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

WAC Grant Opportunities

The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) receives an annual appropriation of state funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), and makes these funds available to the community through its grant programs. WAC accepts grant applications for individuals and organizations. It is also 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.

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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.

As of July 2025, all current/upcoming agendas and archived meeting minutes are now available through our partner OneMeeting. Archived agendas and minutes are currently available going back to 2021, with older archived files added on an ongoing basis. For meeting materials prior to this time period, please submit a Public Records Request.

Additionally, all meeting videos will be available on the OneMeeting Portal from July 2025 moving forward. Videos prior to this time will still be available in our Video On Demand, but will be migrated to the OneMeeting portal on an ongoing basis.

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