Old North Illuminated Receives Operating Grant of $20,800

BOSTON – Old North Illuminated, the non-profit organization that stewards Old North Church Historic Site, has received a grant of $20,800 from the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, through its Operating Grants for Organizations program.

“The Mass Cultural Council plays a vital role in preserving the rich history and cultural fabric of our Commonwealth. This investment in Old North Illuminated ensures that future generations will continue to have access to the educational and historical experiences that help define our shared American heritage. I’m proud to support this crucial funding that enables organizations like Old North to thrive and continue making meaningful contributions to our community,” said State Senator Lydia Edwards.

This grant signifies that Old North Illuminated, which manages all interpretive, educational, and preservation programs at the Old North Church Historic Site in Boston’s historic North End neighborhood, provides significant public value through its programs and services. Established in 1723, Old North Church is the oldest surviving church building in the city of Boston and a popular Freedom Trail destination. Old North is famous for the events of April 18, 1775, when two men climbed the church’s steeple to hold two lanterns aloft as a signal from Paul Revere to fellow Patriots that British troops were headed to Concord “by sea” across the Charles River. This coded message and Paul Revere’s midnight ride helped spark the Revolutionary War, which erupted the following day with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Old North’s lantern signal was immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” with the phrase “one if by land, and two if by sea.”

“This operating grant from the Mass Cultural Council will allow us to continue providing history programming that is honest, inclusive, sometimes challenging, and always thought-provoking,” said Nikki Stewart, Executive Director of Old North Illuminated. “We are especially grateful to have this critical support in 2025 as we mark the 250th anniversary of Old North’s famous lantern signal.”

In recent years, Old North Illuminated has made significant investments in research and educational programming. In June 2022, Dr. Jaimie D. Crumley of the University of Utah joined the organization for a year-long research fellowship focused on recovering the stories of Black and Indigenous people who were part of Old North’s early history. Dr. Crumley’s fascinating research was incorporated into Old North’s new exhibit and audio guide, which received an Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History in September 2024. Members of the public can also access her research without traveling to the historic site through the Illuminating the Unseen video series.

For this fiscal year, Mass Cultural Council has adopted a $34 million spending plan, allowing the Agency to award at least 2,500 grants totaling approximately $38 million to the Commonwealth’s creative and cultural sector. This is funded primarily through public dollars, including the Agency’s $26.7 million state budget appropriation and support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The agency also runs the Mass Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment.

Mass Cultural Council funds reach every community in the Commonwealth. Its mission is to advance the Commonwealth’s creative and cultural sector by celebrating traditions and talents, championing its collective needs, and equitably investing public resources.

About Old North Illuminated / Old North Church & Historic Site

Established in 1991 as the Old North Foundation, Old North Illuminated is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is responsible for historic site operations and interpretative, educational, and preservation programs at the iconic Old North Church Historic Site. A secular organization that is independent of Christ Church in the City of Boston, Old North Illuminated welcomes approximately 500,000 visitors annually while overseeing the preservation of an enduring symbol of American independence. Old North Illuminated serves a wide audience by creating meaningful experiences through educational outreach, site-specific programming, and historical analysis. ONI works collaboratively with the City of Boston, the U.S. National Park Service, the Freedom Trail Foundation, and other partners to foster educational and interpretive programs for students and visitors while engaging the public in Old North Church’s history and its role in inspiring liberty and freedom. In 2023, Old North Church Historic Site was designated as a Site of Conscience by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC), joining a global network of historic sites, museums, and memory initiatives that connect past struggles to today's movements for human rights. For more information, visit: www.oldnorth.com.

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