July 7, 2014—MASSCreative today praised Gov. Deval Patrick’s announcement that he is allocating $15 million in his administration’s final state capital plan to the Cultural Facilities Fund for the repair and rebuilding of the Commonwealth’s aging cultural venues. This marks the second year in a row that Gov. Patrick has directed $15 million to the fund after allocating just $5 million annually since 2007.  

“These funds are critical to sustaining the Commonwealth’s aging infrastructure of cultural facilities which range from theaters, to concert halls, to dance studios, and museums. The arts and cultural community’s health depends, in part, on sustaining and expanding these venues for community use,” said Matt Wilson, Executive Director of MASSCreative. “These are the places that people in our communities come to meet and gather. They are centers that make possible the creation, practice, and presentation of art. They are often the anchor of a neighborhood’s development or redevelopment.”

The Cultural Facilities Fund was created by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2007. The purpose of the fund is to provide resources to maintain and rebuild the Commonwealth’s cultural venues. Since its creation, the Cultural Facilities Fund has invested $70 million to the development of cultural facilities in 118 cities and towns, and four of five of these grants have been awarded to Gateway Cities with struggling downtowns. These investments have leveraged more than $1.6 billion in spending on arts, history, and science building projects, and support more than 16,000 jobs for architects, engineers, contractors, and construction workers.

The governor’s support for the Cultural Facilities Fund came after a dedicated advocacy campaign by MASSCreative, and the Gov. Patrick made his announcement at a ceremony in Pittsfield today celebrating the most recent round of grantees from the Cultural Facilities Fund.

The Cultural Facilities Fund is jointly administered by MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. This year’s grants included 81 capital projects and another 48 planning projects. A full list can be found online at http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/facilities/facilities.htm.

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Founded in 2012, MASSCreative works with creative leaders and entrepreneurs, working artists, arts educators, and arts and cultural supporters to empower creative organizations and the public with a powerful voice to advocate for the resources and support necessary to build vibrant and connected communities.