Bethany Steiner, senior director of public affairs at the Mass Cultural Council, testified Oct. 8 in support of Senate Bill 2,169, which would clarify eligibility for the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund.

Steiner said the Cultural Facilities Fund (created by the Legislature in 2006 and co‑administered by Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment) is a capital grant program that has awarded about $180,000,000 to over 1,600 projects. She told the committee current law limits municipal facility eligibility to buildings that are either very large or very old, forcing the council to turn away projects from communities including Tolland, Leverett, Revere and New Bedford. The bill would remove size and age restrictions for municipal facilities and explicitly confirm tribal cultural facilities’ eligibility.

Steiner said the change is "a narrow but important fix" that advances equity and access and that MassDevelopment has no objections to the change. She asked the committee to report the bill favorably.

Why it matters: If enacted, the amendment would broaden the pool of municipal and tribal cultural facilities that can seek capital grants from the fund, potentially affecting local cultural organizations, construction and tourism activity in affected communities.