Mayor Wu Announces Cultural Investment Grants Awarded To 11 Grantee Partners
By DJ Harding
Tuesday, July 11, 2023 – Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, in collaboration with the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet and the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, today announced that 11 arts and cultural grantees are receiving funding totaling $7,350,000 as part of the City’s new Cultural Investment Grant program.
This program, supported by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, represents the largest ever municipal investment into Boston’s cultural community, and will help support these organizations with a clear vision for a creative, equitable and more just City in scaling and strengthening their programing across the City.
“Supporting these organizations through the Cultural Investment Grant program not only allows us to expand accessibility and equity in the arts sector, but also helps us make progress on so many other important needs—equity and wealth-building, housing stability and community-building, and supporting health and well-being in our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Michelle Wu.
These grants will build capacity for arts and cultural organizations working in partnership with communities in Boston.
This will also uplift the cultural sector of Boston and help reinforce equitable access to arts and culture for communities of color who have been impacted by systemic inequities and the pandemic which disproportionately affected those communities of color.
The 11 grantee partners are Beat The Odds, Dorchester Art Project and Boston Little Saigon Cultural District, BAMS Fest, Design Studio for Social Intervention, The Theater Offensive, Veronica Robles Cultural Center, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Cultural Equity Incubator, That Child Got Talent Secret Society of Black Creatives and Next Leadership Development Corporation, Jean Appolon Expressions, and Hyde Square Task Force.
As part of this grant process, the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture piloted a Cultural Advisory Team, which was a cohort of diverse stakeholders who played an integral role in the application and decision-making process, including conducting applicant interviews, supporting organizations with the completion of their applications and organizational profiles, and contributing to final funding decisions.
The money for these grants will be distributed over the next three and a half years. The city of Boston also awarded $10,000 each to Company One Theater, Boston Children’s Chorus, The Guild for making it to the final round of the review process.
