Cultural Council grant applications opening soon

  Grant applications for Revere residents looking to apply for a grant from the Mass Cultural Council will open on Sept. 1. The last day to apply for the grants on the state website will be Oct. 17, Revere Cultural Council Chair Paul Argenzio said at last week’s Cultural Council meeting.

  Revere Cultural Council members are appointed by the mayor and approved by the City Council. One of the goals of the Cultural Council is to expose residents to various art forms they would not otherwise not have the opportunity to see. The Cultural Council selects arts projects for the grants that would serve all segments of the population, such as seniors, libraries, schools and local artists.

  The Revere Cultural Council currently has a balance of just over $52,000, according to Argenzio. Of that amount, about $35,000 is encumbered for previously approved projects, and about $17,000 will be added to what the state grants the city this year. “I received an email from the state cultural council (on August 11) stating that they will be giving that information on or about August 25, so we will be hearing what our allotment is going to be at that time,” said Argenzio.

  Argenzio said he has reached out to past grant awardees who have yet to use their funds and said most of them have stated that they plan on using the funds or have programs and projects coming up in the coming weeks. “If we do hear from one of the applicants that they will not be moving forward with their program or what they were granted, we can add that money to what we will be granting out this year,” said Argenzio.

  The most recent round of awarded grants was used for everything from helping fund the annual Moroccan Festival to senior education and entertainment programming for the Revere Council on Elder Affairs to piano concerts and theater productions.

  Those interested in applying for a grant through the Mass Cultural Council can find more information on the application process at massculturalcouncil.org.