State Invests $12.4 Million in Cultural Facilities

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Cultural Facilities Fund Supports Creative Economy Infrastructure in Massachusetts

May 14, 2009

Contacts:

Adam Bickelman

, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2086

Greg Liakos, Massachusetts Cultural Council, 617-727-3668 x343

Eighty-five organizations* across Massachusetts will receive grants ranging from $400,000 to $4,000 from the state's Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF). The grants, totaling $12,467,900 were announced today by MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), which administer the program jointly. Of the amount awarded, $12,009,900 will support 61 capital projects, $379,000 will be used by 17 groups for feasibility and planning studies, and $79,000 will be used by 17 groups as systems replacement plan grants.

(*Complete list follows by region.)

CFF grants support Massachusetts non-profit cultural organizations with building projects that increase tourism, create new jobs, leverage private funding, and expand arts and cultural activities in communities across the state. The latest round of CFF grants was made possible by a $6.5 million appropriation by the Legislature in July 2008 as part of the FY 2009 state budget, and a $7 million appropriation by the Governor in April as part of a 2009 capital bond allocation.

"These grants will help cultural organizations flourish in every corner of our Commonwealth," said Governor Deval Patrick. "They are a sound investment in the state’s vibrant creative economy, and promise to have a direct economic impact throughout Massachusetts."

Recipients are located in 45 communities statewide from Adams to Fall River; and run the gamut from small community heritage sites to large museums, theaters, and performing arts centers.

Barnstable's Cahoon Museum of American Art will draw on a $400,000 grant to construct a new addition to its historic 1775 building that will add gallery, classroom, storage and administrative space and draw new visitors to Cape Cod. A $90,000 grant will help repair the Roxbury Center for the Arts at Hibernian Hall, which has helped revitalize Roxbury's Dudley Square neighborhood. And the internationally renowned Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket will use a $400,000 grant to construct a new performance stage and facility to enhance its appeal to hundreds of thousands of summer visitors to the Berkshires.

"Our rich array of cultural organizations draws visitors from across the nation and around the world," Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) said. "These grants are an economic driver that help foster growth in this key sector of our economy, creating jobs and generating new income in our communities."

"The construction projects funded through these grants will provide short-term stimulus to our economy," said House Speaker Robert DeLeo of Winthrop. "And over the long term, investments like this will position our cultural organizations to attract more visitors to Massachusetts and make our cities and towns better places to live and work."

GRANT AWARDS BY REGION

CENTRAL

Capital Grants:

American Antiquarian Society, Worcester - $293,000

Old Sturbridge Village - $135,000

ValleyCAST!, Douglas - $160,000

Worcester Art Museum - $310,000

Worcester Center for Performing Arts - $62,000

Systems Replacement Plan Grants:

American Antiquarian Society, Worcester - $6,000

EcoTarium, Worcester - $6,000

GREATER BOSTON

Capital Grants:

Agassiz Neighborhood Council, Inc., Cambridge - $400,000

American Repertory Theatre Company, Inc., Cambridge - $169,000

Boston Center for the Arts, Inc. - $386,000

Boston University Concert Hall - $400,000

Central Square Theater, Cambridge - $68,000

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline - $36,000

Friends of the Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge - $132,000

Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge - $359,000

Longy School of Music, Inc., Cambridge - $312,000

Mudflat Pottery School, Inc., Somerville - $300,000

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - $400,000

New Art Center, Newton - $50,000

New Repertory Theatre, Inc., Newton - $26,000

Newton Historical Society - $218,800

Paul Revere House, Boston - $362,500

Roxbury Center for the Arts at Hibernian Hall, Boston - $90,000

Spontaneous Celebrations, Inc., Boston - $28,000

Springstep, Medford - $209,000

Strand Theatre, City of Boston - $234,000

TheatreZone, Inc., Chelsea - $270,000

Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, Boston - $400,000

Zumix, Inc., Boston - $200,000

Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants:

Artists for Humanity, Inc., Boston - $38,000

The Bostonian Society - $38,000

Charlestown Working Theater, Inc. - $9,000

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Inc., Boston - $15,000

Massachusetts College of Art Foundation, Boston - $15,000

Suzuki School of Newton, Inc. - $27,000

Systems Replacement Plan Grants:

Dante Alighieri Cultural Society, Cambridge - $4,000

The Boston Conservatory - $5,000

New Art Center, Newton - $4,000

Spontaneous Celebration, Inc., Boston - $5,000

Springstep, Medford - $5,000

METRO WEST

Capital Grants:

Amazing Things Arts Center, Framingham - $218,000

Concord Art Association - $170,000

The Discovery Museums, Acton - $172,000

Fiddlehead Theatre Company, Norwood - $31,000

Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants:

Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham - $37,500

Systems Replacement Plan Grants:

Fiddlehead Theatre Company, Norwood - $5,000

NORTHEAST

Capital Grants:

Cape Ann Historical Society, Gloucester - $75,000

Essex Art Center, Inc., Lawrence - $95,000

Longyear Museum, Mary Baker Eddy House, Lynn - $395,000

Lowell Memorial Auditorium - $310,000

LynnArts, Inc. - $75,000

Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln - $145,000

New England Quilt Museum, Lowell - $77,000

Old Town Hall, Salem - $174,000

RAW Art Works, Lynn - $138,000

Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Inc. - $400,000

Sargent-Murray-Gilman-Hough House, Gloucester - $19,000

Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants:

Massachusetts Air and Space Museum, Bedford - $8,000

Peabody Essex Museum, Inc., Salem - $38,000

The House of Seven Gables, Salem - $22,000

The Revolving Museum, Inc., Lowell - $12,000

Systems Replacement Plan Grants:

New England Quilt Museum, Lowell - $4,000

SOUTHEAST

Capital Grants:

Cape Cod Art Association, Barnstable - $10,000

Cahoon Museum of American Art, Barnstable - $400,000

Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton - $391,000

Spinner Publications, Inc., New Bedford - $24,000

Soule Homestead Education Center, Middleboro - $107,000

Sturgis Library, Barnstable - $246,700

Tilden Arts Center, Barnstable - $157,000

Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants:

Espirito Santo Museum Foundation, Fall River - $38,000

Little Theatre of Fall River, Inc. - $3,000

Natural Resources Trust of Easton, Inc. - $2,000

Systems Replacement Plan Grants:

Academy of Performing Arts, Orleans - $5,000

Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Brewster - $4,000

Natural Resources Trust of Easton, Inc. - $4,000

Vineyard Playhouse Company, Inc., Vineyard Haven - $4,000

WESTERN

Capital Grants:

Community Music School of Springfield - $391,000

Double Edge Theatre Productions, Inc., Ashfield - $43,000

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst - $7,900

Hancock Shaker Village, Inc., Pittsfield - $400,000

Historic Deerfield, Inc. - $63,000

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Inc., Becket - $400,000

New Marlborough Village Association, Great Barrington - $45,000

Susan Anthony Birthplace Museum, Inc., Adams - $24,000

The Berkshire Music School, Inc., Pittsfield - $65,000

The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield - $234,000

The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge - $190,000

The Springfield Museums - $307,000

Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants:

Available Potential Enterprises, Ltd., Northampton - $15,000

Greenfield Community College - $23,000

Hampshire/Franklin/Hampden Agricultural Society, Northampton - $38,000

The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge - $38,000

Systems Replacement Plan Grants:

American International College, Springfield - $5,000

Berkshire Music School, Pittsfield - $5,000

Double Edge Theatre Productions, Inc., Ashfield - $4,000

Earthdance Creative Living Project, Inc., Plainfield - $4,000

About CFF:

The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund is an economic stimulus program that invests in the planning, acquisition, rehabilitation, and construction of nonprofit and public cultural facilities in Massachusetts. Since its creation by the Legislature in 2006, the CFF has awarded more than $37 million to more than 200 cultural facilities projects across the state.

MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council co-administer the program. MCC solicited and evaluated CFF applications for this latest round of grants, received 132 requests for funding totaling $27.5 million. The MCC then recruited 28 experts from across the U.S. with experience in tourism, facilities finance and operations, real estate, construction, organizational development, and historic preservation to review and rank the applications using a weighted set of criteria. All applications were also reviewed by an appointed Cultural Facilities Fund Advisory Committee with statewide representation. The board of Directors of MassDevelopment approved the awards, which MassDevelopment manages and disburses. Award decisions were based on the recipients' ranking, annual operating budget, and location. Maximum awards are capped at $400,000. Grants announced today must be matched one-to-one by the recipient with funds from other sources.

About MCC:

The

Massachusetts Cultural Council

is a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities, and sciences to improve the quality of life for Massachusetts residents and contribute to the state's economic vitality. MCC is committed to building a central place for arts and culture in the everyday lives of communities through a combination of grants, services, and advocacy for cultural organizations, schools, and artists. MCC receives an annual appropriation from the state and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources.

About MassDevelopment:

MassDevelopment

, the state's finance and development authority, works with businesses, financial institutions and local officials to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2008, MassDevelopment financed or managed 265 projects statewide representing an investment of more than $3 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are supporting the creation of 4,001 housing units and more than 10,384 jobs: 5,424 permanent and 4,960 construction-related.

For a complete funding list, including project descriptions, visit

www.massculturalfacilities.org

.

News Source : State Invests $12.4 Million in Cultural Facilities