Worcester — On Monday, April 8 at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, Mass Cultural Council hosted an event with local and state officials and cultural partners to announce and celebrate $3.6 million awarded to 58 performing arts centers across the state through the fiscal 2024 Gaming Mitigation Fund grant program. This program provides grants to Massachusetts nonprofit and municipal performing arts centers to spend on touring shows or touring artist fees. These grants aim to target funding to those most directly impacted by the operation of resort-style casinos.
“Supporting our performing arts centers is a strategic investment in the vitality of our communities,” said Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Michael J. Bobbitt. “These organizations serve as hubs of creativity, offering transformative experiences that entertain, educate, and inspire audiences of all ages. By supporting these institutions, we not only preserve our cultural heritage but also foster innovation, economic growth, and social cohesion, ensuring a vibrant and enriching future for generations to come.”
As the Commonwealth’s independent state arts agency, Mass Cultural Council is charged with bolstering the creative and cultural sector, thereby advancing economic vitality; supporting transformational change; and celebrating, preserving, and inspiring creativity across all Massachusetts communities. The agency pursues this mission through a broad range of programs, services, advocacy, and the equitable investment of public resources.
In this round, 58 nonprofit or municipal performing arts centers received grant awards ranging from $6,000 to $200,000, which can be spent on fees paid to touring shows or artists. Mass Cultural Council is proud to note that all eligible applicants received an award in this grant round.
First established by the state legislature in the Expanded Gaming Act of 2011, Mass Cultural Council receives two percent of gaming revenues to administer this program. The Gaming Mitigation Fund is intended to mitigate a direct threat to the sustainability of Massachusetts’ nonprofit and municipal performing arts centers. It provides funding to preserve their ability to compete with casinos, who are working with larger budgets and are able to offer attractive amenities when booking touring acts.
Representatives of two performing arts centers who received Gaming Mitigation Fund awards spoke at the event to detail the impact the grant has for their organizations.
“Every time one of Massachusetts’ casinos brings in a touring entertainer, it impacts all of the nonprofit performing arts centers, because casinos don’t operate on the same playing field,” said Troy Siebels, president and CEO of The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts. “We are grateful to Massachusetts Cultural Council for this support in helping us to compete. With this award, we can continue to draw the audiences that bring our theaters to life and make our downtowns vibrant.”
“As one of the most distinguished dance presenters in the U.S., Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival takes pride in its 92 year history of bringing dance companies and artists of the highest caliber from around the world to western Massachusetts, while at the same time creating opportunities to deeply engage residents of Berkshire County in the work that we do,” said Jacob’s Pillow Executive and Artistic Director Pamela Tatge. “The Gaming Mitigation Fund is crucial to our ability to address rising costs of bringing artists to Jacob’s Pillow, providing fair and equitable compensation to those artists who come to perform, and effectively attracting audiences so that we can continue to deliver robust economic impact to the Berkshires, the Commonwealth, and beyond.”
Mass Cultural Council was also joined by State Representative Mary Keefe (D – Worcester), State Representative Jim O’Day (D – Worcester), and members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to celebrate the awards.
“Mass Cultural Council is an exceptional agency in the Commonwealth, providing critical support to arts and culture organizations from the Cape to the Berkshires,” said Interim Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chair Jordan Maynard. “The Gaming Commission is proud to partner with Mass Cultural Council by advancing efforts to support the Gaming Mitigation Fund to provide nonprofits and municipalities with grants to bring more touring programs and acts to Massachusetts.”
Berkshire County grant awardees:
- Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield: $6,000
- Berkshire Theater Group in Pittsfield: $14,700
- Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington: $73,000
- Williamstown Theater Festival in Williamstown: $6,000
- MASS MoCA (North Adams) – $166,400
- Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (Becket) – $150,600
