For Immediate Release: 7/18/2023 4:57 pm
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) is seeking community input on arts and culture funding in Worcester and inviting residents to participate in its 2024 Funding Priorities Survey.
The online survey is open now through Aug. 1 and can be completed at https://tinyurl.com/WAC2024. Responses to this brief survey will help determine WAC’s funding priorities for its 2024 grant cycle, which opens in September 2023.
“By taking the Worcester Arts Council’s Funding Priorities Survey, you can help shape arts and culture in the City. Your responses directly influence where our annual grant funds go,” WAC Chair Jennifer Riley said. “Plus, the survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete, and you could win two ‘family’ annual memberships to the cultural institutions of your choice just for completing it.”
WAC saw its highest Funding Priorities Survey participation ever last year. The Council seeks to build on that success and gain broader demographics among survey respondents this year.
“It’s very important that these survey responses represent a wide variety of perspectives, lived experiences, and voices from across Worcester,” said Riley.
WAC typically receives more grant requests than can be funded. Therefore, it is essential for community input to guide its grant-making decisions.
“We remain committed to advocating for funds and being transparent and inclusive in providing equitable access to diverse artists and initiatives with a particular interest in underrepresented populations,” City of Worcester Cultural Development Officer Fabian Barracks said. “Through the support for the arts we are advancing the City’s Cultural Plan to catalyze our creative resources and transform Worcester to being the cultural destination of choice.”
WAC will publish a report with the survey results again this year and share the report with other local arts and cultural organizations.
The Worcester Arts Council is part of a statewide network of 329 Local Cultural Councils supported through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). The Local Cultural Council (LCC) Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and sciences. This program assists the Worcester community in the development of local projects and adds to the cultural vitality of the city.
Chaired by Riley, the current WAC members include Brandon Lewis (Vice Chair), Sean Brennan (Secretary), Christopher Rich (Treasurer), David Filar, Avae Thomas Quartey, Kristen Livoti, Shantelle Campbell, and Amy Sciannameo.
