About
Mass Cultural Council works to elevate our rich cultural life in Massachusetts. We partner with communities across the Commonwealth to expand access, improve education, promote diversity, and encourage excellence in the arts, humanities, and sciences. Through our efforts, we make our state a better place to live, work, and visit for everyone.
We believe in the power of culture.
Working through the arts, humanities, and sciences, culture is a dynamic force for enriching communities, growing the economy, increasing accessibility, and fostering individual creativity. Culture is intrinsically valuable and unique in its ability to lift the human spirit.
Our Mission
The Mass Cultural Council is a state agency that promotes excellence, inclusion, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and sciences, fosters a rich cultural life for all Massachusetts residents, and contributes to the vitality of our communities and economy.
The Council pursues this mission through a wide range of grants, initiatives, and advocacy for artists, communities, organizations, and schools.
Our Values
We believe in the power of culture. Working through the arts, humanities, and sciences, culture is a dynamic force for enriching communities, growing the economy, increasing accessibility, and fostering individual creativity. Culture is intrinsically valuable and unique in its ability to lift the human spirit.
We recognize the essential role that a rich cultural life plays in communities and the lives of individuals. To invest in our cultural life is to invest in our shared future.
We partner with artists, communities, organizations, and schools to unleash the power of culture across the Commonwealth.
Our Vision
We envision a Commonwealth where:
- Culture elevates the quality of life and well-being of all communities
- Culture drives growth and opportunity through the creative economy
- Culture is inclusive, equitable, and embraces our diversity
- Culture empowers a new generation through creative youth development and education
Our Funding
Mass Cultural Council receives an annual appropriation from the state Legislature and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, and others. Details on our budget are available online. In turn, Mass Cultural Council makes thousands of grants directly to non-profit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and individuals artists, through funding programs that use arts, science, and the humanities to build strong, diverse, livable communities. The beneficiaries of these programs comprise a cross-section of the population and citizens in each Massachusetts city and town.
Our Impact
There are few places in America as rich in arts and culture as Massachusetts. From Boston to the Berkshires, from Cape Ann to Cape Cod, our state boasts an array of exceptional cultural organizations, beautiful and distinctive communities, and thousands of talented artists and educators. Mass Cultural Council nurtures the creative life of Massachusetts. We help organizations grow and change. We help schools enrich students’ lives by weaving quality arts, humanities, and science programs into their curricula. We foster dialogue among cultural leaders on issues of shared importance, and make connections between artists and businesses. And we advocate on behalf of the cultural community–ensuring that arts, humanities, and sciences have a voice in discussions about the future of the Commonwealth and its communities.
Plans & Policies
As a state agency, the Mass Cultural Council participates in the Office of Performance Management & Oversight’s publication of agency performance measures. View Mass Cultural Council’s most recent Performance Measures.
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