Published in the February 17, 2017 edition
MELROSE — The Melrose Cultural Council has awarded of 21 Local Cultural Council (LCC) grants, totaling $11,000. The grants will be used to fund events and programs that will take place in Melrose during the 2017 calendar year.
Grants have been awarded to first-time applicants, established arts organizations, artists and schools. Events are scheduled at Memorial Hall, the library, Milano Center, and in leased and loaned spaces in churches, parks and regional theaters. Students in preschools, elementary, middle and high school will benefit from theater and music education enrichment, master classes and field trips with LCC grant funding.
“The work the Melrose Cultural Council achieves is tremendous,” said State Rep. Paul Brodeur. “This state funding is an investment in our community which empowers local artists to create vibrant cultural events and experiences for all of us to enjoy and engage with. Additionally, this grant money serves as an investment in our creative economy, ensuring that artists and other creatives have the support they need to practice their craft. I am proud to advocate for the arts in Melrose and am so pleased to see this work in action.”
The Melrose Cultural Council is part of a statewide network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities. The State Legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community. Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of local volunteers who live or work in the community. Thirty-one applications were submitted by the October 17, 2016 deadline.
The Melrose Council requires that a proposal meet the eligibility guidelines, then gives first priority to applications that have broad public benefit, a solid budget, a confirmed date and have secured venues. The grant cannot be used to fully fund a project. First time applicants who are considering applying for the 2018 grant cycle are encouraged to contact melrosecultural@gmail.com in advance of the October 2017 deadline. If asked, the council can provide helpful grant writing feedback and guidance on the online submission process. New applicants and original ideas are considered favorably. Information and applications can be found online at www.melroseculture.org and on Facebook.
The 2017 grant recipients are The Beethoven Society; The Fourth Annual Intergenerational Spring Fling; Davis Bates and Roger Tincknell; Delvena Theatre Company; Franklin Early Childhood Center; Friends of the Melrose Public Library; Melrose Bandaiders; Melrose Online Community Calendar; Melrose Daycare Center; Melrose School Orchestra Parents Organization; Melrose Grad Night; Melrose Symphony Orchestra; North Suburban Child and Family Resource Network; Northeast Division of Music Educators Association; Polymnia Choral Society; Roger Tincknell; Roosevelt Elementary School PTO; Ryan D. Hayward, preservation historian; and Sally Frank’s Farmers Market. The grant recipients also include reduced Stoneham Theatre ticket prices for Melrose youth and seniors, and Temple Beth Shalom’s Keeping Jazz Alive program.
Current members of the Melrose Cultural Council are Jessi Eisdorfer, Gail Fertig, Arleen Frasca , Sara Gravante, Martha Grover, Karen Konicek, Luke Miller, Kris Rodolico, Dorothy Travis and Mike Zwirko.
“The Melrose Cultural Council enthusiastically encourages all residents to participate in the arts locally,” said Grover in a news release. “Your participation, while enriching your own life in a positive way, makes Melrose a thriving and vital community for all.”
