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Mass Cultural Council asks for $28M in FY26 to expand grants, start poet laureate and scale arts social‑prescribing
Summary
Mass Cultural Council asked the Ways & Means committee for a $28 million FY26 appropriation — the largest in agency history — to expand operating grants, youth arts and cultural district programs and to fund the state's first poet laureate and social‑prescribing pilots.
Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Michael J. Bobbitt told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means in Gloucester that the agency seeks a $28,000,000 FY26 appropriation, an increase intended to expand operating support for cultural organizations, strengthen local cultural councils and fund the new state poet laureate position.
Bobbitt said the cultural sector contributes $28.6 billion in economic activity in Massachusetts and supports more than 133,000 jobs, and that statewide arts and cultural assets now number more than 15,000…
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