of at least $2,500. To be eligible for a $5,000 grant, your experience must: Have the primary purpose of producing, presenting or facilitating an experience in the arts, humanities, or sciences.

Have a minimum project budget (actual cash expenses) of at least $5,000. Are or include activities that are ‘inherently religious’ such as religious worship, instruction, and/or proselytization. Feature a political candidate running for office.

Discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Are for the express benefit of a specific person or closed private group (i.e. defined by personal relationships, employment, or residence, rather than a shared community identity). Solely promote sponsorship, fundraising and/or marketing efforts and/or individual sales.

Solely aim to underwrite presenter, tabling or vendor fees for participating in an event. Eligibility Related to Multiple, Duplicate, and/or Overlapping Applications Each organization can only submit one FY26 Creative Experiences application. Each experience/activity will only be funded once per cycle.

Any specific and limited audience (i.e. a school) can only receive one grant per cycle. (i.e. a PTO or the school should apply, not both, even if it’s for different activities.)

If there are multiple applications from an organization, for the same experience, or for the same specific and limited audience, the application from the primary producer of the experience or the highest scoring application will be kept, and the others deemed ineligible. Please see the FAQs for examples and additional information .

If you have any questions about whether your organization’s work is eligible for this grant, refer to the FAQs , and/or contact program staff before starting the application. Other Mass Cultural Council Funding & Eligibility To support our equity goals, Mass Cultural Council has taken steps to ensure that we can fund as many organizations as possible. Read about these steps on our blog .

Organizations receiving funding from the following Mass Cultural Council programs should be aware of additional considerations, as described below: FY26 Operating Grants for Organizations, Cultural Investment Portfolio, Cultural District Investment, and Gaming Mitigation Fund grant recipients. FY26 Creative Experience grant recipients that did not do their approved activity in the grant year and were approved for an extension into FY27.

Eligible to apply, but would ultimately only be funded by one program: FY27 Creative Experiences applicants also applying for FY27 YouthReach Grants. Organizations that manage a state-designated Cultural District might be eligible if it has operations that are independent of the Cultural District and the project is not associated with the cultural district.

FY26 Creative Experiences grant recipients may apply for FY27 Creative Experiences, but must complete their FY26 final report by the deadline July 15, 2026 in order to be eligible for FY27 funding in the program. Mass Cultural Council staff review all applications to confirm eligibility, completeness and accuracy.

The Agency will make every effort to contact applicants if any technical errors are discovered but cannot be held accountable for missing or incorrect information in the relevant sources. The applicant will be given a deadline to resubmit the corrected application. If the applicant does not meet the deadline, the application will not be moved forward for review.

Incomplete applications (i.e., leaving required narrative questions blank) will not be reviewed. If eligible applications exceed available funding, the Funding Prioritization and Equitable Distribution details below will be used to determine which applications will be funded. Geographic Distribution: To ensure geographic diversity, grants will be awarded by county in proportion to the county’s application demand.

For example, if applications from Essex County make up 7% of the total applications received, Essex County will be allocated approximately 7% of the grants made. Funding Prioritization: Mass Cultural Council envisions a diverse creative and cultural sector that is valued as essential in the Commonwealth.

To that end, priorities have been established to support programmatic practices that advance equity, diversity, and inclusion through our services to the sector. Prioritization will include the following: Experiences/Activities where the primary purpose is producing, presenting or facilitating an experience in the arts, humanities, or sciences.

Experiences/Activities that hire and compensate Massachusetts artists, humanists and/or scientists. Applicants that have not received funding from Mass Cultural Council directly in the last three fiscal years, or that are applying to the Mass Cultural Council for the first time. Applicants that have received a cumulative total of $5,000 or less in grant funding from Mass Cultural Council directly in the last three fiscal years.

Applicants/Experiences providing access for low-income individuals and families: Applicants participating in the Agency’s Card to Culture program (Applicants may sign-up for this voluntary non-granting program in the Agency’s grants management system .) Experiences/Activities that are free to the public.

Applicants that are BIPOC Centered Organizations or BIPOC majority schools: Organization applicants that self-identify as led by and serving people of the global majority — Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Latinx, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, and all other ethnicities of color. Learn more about the Agency’s racial equity work .

Applicants wishing to make this BIPOC Centered Organization identification will need to fill out a form in the Agency’s grants management system . School Applicants that are recognized by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) with a 2026-2027 DESE School ID with student populations that are 50% or more Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC) as reported by Data Source (2025-2026) .

Experiences/Activities in cities and towns that are below the state’s median household income and below statewide educational attainment. This includes but is not limited to places designated as Gateway Cities. A full list of these under-resourced communities is available .

Please note, this program receives a high volume of applications, and not all eligible applicants are guaranteed funding. In the event we cannot fund all eligible applications and several applications are tied for the final available award(s), we will first use equitable distribution considerations to break ties.

Equitable Distribution: Mass Cultural Council reserves the right to ensure equitable distribution of funding across the Massachusetts cultural sector considering a variety of factors. This may include, but is not limited to, equitable distribution across county, city/town, discipline, project budget, and/or applicant type.

After equitable distribution considerations have been applied, a lottery style randomization will be used to determine how many remaining ties will be broken.

Application Opens: March 3, 2026 Information Session : March 10, 2026 Application Deadline: April 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (ET) Applicant Notification: End of August 2026 Contract Sent: Late-September – October 2026 Final Report Due: July 2027 Please note: This timeline is subject to change, and awardees need to complete a multi-step contracting process before funds can be disbursed.

