Lawrence Cultural Council

Amount Available for Granting in FY 2012

$46,573

Applications for field trips are accepted. (Formerly known as PASS applications.)

LCC Program Guidelines (PDF)

The postmark deadline for applications is October 15

Funding Priorities

Lawrence Cultural Council (LCC) grants are open to individual artists, arts organizations, community organizations, schools and municipal agencies. All projects funded by the Lawrence Cultural Council must be based in Lawrence and must benefit the citizens of Lawrence through exhibits, performances, readings, demonstrations or by other means.

The Cultural Council prefers to fund local artists who live or work in the city.

Local Guidelines

The Cultural Council grant process is governed by requirements and regulations established by the Massachusetts Cultural Council; failure to comply with the LCC Program Guidelines may jeopardize a grant application. Grant applications as well as additional information about the Massachusetts Cultural Council and its programs may be found at www.massculturalcouncil.org.

Application

• A funding limit for requested funds from LCC has been set for $3,000 per project for 2012 (Please, do not submit grant requests for amounts greater than $3,000.)
• A maximum of two (2) grants from an individual or organization will be accepted.
• Grants are awarded for the period 1/1/2012 through 12/31/2012
• ALL applicants MUST submit ONLY ONE original application with supporting paper documentation, if necessary. All applications MUST be complete and all questions/information completed. (Please be aware of Budget questions.) Incomplete applications will not be processed and may be returned to be corrected, if time allows. All applications must be POSTMARKED on or before October 15, 2011. There will be no exceptions -- postmarks will be noted. Applications will be entered immediately when received.
• Applications must be sent to: The Lawrence Cultural Council, Post Office Box 326, Lawrence, MA 01840.

Important details to remember:

• Only mailed and postmarked applications are accepted. Applications will not be accepted in any other way.... Do not leave applications in offices at the City Hall nor at the Library or any other forum.
• Please be aware of the Budget questions.
• Incomplete Applications will not be considered for funding!

Grant Evaluation

Areas considered by council members in evaluating each grant application are as follows: quality of project, community benefit, budget and funding.

• Quality of project – Does the proposal demonstrate previous experience and support from the field of the quality of the project?

• Community benefit – Does the proposal demonstrates that the Lawrence community will benefit and add benefit to the community? How is this benefit impacting the community?

• Budget and Funding Support - Does the budget balance? Does the budget follow guidelines? Is the budget appropriate and clear? Are there other sources of funding or is LCC the sole source of funding? Is the project budget specific? Has this project been funded previously by LCC? The MCC’s Sample Budget and Glossary explains how to complete the budget correctly.

Important details to remember:

• Applications must be typed.
• Your budget must balance.
• The application must be signed.

Reimbursement

All LCC grants are reimbursement based. Grant recipients submit a reimbursement request form accompanied by documentation that the project occurred (invoices, receipts, canceled checks, program books, tax numbers or social security numbers) to the Council, the request is reviewed and then forwarded to the city for processing and payment. Although the reimbursement process has been streamlined, be aware that it can take up to 60 days to process a reimbursement. Plan accordingly.

Recognition requirement

Acknowledgment in all published materials and announcements regarding activities supported by the Lawrence Cultural Council funds, the sponsored individual or group must acknowledge this support with a written and/or verbal credit statement or by using the MCC logo. This credit is required by the MCC and failure to comply may jeopardize funding. Read the MCC’s full credit and publicity requirements.

Credit Statement

“This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lawrence Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by The Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.”

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If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact us LawrenceCulturalCouncil@gmail.com or (978) 620-3950. Please leave a name, telephone number and a brief message.