Worcester Arts Council

The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) is a municipal body consisting of nine members appointed by City Manager Edward M. Augustus.

WAC is part of a statewide network of 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCCs) supported through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), a state agency. The LCC program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation. It supports thousands of community-based projects in the arts, humanities and sciences. This program assists the Worcester community in developing local projects and supports local creatives.

WAC's mission is to promote excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences to improve the quality of life for Worcester residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our city.

Worcester Arts Council Profile

Meetings

Meet monthly on the 2nd Thursday evening. During grant review season, meetings will be held periodically until all grant applications have been reviewed. Grant applications are open September 1 through October 15. Applications are reviewed and voted on by the Council from November through December.

For FY22 applications, the deadline has been extended to November 1, 2021.

Date/Time of Next Meeting: TBA

Meeting Agendas & Minutes

Meeting Videos

Community Input

Because WAC is responsible for distributing public dollars, each year the Council solicits public opinion about how to best distribute its grant funds through a Funding Priorities Survey. All LCCs are required to conduct a community input process, and LCCs that receive more than $20,000 in funding must develop funding priorities. Like most LCCs, WAC typically receives more grant requests than can be funded. Strong priorities based on community input help guide WAC's grant-making decisions.

The Worcester Arts Council sought community input for the FY22 grant cycle through its 2021 Funding Priorities Survey. Based on over 2,000 responses, WAC's Funding Priorities for FY22 are:

• Project Categories | Projects that focus on Public Art, Arts Education & Instruction, and Children's Programs.
• Cultural Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion | Projects that elevate the voices and experiences of historically marginalized groups to highlight the current and historical diversity of Worcester. Projects should create opportunities for artists and community members who identify as Black, Indigenous, POC, LGBTQIA+, refugee, immigrant, or person living with a disability.
• Locations | Projects that take place in or benefit areas of Worcester that are historically underserved.

View the Full Report

Grants

The Worcester Arts Council accepts grant applications based on guidance from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Grants are issued to support arts, humanities and interpretive sciences; visual artists, performing artists, science educators, historians and other humanists; as well as community, business and civic groups, social service organizations, schools, neighborhood centers and youth, senior and family associations.

Grants Resources

The Worcester Arts Council is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.