Salem Cultural Council Awards Local Grants

Salem, MA – John Dobroski, Chair of the Salem Cultural Council, its members, and City of Salem Department of Planning & Community Development have announced the award of grants totaling over $32,000 for cultural programs in Salem.

Previous grant recipients include The Salem Athenaeum, Salem Public Schools and Salem United, Inc. A complete list of grant recipients can be found below.

The City of Salem 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, spporting 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.

Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers. The members of the Salem Cultural Council are:

• John Dobroski, Council Chair                                                       
• Ziggy Hartfelder
• Mathew Cornell      
• Melissa Stockbridge                                                                       
• Matt Malone
• Robin Panzer                                                            

Statewide, more than $3.3 million will be distributed by local cultural councils in 2023. 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.

The Salem Cultural Council will seek applications again in the fall. For guidelines and complete information on the Salem Cultural Council, contact SalemCulturalCouncil@salem.com or visit our site. Applications and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program will be made available online at www.mass-culture.org.

This year's grants include:

About City of Salem Arts & Culture

The City of Salem is committed to enriching & enlivening the urban environment through showcasing innovative & transformative works of art in all media & modalities.  With a focus on working with local artists, especially those historically underrepresented, we seek to foster greater community awareness of & interaction with the arts and celebrate diversity in all its forms. Our goal is to nurture diversity & creativity; foster a sense of community pride & belonging; and enhance the quality of life for all. Learn more at https://www.salem.com/arts-culture