Amherst Cultural Council Announces Grant Recipients
The Odenong Pow Wow on the Amherst Town Common received the largest grant from the Amherst Cultural Council in 2026. Photo: istock
Source: amherstma.gov
The Amherst Cultural Council has awarded 60 grants, totaling just over $57,000, for cultural programs in Amherst and the region. Proposals centering on community building, participatory activities, music, theater events, visual artists, and programs featuring the natural environment were supported.
Grant recipients represent a broad range of organizations and institutions. The largest grant of $7,000 will be awarded to the 6th Annual Odenong Powwow. Grants of $2,000 or more will go to: Black Business Association of Amherst Area, Inc., $5000 for Juneteenth Jubilee; Restless Books, Inc., $2000 for Amherst Immigrant Writing Workshops; The Queercore Collaborative, $2000 for QueerCore Collaborative Presents Live at The Drake; Amherst Community Band, $2000 for Building Community through Music; Amherst Historical Society, $2000 for Amherst was Never Silent: 250 Years of Speaking Out; Amherst Business Improvement District, Inc., $2000 for the Showcase Stage at the Amherst Block Party; and The Country Dance and Song Society, Inc., $2000 for Downtown Amherst Contra Dance Series.
A full listing of all grants can be found on the Amherst Cultural Council’s website: amherstma.gov/cultural-council
Over one hundred applications were received in October of 2025. ACC members spent considerable time reviewing each application. Priority was given to projects/events that have broad public benefits for the community. The committee tried to select offerings from and for BIPOC individuals, disabled individuals, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other minoritized communities. It was important to the ACC to prioritize projects/events that take place in Amherst and are accessible to everyone.
Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers. The members of the ACC are as follows: William Murray (Co-Chair), Cody Rooney (Co-Chair), Jessica Slattery (Treasurer), Evelin Figueroa, Joe Mascis, and Rachel Wang. The Amherst Cultural Council is currently looking for new members! Amherst residents interested in volunteering to serve on the ACC are encouraged to complete the Community Activity Form available at www.amherstma.gov/CAF
The Amherst Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCC) serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences, and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.
Statewide, more than $7 million will be distributed by LCCs in 2026. Grants will support an enormous range of grass-roots activities: concerts, exhibitions, radio and video productions, field trips for schoolchildren, after-school youth programs, writing workshops, historical preservation efforts, lectures, First Night celebrations, nature and science education programs for families and town festivals. Nearly half of LCC funds support educational activities for young people. For more information on the program, visit massculturalcouncil.org. A new grant cycle will begin in early September 2026 with a deadline for applications in mid-October 2026.