Arts & Culture Grants

Worcester Arts Council Grants

The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) receives an annual appropriation of state funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and makes these funds available to the community through its grant programs. WAC accepts grant applications for individuals and organizations, and is one of the few Local Cultural Councils (LCCs) in the Commonwealth to offer Fellowships on an annual basis.

Grants are issued to support arts, humanities, 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.

Fellowship Grants: Assist individuals in developing their work outside the structure of a specific project or presentation. Artists in any discipline may apply. All Fellowship applicants must maintain a residential, commercial or studio address in the city of Worcester.

Project Grants: Assist in the development of projects and programs in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences. Applicants must demonstrate a tangible benefit to Worcester citizens. All grant applicants must maintain a residential, commercial or studio address in Worcester County. All WAC-funded projects must occur within the city of Worcester.

For the first time, in FY22 WAC will make direct payments to both project and fellowship grant recipients. This means that all grants issued by WAC for FY22 will be paid up front.

NEA Project Grants for Individuals

The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds intended to help, in part, address the impacts of COVID-19. With these funds, WAC intends to subgrant up to a total of $200,000 to individuals in the Worcester community.

View Grant Guidelines
Applications open June 1 - July 10, 2022. Apply Online!

Funding Priorities

Each year, WAC seeks community input though a Funding Priorities Survey. The responses inform WAC on the types of projects that are most important to the people of Worcester. WAC uses this feedback to determine its Funding Priorities for its annual grant cycle. Projects and programs that align with the Funding Priorities are given preference in the Council's review of applications.

Take the Survey

Based on over 2,000 survey responses last year, 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: Worcester Arts Council FY2022 Funding Priorities.

2022 Grantees

For FY22, the Worcester Arts Council awarded a total of $206,069 to 57 Worcester area applicants. The 2022 allocation included 7 Artist Fellowships, which were awarded to individuals to assist in the funding of their endeavors in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences.

View the full list: 2022 Grantees

Learn more about the 2022 Payment Process.

IRS Form W-9 - MUST be on file with the City of Worcester before any of the following documents can be completed.
2022 Grantee Credit & Publicity Requirements
Grant Amendment Form - optional. Grantee must submit prior to implementing any changes to their WAC-funded program.
Payments for WAC grant recipients FY22:

Direct Grant Agreement - complete and send to ArtsCouncil@WorcesterMA.gov after you receive confirmation your W9 was processed.
Project Evaluation Form - within 2 weeks of project completion, or by one year of receiving your award letter, complete the Project Evaluation and submit to ArtsCouncil@WorcesterMA.gov.

A virtual Grant Writing Workshop was held on Wednesday, September 22. View the slides and video below.

Grantee Resources

All grantees must review the 2022 Grantee Credit & Publicity Requirements and incorporate this information into their project as appropriate.

Worcester Arts Council Logos:
- JPG Format: Full Color |(Black Version)
- PNG Format: Full Color | (White Version and Black Version)
Mass Cultural Council Logo

All documents can be submitted as follows:

Emailed to: ArtsCouncil@WorcesterMA.gov. Please note that City emails are subject to Public Records Requests. For your security, any emails that have sensitive personal information (such as a Social Security Number) must be encrypted. To protect your confidential information, the subject line of any such emails must end with [encrypt].

Mailed or dropped off to:
Worcester Arts Council
455 Main Street
Room 409
Worcester, MA 01608