Mass Cultural Council approves $26M-plus FY26 spending plan and dozens of grants, including $7.2M in operating support

The Mass Cultural Council voted on Aug. 19, 2025 to approve its FY26 spending plan and a series of grant allocations across programs and partners, formalizing staff recommendations reviewed earlier by the Executive and Programs Committees.

Council Chair Marc Carroll said the General Court’s appropriation of $26,045,152 plus $930,000 in earmarks provided the financial framework for the plan. Staff presented a detailed spending plan and program recommendations; the Executive Committee and Programs Committee had recommended the Plan for full Council approval.

By roll call vote the Council approved the Plan and a set of grant resolutions and program implementations presented at the meeting. Recorded approvals in the minutes include a $983,056 grant to Mass Humanities; $70,000 to the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA); $30,000 to Mass Creative; $5,000 to MassPort; $75,000 for implementation of an NEA-funded Arts & Health Project; a $10,000 grant to MIT (or a related entity) for the MITx Arts Entrepreneurship Online Program; and endorsement of staff plans to provide $7,200,000 in unrestricted operating support grants under the Cultural Investment Portfolio and new Operating Grants for Organizations.

Additional approved allocations included up to $870,000 in Cultural District grants; $5,700,000 to Local Cultural Councils; $103,950 to Tribal Cultural Councils; $1,870,000 for the YouthReach program; $36,000 to the Youth Arts Impact Network with EdVestors; $25,000 in NEA support for Poetry Out Loud; Creative Experiences grants totaling $3,350,000 plus an additional $25,000 NEA supplement for "America 250" applicants; $465,000 for UP Innovation Fund grants; and a $100,000 grant to Open Door Arts for an Arts and Culture Accessibility Resource Hub.

Deputy Executive Director David Slatery reviewed the Council’s conflict-of-interest procedures before grant votes. The minutes note that several members disclosed affiliations and that members abstained from discussion and voting on matters tied to organizations listed under their names (the minutes list those affiliations and abstentions). The roll-call votes recorded the absence of Petrina Martin, Donn Haghighat and Rhonda Anderson for the minutes approval and elsewhere for votes; the minutes do not include per-member yes/no tallies for each grant vote but record abstentions by named members on items tied to their affiliations.

The Council also authorized staff to re-allocate unused FY26 grant funds among approved grant programs, subject to later approvals or administrative adjustments. Catherine Cheng-Anderson reported two Business Operations items: a five-year lease extension at 10 Saint James Avenue with a modest per-square-foot increase and prior Executive Committee approval of approximately $8,900 in out-of-state staff travel. The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:45 a.m.

Next steps recorded in the minutes: staff to circulate an updated conflicts list after the meeting and to implement the approved spending plan and grant distributions in accordance with the Council’s procedures.