Revere Cultural Council invites applications for community cultural events, programs

Advocate Staff Report

The Revere Cultural Council is gearing up for its annual call for applications for community cultural events and programs. It met last week and reaffirmed its priorities in awarding grants. While the council seeks to support programs that showcase the entire city’s diverse heritage and cultural background, the council is particularly interested in events or programs that benefit underserved and lesser heard groups, Revere youths and at-risk youths.

Priority will also be given to other proposals, including first-time applicants and those that involve local history and environmental challenges. Proposals incorporating new art forms or humanities programs that would benefit the community are also given priority.

This year the council received $44,600 from the Mass Cultural Council, which supports local cultural councils. The council anticipates a similar appropriation for 2026. Newly elected council chairman Rocky Graziano urged potential applicants to look at the council’s funding list to understand what types of projects the council supports and funds.

For 2025, the council awarded Asmaa Abou-Fouda, a leader of the city’s Arabic community, $10,000 for a Ramadan Iftar dinner. The City of Revere received $13,400 for the Revere Beach LGBTQ + Pride Celebration, $8,200 for the Revere Beach Farmer’s Market and $7,000 for the city’s Sunday night concert series. The council also awarded smaller grants to individuals, such as Peter Jackson, who received $300 to produce a community magic show, and Jon Waterman, who received $400 for his program “Live Music Making History Live.”

Detailed instructions on how to apply for a grant are available on the Revere section of the Mass Cultural Council website at massculturalcouncil.org