Boston Cultural Council
We award grants that help artists and arts organizations thrive.
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Latest News
Latest NewsMar 9
$626,000 in Boston Cultural Council Grants Awarded to 160 Arts Organizations
One hundred and sixty arts and cultural organizations have been awarded grants totaling $626,000 through this year's Boston Cultural Council grant program.
What is the Boston Cultural Council?
The Boston Cultural Council (BCC) works under the umbrella of the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. Every year, we distribute funds in the form of Boston Cultural Council Organizational Grants. These funds support innovative arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences programming. The goal is to enhance the quality of life in our City.
WHO WE ARECouncil members are Boston residents appointed by the Mayor. They serve up to two consecutive three-year terms. Council members are picked based on:
- their commitment to Boston’s cultural community, and
- their knowledge of various arts disciplines.
We review applications to evaluate the quality of proposed programming and potential benefit to Boston. We make sure grants respond to the needs of the cultural community. We also make sure the best practices for grant solicitation, review, and disbursement are followed.
In 2018, we developed an equity statement. Our goal is to further promote cultural, economic, and racial diversity in the arts. You can read our statement below:
To truly thrive, Boston must be an equitable city. For the Boston Cultural Council, equity means equal access to resources and equal value of all cultural traditions and expressions. Equity operates as an out-loud process of actively reflecting, including, and rewarding cultural, economic, and racial diversity in the arts. The BCC actively encourages the creativity and engagement of all. We do this through our grantmaking guided by the Boston Creates cultural plan. Our grants emphasize fair opportunity, accessibility and understanding of Boston’s arts and cultural communities. Our programmatic, financial, and informational resources also pro-actively encourage equity and inclusion within the organizations we support.
2023 Boston Cultural Council Grantees
Cultural Council members
Council members
Council Info
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Department:Arts Commission
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Authority:City
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Term:3 years
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Stipend:No
Why we fund what we fund
We work to enhance the quality of life, the economy, and the design of the City. We do this by investing in cultural organizations, programs, and artists. We provide support via grants to further the goals of Boston Creates:
- Creating a fertile ground for a vibrant and sustainable arts and culture ecosystem.
- Keeping artists in Boston and attracting new ones. Recognizing and supporting artists’ contribution to a thriving, healthy, and innovative city.
- Cultivating a city where all cultural traditions and expressions are respected, promoted, and resourced. We want to give everyone an opportunity to engage with arts and culture.
- Integrating arts and culture into all aspects of civic life. Inspiring all Bostonians to value, practice, and reap the benefits of creativity in their individual lives and in their communities.
- Mobilizing likely and unlikely partners, and collaborating across institutions and sectors. Generating excitement about, and demand and resources for, Boston’s arts and culture sector.
