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Date: 9/7/2021
AGAWAM – Every year, the Agawam Cultural Council (ACC) receives a grant from the Mass Cultural Council (MCC). With this grant, the ACC seeks grant requests from local community-oriented programs in arts, humanities and sciences in need of funding.
According to a press release from the ACC, “The Local Cultural Council Program, of which the Agawam Cultural Council is a part, is a grant program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The MCC provides allocations to each of Massachusetts' 351 cities and towns to support cultural activities. These funds are then dispersed through a strict grant process conducted by the all-volunteer network of 329 Local Cultural Councils. This is the largest program of its kind in the United States.”
For fiscal year 2022 (FY22), the ACC has received $20,400. Last year, they received $18,200.
Bob Kadis, ACC chair, explained that receiving this grant is a “whole process,” in which it goes through a “grant cycle.” The cycle began in early September and will last until Oct. 15.
“After Oct. 15, the council meets to vote on grants submitted to us,” said Kadis. He went on to say that they review all information carefully. For those who are denied funding, the ACC will send a letter first to inform them. Similarly, they send letters to all the recipients of the grant. In addition, the ACC sends an annual report to the MCC.
In FY21, the ACC received 27 grant requests, yet only fulfilled 24 of those due to duplicate submissions.
When making a decision on who the grant recipients will be, Kadis said in past years, they have received grant requests from various schools. He described these requests as “sizable,” and “far exceeding” of the funds they possess. Nonetheless, he stated, “We’re one of the few in the commonwealth that look at all [the grants] and see how we can support in one way or the other.” Regardless if someone receives their full grant request, Kadis assured that they work to find a way to provide some funds to everyone.
Some of the past recipients have included Agawam Cinema, the Senior Center, Agawam Public Library and many other organizations.
“We look for venues in town that benefit the Agawam community,” said Kadis. “[It] doesn't necessarily need to be in town but somewhere Agawam residents can benefit.”
He explained that if not all the funding is used in one year, the money will carry over to the next fiscal year.
People are able to apply for this grant directly online. Kadis said there is an initial questionnaire that is required to fill out. If people go through and answer in a negative way, they will not qualify. On behalf of the ACC, Kadis said, “We can’t be biased, ignorant, or deny access to people who are handicapped, etc. – it has to be available to everyone.”
To learn more and/or apply for the 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council grant cycle, visit https://massculturalcouncil.smartsimple.com/. Information about the ACC’s Grants program can also be found on the ACC’s website at https://www.agawamcc.org/. For additional questions on how the online application process works, contact Kadis directly at 789-4814 or r.kadis@comcast.net.