Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund Grant

The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund Grant offers vital support for nonprofit cultural organizations to enhance their facilities. With over $9 million available for repairs, renovations, and new construction, the grant encourages projects that promote sustainability and align with the state’s net zero emissions goal by 2050. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and educational institutions that provide public access. The fund aims to strengthen cultural infrastructure, ensuring these facilities continue to serve their communities effectively.

The Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) is a capital grant program of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Fund offers grants to help nonprofit cultural organizations plan for, renovate, expand, and repair their facilities. CFF grants help increase contributions from private funding sources.
Cultural Facilities Fund 2023 Grant Cycle
Over $9 million will be awarded to support repairs, renovations, new construction, and acquisition of facilities. Planning grants are also available for analysis, design, and feasibility studies that relate to a cultural facility.
This year, we are encouraging cultural organizations to consider ways to reduce the carbon footprint of their facilities, and to align with the Commonwealth’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050.  (Please note: applicants may apply for a Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grant in tandem with a Capital Grant, if it is for the purpose of planning for the reduction of carbon emissions.)
Grant Categories
Capital Grants: For the acquisition, design, construction, repair, renovation, rehabilitation or other capital improvements or deferred maintenance of a cultural facility. Any of the following would qualify for consideration under this description:New construction.Additions to an existing structure.Renovations or repairs to an existing structure.Fixed/integrated equipment.Any combination of the above.Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants (FTA): For costs and expenses related to overall planning and feasibility for a proposed eligible project.Systems Replacement Plan Grants (SRP): These are a specific type of Feasibility and Technical Assistance Grant specifically designed for organizations without full-time maintenance staff. The SRP is a 20-year capital needs assessment of the building and its mechanical systems.

Eligibility

The following entities ("Cultural Organizations") are eligible to apply for grants for Cultural facilities:Nonprofit cultural organizations:501(c)(3) organizations that are primarily concerned with the arts, humanities, or interpretive sciences. The legislation includes but is not limited to museums, historic sites, zoos, aquariums, theaters, concert halls, exhibition spaces, classrooms, and auditoriums ("Cultural Facilities"). Eligible facilities must be owned, leased, or used by one or more nonprofit cultural organizations, and must be accessible to the public.Municipalities that own cultural facilities: Provided that the cultural facility is at least 50,000 square feet in size, and at least 50% devoted to cultural purposes provided. However, if such building, structure, or site is 125 years old or older and is significant in the history, archeology, architecture or culture of the nation, the commonwealth, or the community in which it is located, it may be of any size.Public or private institutions of higher education that own cultural facilities:provided that the cultural facility provides service and open access to the community and the general public beyond its educational mission and can demonstrate financial need.Threshold CriteriaThe statute of the Cultural Facilities Fund has established five threshold review criteria for all its grants:Project must be an "eligible project"There must be a demonstrated community need for the project.The project must be able to demonstrate that it will benefit tourism in the local area.There must be a demonstrated financial need for a grant.The project must be able to demonstrate local support.In addition to the statutory threshold criteria:Capital Grant applicants must meet "financial capacity" threshold criteria.Capital Grant applicants must either own or lease the facility.A College or University must demonstrate that its cultural facility provides service and open access to the community and the general public outside of the regular educational mission.A Municipality must demonstrate how 50% or more of its facility is for arts, humanities or interpretive science programming.All grants awarded by the Cultural Facilities Fund are subject to a 1:1 matching requirement. Applicants may only apply for one grant per round, with the exception of:A Systems Replacement Plan Grant, which may be applied for in tandem with any other grant category.
Beginning in FY23, applicants may apply for a Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grant in tandem with a Capital Grant, if it is for the purpose of planning for the reduction of carbon emissions.

Ineligibility

Pledges and in-kind goods or services are not eligible towards the matching requirement.The following may not be used as matching funds:Operating funds expended by the organization for:

• Mortgage interest
• Fundraising costs
• Staff salaries
• Other operating activities;
• Loan Proceeds
• Selling capital assets including the deaccessioning of museum collections;
• Funds already expended on the eligible project prior to September 1, 2022; and
• Funds received from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts