Cultural Council

NEW Winter Cultural Grant Program – Apply Now!

The Carlisle Cultural Council is conducting an extra cultural grant funding round starting immediately. All Carlisle-based organizations and individuals who produce cultural programs of any kind are invited to apply by the February 28 deadline.

This grant round will be funded by Town of Carlisle ARPA funds, which were provided to the Cultural Council by the Select Board, upon recommendation of the Carlisle ARPA Committee. These funds are intended to assist Carlisle’s cultural organizations in recovering from the negative financial and engagement impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guidelines and priorities for this round may be found in the application. Programs may be scheduled to occur from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023.

Applications for specific programs that have been awarded an FY23 Mass Cultural Council LCC grant from the Carlisle Cultural Council are not eligible. If your organization was awarded an FY23 LCC grant, you are encouraged to apply for a grant for a different project. I.E., if you were awarded a grant for a Winter Concert, you may apply for a grant for a Spring Concert.

To request an application, please email culturalcouncil@carlislema.gov

About the Carlisle Cultural Council

The Carlisle Cultural Council (CCC) promotes the arts, music, history, culture and the humanities in Carlisle. Our goal is to serve our community by supporting and producing both participatory and audience-based cultural and arts activities which benefit local residents.

The Carlisle Cultural Council is appointed by the Select Board to support local cultural initiatives. The CCC supports these initiatives through an annual grant award process established by the Massachusetts Cultural Council that provides funds to deserving organizations and individuals to offer a variety of cultural experiences to the residents of Carlisle. The Council can also raise money independently in order to support additional cultural programs produced by the Council or other organizations.

What we mean by culture: music, dance, theater, fine art, pop art, sculpture, photography, multimedia, fiber arts, ethnic customs, culinary arts, humanities, literature, poetry, nature, gardening, woodworking, ceramics, storytelling, history, science, language and more…

The Carlisle Cultural Council is part of the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Local Cultural Council (LCC) Program. Each year, LCCs award more than $3 million in grants to more than 6,000 cultural programs statewide, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities.

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FY23 Cultural Grant Awards

The Carlisle Cultural Council is excited to announce the recipients of its FY23 Local Cultural Grants! These grants support a wide range of visual arts, music, science and multidisciplinary programs for the benefit of the Carlisle community. A total of $7,025 is being granted to 16 organizations, funded by $5,300 from the Mass Cultural Council and $1,725 from the Cultural Council’s ARPA program.

“The Cultural Council is thrilled to have received applications for so many creative and interesting programs in this grant round,” stated Council Chair Mark Levitan. “Completely new programs, such as the new Environmental Sustainability Committee’s Earth Day festival, and the Historical Society’s educational program on preserving historically significant homes, highlight the awards, but all of the programs reflect the continued vitality and perseverance of Carlisle’s cultural community through some very difficult times.”

Local Cultural Grants are made possible by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, through its Local Cultural Council (LCC) program, the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation.

The Cultural Council encourages the entire Carlisle community to join in congratulating and supporting these worthy local organizations and programs. Look for dates and program information on organization websites or in the Carlisle Mosquito.

Carlisle Environmental Sustainability Committee — "Route to Sustainability" Town-wide Earth Day Festival

Gleason Public Library — "Chain Reactions: Make a Rube Goldberg Machine"

Carlisle Old Home Day Association — Old Home Day Arts and Crafts Show

Carlisle Garden Club — Seed Swap and Share for Sustainability

Deborah Bentley et al — Carlisle Poppy Project

Carlisle Chamber Orchestra — Winter Concert featuring pianist George Lopez

The Savoyard Light Opera Company — "The Pirates of Penzance"

Carlisle Community Chorus — Community Chorus concerts

Carlisle Historical Society — "Preservation of antique and other historically significant Carlisle homes"

Rita Parisi, for Carlisle COAHS — "I am Zelda,” One-act play about Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald

Friends of Center Park — Outdoor Benching for Woodland Gardens

Carlisle Communications, Inc (Carlisle Mosquito) — Adding Color to our Shared Culture

Concord Women's Chorus — "Grown Wild" concert

Discovery Museum — Open Door Connections

Virginia Thurston Healing Garden — Visual Arts Therapy

Concord Orchestra — 2022-2023 Season and Music Director Search

FY22 Cultural Grants

Our FY22 grants supported a wide range of visual arts, music, humanities, theater arts and multidisciplinary programs. See the full list of FY22 grants here.

FY21 Cultural Grants

Our FY21 grants supported a wide range of visual arts, music, humanities, theater arts and multidisciplinary programs. See the full list of FY21 grants here.