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Patrick Triples Funds to Rebuild, Repair, and Maintain Cultural Facilities
In November, Governor Patrick tripled his allocation to the Cultural Facilities Fund to $15 million to repair and rebuild the Commonwealth’s cultural venues.
The governor’s decision came after the creative sector pulled together to show the strength of the community. Together, the creative community gathered over 1,200 signatures from residents across the Commonwealth. Kudos to Robert Nash of The Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Erin Williams of Worcester Cultural Coalition and Kathy Czerny of South Shore Conservatory of Music for being the top recruiters on the Cultural Facilities Fund petition to Governor Patrick.
We also delivered letters with over 200 signatures from executive directors, board members, mayors, and chambers of commerce across the state. Ryan Losey of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Laurie Werner of the Berkshire Museum led the way encouraging members of their boards to personally sign on to the letter to Governor Patrick.
A key to the campaign was earning the support of Secretary of Economic Affairs Greg Bialecki. New England Aquarium Director Bud Ris, Hanover Theater Director Troy Siebels and MASSCreative Director Matt Wilson met with Secretary Bialecki and talked about the impact their facilities had on the economic development of their neighborhoods.
Since the governor announced his allocation of $15 million, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which administers the program with MassDevelopment, has been busy holding information sessions across the state to spread the word about the increased allocation and explain the guidelines of the application process. Applications to the program are up almost 250% according to Jay Paget of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
MASSCreative’s Campaign Organizer, Tracie Konopinski attended informational sessions in Worcester, Taunton, Lexington, and Boston and reports that more than half of the people attending the sessions would be new applicants, which shows that the Cultural Facilities Fund is a much-needed resource for cultural venues across the state.
The deadline for final applications is March 7, 2014.
In the meantime, the legislature is working to reauthorize the Fund for $75 million to be distributed over five years. Previously, the Cultural Facilities Fund was authorized to distribute $50 million over five years. By reauthorizing the Fund for $75 million, the legislature re-enforces that $15 million should be allocated by the governor each year.
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