Mattapoisett Cultural Council Grants

State Representative William M. Straus and Kathleen Damaskos, chair of the Mattapoisett Cultural Council, have announced the award of 11 grants totaling $5,009 for cultural programs in and around Mattapoisett.

Grant recipients include Mattapoisett Free Public Library, Friends of Old Rochester Drama, and Showstoppers Performing Arts, Inc. A complete list of recipients and grant amounts can be found below.

The Mattapoisett Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils 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 Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.

Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers. The members of the Mattapoisett Cultural Council are: Anne Bedser, Kathleen Damaskos, Carol Dildine, Annemarie Fredericks, Gary Hoyt, Gail Kaloplastos, Teresa Nelson, Kathleen Reed, and Elliott Thrasher.

“The arts, sciences and humanities play an important role in the everyday lives of the citizens of the commonwealth,” said Representative Straus. “I am pleased that these grants will assist cultural programs in Mattapoisett. Without the commitment of our local volunteers to make this system work, it might otherwise not be in existence. The continued dedication of these volunteers allows limited resources to be utilized to the maximum extent.”

Statewide, more than $2.34 million will be distributed by local cultural councils in 2016. 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.

This year’s Mattapoisett Cultural Council grants include:

Friends of Old Rochester Drama – $400

Mattapoisett Free Public Library – $534

Mattapoisett Historical Society – $700

Mattapoisett Lions Club – $500

Mattapoisett PTA (2) – $775

New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks! – $500

New Bedford Festival Theatre – $500

New Bedford Symphony Orchestra – $500

Showstoppers Performing Arts, Inc. – $300

Tri-County Music Association – $300

The Mattapoisett Cultural Council will seek applications again in the fall. Information and forms are available online at www.masscultural council.org. Applications will be due in mid-October.

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