Council Gives $114,375 In Grants For Worcester Cultural Programs

WORCESTER, MA—The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) awarded 48 grants totaling $114,375 for cultural programs in Worcester, said City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. and WAC Chair Samantha Fiakofi.

The Worcester Arts Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth, the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities every year.

Through what it described as an in depth selection process, WAC's volunteer members reviewed numerous applications this fall during a series of meetings conducted to evaluate the overall quality of the proposed programs, their public benefit, viability and whether they met the 2018 local priorities for funding which included : Public Art, Children's Programing and Visual Arts.

This year WAC will award a total of $114,375 to 48 Worcester area applicants. The 2018 allocation also includes two $5,000 Artist Fellowships, awarded to individuals to assist in the funding of their endeavors in the arts, humanities and interpretative sciences. This year the Worcester Arts Council is proud to award Artist Fellowships to two local artists: James Dye and Jennifer Carey.

Fiakofi said in a statement,"We are excited to announce our 2018 grant recipients. Each year we are impressed by the creativity and innovation WAC grant recipients bring to Worcester's cultural community. This year's projects will attract diverse audiences and hopefully inspire new projects throughout the city."

Statewide, more than $3.3 million will be distributed by local cultural councils in 2018.

Those receiving grants include the Worcester Arts Museum, Woodland Academy, ArtsWorcester, Worcester Youth Center, Music Worcester, Greater Worcester Opera and the Worcester Chamber Music Society and Elder Services of the Worcester area. Go here for the full list.

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