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Mass Cultural Council asks for $28 million in FY2026 to expand grants, equity work and a state poet laureate honorarium
Summary
Mass Cultural Council Director Michael Bobbitt told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means the agency seeks $28 million for FY2026, including a new $15,000 earmark to fund an honorarium for the state's newly created poet laureate position and additional operating, local council and equity investments to reach growing demand.
Michael J. Bobbitt, director of the Mass Cultural Council, requested a $28,000,000 appropriation for FY2026 during the Gloucester Ways and Means field hearing on March 10, saying the agency is seeing record applications and unmet need across its grant programs.
What was requested - $28,000,000 total; the request matches the agency’s FY2025 ask and is $1,150,000 higher than the current appropriation. Within the request, the council asked for a new $15,000 funded earmark to provide an honorarium and travel support for Massachusetts’ first official Poet Laureate, created by executive order. - The council said the funds would expand operating support grants, youth arts, local cultural council programs and a cultural asset inventory that now counts more than 15,063 arts organizations and 112,190 creative individual generators in Massachusetts.
Why it matters: The Mass Cultural Council said arts and culture contribute $28.6 billion to the state economy and support more than 133,000 jobs; the council also warned that potential federal changes to NEA program rules could reduce a roughly $1.2 million federal grant that supplements some of its programs.
Questions and committee remarks Committee members and local lawmakers praised the council’s work and noted initiatives such as arts for healing and “social prescribing,” which the council described as a program that allows providers to prescribe arts participation to patients, often paired with transportation and companion tickets.
Ending: The council asked the committee to consider the $28 million appropriation to expand grantmaking and equity goals and to support statewide cultural infrastructure during FY2026.
