Worcester Arts Council

The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) is a municipal body consisting of nine members appointed by City Manager Eric D. Batista.

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 How to Join

Upcoming Meetings

During grant review season, meetings will be held periodically until all grant applications have been reviewed. Grant applications typically open open the beginning of September through mid October. Applications are typically reviewed and voted on by the Council from November through December.

Meeting Video and Agendas and Minutes of past meetings are available!

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Funding Priorities

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 funding priorities for the current grant year will always be posted before the grant application opens. Please find additional details by clicking on the link below.

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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.

Grant Resources

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