Mass Cultural Council plans to pause the Artist Fellowships Program for the current grant cycle (Fiscal Year 2023). Pending confirmation by the Agency’s governing Council in late August, this would mean no Artist Fellowships applications will be accepted in Fall 2022 or Winter/Spring 2023.
It’s an honor for Mass Cultural Council to support artists from every community across the Commonwealth. We are proud to have funded thousands of exciting Massachusetts artists over the years.
Currently, the Agency is actively engaged in a three-year Racial Equity Plan. As part of that plan, we are evaluating all programs with a focus on racial equity and expanding access to funding and programmatic resources. Pausing Artist Fellowships this year will allow our team the opportunity to reflect and reframe our programs for artists and creatives. We expect to seek perspectives from a wide diversity of voices to help guide this work.
In the meantime, Mass Cultural Council is excited to offer the Cultural Sector Recovery Grants for Individuals in FY23, a $15 million, one-time historic investment in artists, creatives, and cultural sector gig workers, as well as other opportunities for creative individuals:
Cultural Sector Recovery Grants for Artists
Application opens: August 15, 2022 | Application deadline: November 1, 2022
This one-time pandemic recovery program provides unrestricted grants of $5,000 for creatives and gig workers to support recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and set a path for growth.
Local Cultural Council Grants
Application opens: September 1, 2022 | Application deadline: October 17, 2022
Every community in Massachusetts is served by a Local Cultural Council (LCC) that funds local cultural projects. Most LCCs accept applications from individuals. Grants are a minimum of $250 and applications are made directly to each LCC.
STARS Residencies
Application opens: September 28, 2022 | Application deadline: October 25, 2022
STARS Residencies bring students and teachers together with practicing artists, scientists, and scholars to create rich cultural experiences in the classroom. Any Massachusetts school serving grades K-12 is eligible to host one residency per school year and schools, teaching artists, and cultural organizations are eligible to apply. STARS Residencies offer a minimum grant of $2,500 and last a minimum of three days.
Find weekly lists of artist opportunities on ArtSake. Sign up for our Artist News e-newsletter to keep up-to-date on all opportunities, grants, and services for artists through Mass Cultural Council.
Image: Andrae Green (Painting Finalist ’22), DIVERS II (2021), oil and acrylic on canvas, 36x48in.
Christopher says
Hello.
I’m confused by your messaging.
It basically states that in an effort to achieve racial equity, you will not be awarding any grants for the next year.? With no further explanation.
I mean no disrespect, but this lack of explanation seems highly suspect and seems as if something has been grossly mishandled in the past and is being withheld from the public.
ArtSake says
We appreciate your feedback. We are pausing activity in the Fellowships program for FY23 to take the time to do a thorough evaluation of that program through the lens of racial equity. On one hand, there’s no ideal time to pause a grant program, even for a worthy cause. But on the other hand, the timing seemed right to pause this particular year, with the historic investment of the Cultural Sector Recovery Grants for Individuals, which will award $5,000 grants totaling approx. $15M to artists and creative individuals in Massachusetts. That way we can continue to support individuals in the cultural sector in a robust way while taking the time we will need to fully evaluate our funding and services for artists, overall. We look forward to continuing to support artists and creative individuals in the Commonwealth.
JImmy says
I’ve been waiting for the Traditional Arts/Craft section to open for two years and now you’re telling me I won’t have the opportunity to apply until 2024?
ArtSake says
Thank you for your message. No, I’m afraid we are accepting Artist Fellowships applications in Crafts or Traditional Arts in FY23. In the meantime, I hope you will consider applying for the Cultural Sector Recovery Grants for Individuals: https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/cultural-sector-recovery-grants-for-individuals/
Neal Rantoul says
I do not understand why the individual artist grants have been put on hold for 2023. I am all for racial equality but if the applications were always open to all MA residents then how could the grants need a pause to emphasize racial equity? Also, how did the Arts Council get to make this decision? As a career artist who has applied numerous times, I do not believe I was consulted. To me, this smacks of bureaucracy and government meddling. As one of the only ways we have for receiving support for our art, along with the recognition the grant gives us, to be. denied this for 2023 seems like a bad decision.
ArtSake says
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback about our decision to pause the Artist Fellowships for Fiscal Year 2023. The choice to pause this particular program was not an easy one, but we thought it was the right decision for all of the reasons outlined in this blog post, with a special emphasis on our director Michael J. Bobbitt’s focus on equity and expanding the reach of our programs. Hopefully we will have an opportunity to support you and your work in the future. Over the next several months Mass Cultural Council will be assessing our programs that support Massachusetts artists and cultural sector workers, with the expectation that new offerings will be available in Fiscal Year 2024 (which begins July 1). We look forward to sharing updates on this new direction as they become available.