Cultural Council

About the Carlisle Cultural Council

The purpose of the Carlisle Cultural Council (CCC) is to promote the arts, music, history, culture and the humanities. 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. 

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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FY21 Cultural Grants

Our grants this year will support a wide range of visual arts, music, humanities, theater arts and multidisciplinary programs. With COVID-19 safety protocols still in place, many programs will be conducted virtually as necessary.

See the full list of FY21 grants here.

The entire greater Carlisle community is invited to support these artists and creators by attending and participating in these wonderful local performances and events. Check for details and location/login information in the Carlisle Mosquito or organization websites. 

We encourage new applicants to apply for FY22 grants for arts and culture programming in the fall (September-October). To learn more about the CCC’s grant guidelines, please read the Grants Information Page. Feel free to discuss project ideas with us in advance. Contact culturalcouncil@carlislema.gov.

Carlisle’s Virtual Showcase is STILL accepting submissions

Carlisle’s Virtual Showcase is the online place where Carlisle residents and CCHS students of all ages and abilities (professionals included) are sharing their talents. We accept pictures, videos or writing in these categories: music, dance, photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, prose, poetry, video/filmmaking, fiber arts, nature, multimedia, storytelling, or create a category.

Submissions created from July 1, 2019 to date qualify for posting. Creations made during the ongoing COVID-19 shutdown period are encouraged and will be highlighted in the Showcase.

Visit www.carlisleculture.org to visit the Showcase and learn how to share your creativity. 

Cultural Council 2020 Community Survey

Thank you to all the Carlisle residents who responded to our survey. See a summary of the results here.

New Council Members Wanted!

The Cultural Council is always open to new members who want to help create and run programs, collaborate with other cultural organizations, and participate in the annual grant funding process. Members are appointed by the Select Board for 3-year terms. If interested, please email culturalcouncil@carlislema.gov.

Applications are available on line at: https://www.mass-culture.org 

Questions? Please contact culturalcouncil@carlislema.gov