Westborough Cultural Council
Our mission is to support the cultural enrichment and creative opportunities that provide diversity and availability to all residents of our town.
Cultural life helps to define our community’s character and purpose and the Westborough Cultural Council’s efforts bring meaningful programs and events to Westborough that further promote Westborough as a thriving hub of activity in the Commonwealth.
As a community festival and as a means to raise local funds to support the arts and culture in Westborough, the Westborough Cultural Council created ARTS IN COMMON (AIC) a free town-wide arts event. AIC is an opportunity for the entire community to join together in celebration of art, music, dance, food and fun. The thirteenth anniversary of ARTS IN COMMON will be held on September 30, 2023 on Bay State Common in Westborough.
Contact
Holly Kenny
westboroculture@gmail.com
617-717-4843
Address
34 West Main Street
Westborough, MA 01581-1998
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Application Information
FY24 Allocation
$8,900
FY24 Local Priorities
Westborough Cultural Council Priorities
We intend to encourage area performers and artisans of all ethnicities, religions, sexes and ages.
We will request public feedback to ensure the Cultural Council is effectively supporting the cultural needs
of the community.
We will continue to request an appropriation from Annual Town Meeting, not only for its spending power
but as a further measure of community support. We have found that town funding gives us validity when
seeking other local support and sponsorships.
We will accept grant applications for events scheduled at a distinct location on a specific date in
Westborough or, in the case of field trips, originating and terminating in Westborough. Events must be
advertised as open to the public and handicapped accessible.
It will be our objective to have sufficient funds to grant some support to every approved grant. We also
try to apply town funds to approved grants from Westborough-based organizations.
We will continue to encourage grant applications from new sources, but we will not turn down
applications from groups who have had previous grants. However, we will limit the number of
consecutive years the Council funds a grant to ensure the grantee does not become dependent on
Cultural Council funding to support their organization or event.
We will establish and maintain cordial relationships and advocacy with town governance, legislators and
the MCC. They will be invited to Council events, such as our grant reception and ARTS IN COMMON.
We will continue to market ARTS IN COMMON both as a popular community festival, as well as a source
of locally raised funds to support grants and cultural events in Westborough.
We will strive to maintain a membership of about a dozen volunteers and to include one or more high
school students both as links to that community and as civic responsibility trainees.
We will attend and monitor performances by grantees to determine their quality and fitness for future
consideration.
We will develop and publicize a calendar of cultural events for the community
FY24 Local Guidelines
Grant applicants must comply with our local guidelines, as well as state rules. Online applications for event funding must be submitted by October 15th and must also:
Take place in or originate in Westborough.
Have a specific, scheduled venue and a scheduled date.
Be open to the public and be so advertised.
Be sponsored by a non-profit organization or be a non-profit event.
Be handicapped-accessible.
If a field trip, be for the benefit of Westborough residents.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Reimbursement Grants
FY24 Funding List
Name | Project Title | Amount |
---|---|---|
Annie E. Fales School | Tales from African Traditions | $1,450 | Assabet Valley Mastersingers, Inc. | Assabet Valley Chambersingers Concert and Assabet Valley Mastersingers Summer Sing in Westborough | $1,000 | Black/Interboro Community Band, Barbara | Winter Concert | $550 | Charles River Sinfonietta, Inc. | 7 Chamber music programs in 2024 Each performed in 4 towns and at least 2 or 3 performed in Westborough MA at St. Luke The Evangelist Parish Church. | $800 | Cochran, Bonnie | Ska! with Chamber Music MetroWest | $1,200 | Hundredth Town Chorus | Sentimental Journey Celebrating 75 | $750 | Kinney, John | Eine Kleine Konsort - "The Recorder Goes to School" | $1,500 | Kirouac, Daniel | Creeque Alley: A Tribute to American Folk Music and 60's Folk-Rock | $450 | Lappen, Henry | Henry the Juggler Performance | $450 | Maloney, Scott | I AM ... | $600 | McKenney Lydick, Lynne | Follow the Cannon: Clara Barton's Civil War Letters | $400 | Northborough Area Community Chorus Inc | NACC 2024 Spring and Christmas Programs | $500 | Parnes, Janet | Farm Girl on the Front Lines: Deborah Sampson's Secret! | $350 | Polatin, David | “Pioneering Women of Early Rock and Roll” | $500 | Snow, Jeff | The Softer Side of Celtic | $325 | Strait, Jill M. | Utility Box Beautification | $1,810 | Town of Westborough | Westborough Recreation Summer Concert Series | $2,000 | Westborough Community Chorus, Inc. | 60 Member chorus performance with sets and costumes | $750 | Westborough Community Land Trust, Inc. | Who's Watching You: Eyes on Owls | $1,000 | Westborough Connects, Inc. | The 6th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration | $1,000 | Westborough Historical Society | Pretty Powerful: The History of Our Clothes | $150 | Westborough Senior Center | Sunshine Cafe/Respite | $825 | Women of Note, Inc. | Women of Note Concert - In Harmony Against Hunger | $555 | York, Matt | Matt York - Songs & Stories: Willie Nelson | $500 | lemos, tonya | Botanical Art (Art that Breathes) Workshop Mini Series | $800 |