Applicants with funded activities happening before that time may be paid retroactively. Grants will only be paid to the applicant organization or the applicant organization’s listed fiscal agent. Grants cannot be transferred or redirected to a third party such as a partner or co-producer.

If an applicant/fiscal agent is unwilling or unable to accept the grant funds, the grant will be cancelled, and the funds forfeited.

To receive the funds awarded through this program, grantees must complete the following documentation: CASL (Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing) Form Electronic Funds Transfer Form/W-9 including valid EIN State Contract and attachments The W-9 provided must list the legal name of the applicant organization, and match the EIN provided.

Applicant organizations that select the federal tax classification Individual/sole proprietor, which includes single member Limited Liability Companies, on their W-9 must have an eligible fiscal agent in place at the time of application, in order to receive funds from this program.

While Mass Cultural Council staff make every effort to confirm the organization’s legal status and standing during the review process, if during the contracting process it is discovered that the grantee does not meet the eligibility requirements of the program the grant will be cancelled, and the grantee will be notified. All the necessary documents will be sent via DocuSign to grantees to complete.

Grantees who do not have a bank account that the funds can be transferred to can notify the Contract Officer at the time of award notification to request a mailed check. Grantees using a fiscal agent will not be paid directly, the fiscal agent will complete the contract and receive the payment on the grantees’ behalf.

Electronic deposits will be made to the grantee’s account (or a check will be mailed) 20-45 days after the grantee returns their contract. Mass Cultural Council will make every effort to expedite payments as quickly as possible. Grantees will be expected to complete a simple final report describing the use of their grant funds by July 15, 2027, for legislative reporting and advocacy purposes.

Acknowledgement of Funding Grant recipients are required to credit Mass Cultural Council for funding. Attachment D of your contract package or the online Credit and Publicity Kit has more details. Holds, Modifications, Cancellations: Mass Cultural Council has the right to withhold, reduce, or discontinue funding if grantees: Intentionally misrepresents their budget, programming, or other eligibility requirements.

Does not notify Mass Cultural Council of significant changes to the project. Fails to carry out the program as described in the approved application. Fails to completely and accurately submit contract materials in a timely fashion.

FY26 Creative Experiences grant recipients: Mass Cultural Council will not release FY27 funding until complete reports are received from the applicant.

Compliance with Laws and Regulations Mass Cultural Council and its grantees are contractually committed to abide by state and federal regulations which bar discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and which require accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Mass Cultural Council’s grantees sign a contract certifying that they will comply with ADA and Section 504. Mass Cultural Council aims to help grantees understand their obligations and recognize the opportunities that increasing access can provide for both the public and the grantee. Resources and additional information are available as part of Mass Cultural Council’s Access Policy .

Legal and Other Requirements Accessibility and Non-Discrimination Policy Mass Cultural Council is committed to ensuring that all programs, services, policies, and practices are formulated and conducted in a manner which will ensure equal access for all people and prevent discrimination not only as a matter of law, but also as a policy designed to encourage the participation of all segments of the Commonwealth’s population in Mass Cultural Council programs and services.

Mass Cultural Council is dedicated to creating a workplace, programs, and services that welcome, respect, and value people of all races, color, age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religions, creeds, ancestry, national origin, disability and veteran status, and does not discriminate on the basis of these attributes.

We strive to reflect diversity in all activities, programs and services by removing any barriers to accessibility. Mass Cultural Council is happy to offer alternative formats, auxiliary aids, and services necessary so that any individual can participate in Mass Cultural Council’s programs and services. Contact staff for help .

To facilitate your request in a timely manner, please contact us at least three weeks before any Mass Cultural Council event or grant deadline. Please read the full Access Policy for more information. An applicant may request reconsideration of a Mass Cultural Council decision on their application if the applicant can demonstrate that the Mass Cultural Council failed to follow published application and review procedures.

Dissatisfaction with the results of a review does not constitute grounds for reconsideration. The first step in the reconsideration process is to consult with the appropriate Program Staff to discuss the review process that concluded in the Mass Cultural Council’s decision.

If the applicant wishes to pursue a reconsideration, a request must be sent to the Mass Cultural Council’s Executive Director, in writing, within 30 days of the Mass Cultural Council’s notification to the applicant of its decision. All applicants should submit their applications through the online system. To create a profile in the system you must have an email address, which will be your username.

If you have not applied to Mass Cultural Council before and/or do not already have a user profile, complete a registration in the grants management system: Go to the online system and click “Register”. On the next page select “Organization” to register your organization, school, town, or other group. Your organization may already have a record in the system.

Use the Organization name field to find and select your organization, then provide your contact information. If your organization’s name is not listed, click the link at the top of the page to register your organization manually. There you will also provide your own contact information as well.

After completing the registration, you should receive an email to activate your account. The account must be activated within 24 hours. After clicking the activation link, you will be prompted to create a new 8-digit password.

If you have previously applied for a Mass Cultural Council grant using your email address, you may have a profile in the system already. Here’s how you can check to see if you already have a user profile: Go to the online system and click “Forgot Password”. Once you submit your email address, you will receive an email with a temporary password and a link to the site.

Copy the password to use on the login page, you will then be prompted to create a new password. If you do not receive an email, you do not have an account and you should create one (see above), or you can contact the grants help desk for assistance. Proceed to the Online Application 10 St.

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