VICTORY: Baker approves $18M for Mass Cultural

It’s official! On July 31, Governor Baker signed the FY20 state budget, and with it approved a $2 million increase in state public funding to the creative community through the Mass Cultural Council budget. 

This increase elevates the Mass Cultural Council budget to $18 million, making it the largest state allocation to the cultural agency since 2002. In addition to increasing public investment to the creative community, this final budget includes new language in the Mass Cultural Council line item ensuring that the state cultural agency will be able to continue to provide both grants and services to the creative community. 

This is the first time in five budget cycles that Governor Baker has not vetoed an increase to the Mass Cultural Council budget. In that time, MASSCreative and the creative community organized four successful overrides of Governor Baker's arts vetoes. We’re thrilled that this year we’re able to celebrate an early victory!

We’re grateful for partners and supporters like you, who have reached out and organized others to email their legislators--once, twice, three times--this budget season regarding state public arts funding. It’s with this collective action that MASSCreative can continue our work.

If you haven’t gotten a chance to thank Gov. Baker, you can do so here.

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