Boston/Press Release — Mass Cultural Council announced on Friday, February 27, that 464 creative individuals will receive a combined total of $2.32 million in new grant awards through the Agency’s Grants for Creative Individuals program in fiscal year 2026 (FY26.
The program is Mass Cultural Council’s primary funding program to support Massachusetts artists, culture bearers, and creative practitioners. It provides unrestricted financial support to the recipients to advance creative expression throughout the Commonwealth.
“The recipients of this funding are the storytellers, innovators, and visionaries that help us make sense of the world around us,” said Mass Cultural Council Acting Executive Director David T. Slatery. “These grants are an investment in their talent, their time, and their courage to create. By supporting individual artists, we’re strengthening communities across the Commonwealth, fueling new ideas, expanding access to creative experiences, and ensuring that culture continues to thrive in every corner of our state.”
As the Commonwealth’s independent state arts agency, Mass Cultural Council is charged with bolstering the cultural sector, thereby advancing economic vitality, supporting transformational change, and celebrating, preserving, and inspiring creativity across all Massachusetts communities.
This year, 464 creative individuals across the Commonwealth will receive grants of $5,000 each for a total investment of $2.32 million. The grants are unrestricted, and the funding is intended to help advance the recipient’s creative practice.
Mass Cultural Council received 3,125 eligible applications from individuals working in a variety of creative disciplines. In total, 15 percent of eligible applicants are receiving a grant in FY26. This represents the largest annual investment in grants made to individuals in the agency’s history, outside of the extraordinary one-time COVID-19 relief efforts. The total number of grants awarded to individuals has steadily increased each year since the inception of the Grants for Creative Individuals program, underscoring Mass Cultural Council’s ongoing commitment to expanding access and ensuring creative individuals have the support they need to sustain and grow their creative practice.
Mass Cultural Council continues to prioritize expanding and diversifying the range of creative individuals who receive this support. As a result, of the 464 grant recipients:
- 96 percent, 441 artists, have never received a grant from Mass Cultural Council;
- 57 percent, 264 artists, identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Latine, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander) and all other ethnicities of color;
- 30 percent, 141 artists, identify as a person with a disability;
- 25 percent, 116 artists, have had their creative practice limited by poverty;
- 11 percent, 49 artists, are culture bearers or traditional artists; and
- Three percent, 14 artists, are veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
While the pool of awardees represents a broad swath of creative disciplines and experience levels, geographic diversity was also prioritized in making award decisions with grants awarded by county in proportion to the number of applications received.
Berkshire County recipients of $5,000 grants:
- Liesl Schwabe, Great Barrington — Literature
- Julia Kornberg, Great Barrington — Literature
- Mariana Cicerchia, Great Barrington — Visual Arts
- Stephen Masterson, Lanesborough — Music
- Kirsten Warming, North Adams — Visual Arts
- Anaïs Duplan, North Adams — Literature
- Vanessa Hooper, North Adams — Community-based Arts
- Gail Gelburd, Otis — Visual Arts
- Kamea Quetti-Hall, Pittsfield — Multidisciplinary
- Noel Staples-F, Pittsfield — Community-based Arts
- Nicole Rose, Pittsfield — Multidisciplinary
- Champika Fernando, West Stockbridge — Media Arts
- David Jackson, Williamstown — Media Arts
- Bonney Hartley, Williamstown — Literature
- Janet Curran, Williamstown — Visual Arts
- Rosalyn Driscoll, Williamstown — Visual Arts
- Sarah Rara, Williamstown — Visual Arts
