Creative Economy and Workforce
Strengthening Massachusetts’s Creative Economy and Growing our Creative Workforce.
In Massachusetts, the creative sector delivers $27.2 billion in economic value to our economy. Our sector includes non-profit cultural organizations, creative small businesses, artists, creative workers and arts administrators. MASSCreative endorses policy and programmatic solutions that strengthen pathways to creative jobs, grow small creative businesses, and strengthen cultural non-profits.
What are we doing about the creative economy?
MASSCreative supports a strong creative economy by advocating annually for state funding for the Mass Cultural Council and budgetary line items that will benefit the creative sector. In FY25, these efforts resulted in $26.9 million for the Mass Cultural Council’s annual operating and grantmaking budget with $955,000 of that line item earmarked for local cultural projects.
We’re also fighting for the Massachusetts creative economy by organizing support for our 2023-2024 Creative Sector Agenda. These policy priorities are the product of engaging in a statewide listening series in Fall 2022, where MASSCreative gathered feedback from artists, creatives, cultural organizations, advocacy groups, regional planning councils, and changemakers about the policy changes the sector needs to become more equitable, just, and visible.
The Creative Sector Agenda includes five bills to keep artists in their communities, make creative spaces more accessible to people with disabilities, support equity in cultural tourism promotion, and dedicate revenues for cultural districts.
Read more about each of the bills and how to support Massachusetts cultural policies by visiting the MASSCreative Action Network Take Action page.
On November 14th, the House and Senate approved the conference committee’s report on the Mass Leads Act, including the Downtown Vitality Act, live theater tax credit, and reauthorizing $50 million for the Cultural Facilities Fund.
The Healey Administration released their Economic Development Plan on December 12, 2023. Read more for a breakdown of what’s included in the plan and how they intend to prioritize the creative economy.
Since its founding in 2013, MASSCreative has worked with advocates across the Commonwealth to build a stronger, more equitable and inclusive creative sector. From local and state elections to increased public funding for creative and cultural work, our organizing efforts have shifted how Massachusetts values our community
Strengthening Massachusetts’s Creative Economy and Growing our Creative Workforce.
Recent developments at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) are deeply troubling as hundreds of grants for local projects have been cancelled, and massive staff reductions raise serious doubtsthat the agency can meet its statutory mandates.
We need advocates to ask Congress to sustain and protect both funding and staffing for the National Endowment for the Arts.
On Friday, May 2, 2025, the National Endowment for the Arts sent notices to recipients cancelling or withdrawing previously awarded grants. The Connecticut Arts Alliance, Cultural Alliance of Maine, and MASSCreative are working in partnership to collect data to help our elected officials and the general public understand the impact these cuts will have on communities in New England.
If you received a letter withdrawing or cancelling your NEA grant, please take this brief impact survey.
Join a coalition of artists, creatives, arts supporters, and change-makers to educate candidates and voters on the importance of a strong and inclusive creative community in Boston.
On November 15, 2024, the MASSCreative Action Network (MCAN) hosted an election debrief with community organizing and policy experts to learn how 2024 federal and state-level election results will impact the creative sector in Massachusetts. Watch the recording here.
Help get the vote out and play your part for a stronger democracy.
Check out our 2024 Create the Vote General Election Guides to see who is running for US Congress, State Senate, and State House of Representatives in Massachusetts.
On Friday, May 2, 2025, the Trump Administration continued its efforts to dismantle public investments and access to arts and culture through the cancellation of already approved arts project grants and by proposing the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in their FY26 Budget proposal.
Join us for this year’s statewide Creative Sector Summit on June 6th at the Northampton Center for the Arts. The theme of this year’s Summit is Meeting the Moment: Creative Advocacy & Cultural Organizing for Stronger Communities.
Announcing Giselle Byrd, Executive Director of The Theater Offensive, as our keynote speaker for this year’s Creative Sector Summit.
The Advocacy 301: Do’s and Don’ts training is designed to help participants understand how they can legally engage in advocacy and lobbying to assume stronger roles in civic life.
On April 16th, we welcomed Representative Sean Garballey (D-Arlington), the new House Chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development to our Artivist Town Hall. Rep. Garballey shared about his role within the committee, how committee members review and consider bills, and what advocates ought to know to advance their policy issues.
The Advocacy 201 training builds on the foundation of the Advocacy 101 session. In Advocacy 201, we will prepare you to take the lead in organizing your networks and communities. We’ll cover how to turn your network into an advocacy powerhouse, coordinate advocacy meetings with your elected officials, and use your social media platforms to help folks take action on the things you care about most.
Emily Ruddock, MASSCreative’s executive director, shares updates about some of our grassroots organizing and legislative achievements in 2024 and a glimpse of what we are preparing for 2025.
On Friday, November 22, 2024, MASSCreative welcomed 11 individuals into the 2024-2025 Advocacy & Organizing Fellowship during an in-person orientation at the Worcester Public Library.
Read Richeline's blog about attending the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. and how artists can play a role in strengthening communities and democracy.
Three months into the new year, the Massachusetts creative sector is celebrating significant policy milestones through the Creative Sector Legislative Agenda, Economic Development Bond Bill, and FY25 Budget.
It’s been an eventful and exciting year! In this letter, Emily shares her thoughts on our accomplishments in 2023 and things we’re looking ahead to in 2024.
Meet our 2023-2024 Advocacy and Organizing Fellows!
