Mass Cultural Council Grants for Creative Individuals

Overview

Grants for Creative Individuals are unrestricted $5,000 grants to Massachusetts artists, culture bearers, and creative practitioners to equitably advance creative expression throughout the Commonwealth's diverse communities. Approximately 400-450 grants will be awarded, or about 10% of anticipated applications.

Key Dates

• Application Opens: September 16, 2025
• Info Session: September 18, 2025
• Application Deadline: October 28, 2025 at 11:59pm ET
• Awards Announced: March 2026

Eligibility

• 18 years of age or older
• Full-year resident of Massachusetts for calendar year 2025 continuing through June 2026
• Not currently enrolled full-time as an undergraduate or graduate student in the arts
• Did not receive a Grants for Creative Individuals grant, Cultural Sector Recovery Grant, or Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant over $2,000 in 2023, 2024, or 2025
• Not a governor-appointed Mass Cultural Council member, staff member, or family member of staff

Eligible Disciplines

Any artistic or creative discipline including: community-based arts, crafts, dance, design, digital, film/video, folk/world/traditional arts, native/indigenous arts, literature, music, performance, photography, theater, and visual arts.

Application Requirements

• Eligibility quiz to confirm eligibility
• Personal information including name, contact information, and general category of artistic/cultural practice
• Brief narrative (1,500 characters/2 minutes or less) describing your creative expression and commitment to your artistic/cultural practice
• Work samples (up to five total minutes/pages/images)
• Questions related to the program's Funding Priorities

Work Samples

Submit samples of your creative work that are in-progress or completed within the last five years. Work samples should be your own work. In the Work Sample Description box, clarify your relationship to or role in the submitted work. If artificial intelligence has been used as a tool to support your work, please include an explanation.

How to Apply

Create a user profile or login to your account in the grants management system. Complete the online application at Mass Cultural Council's grants management system, which opens September 16, 2025 and must be submitted by 11:59pm ET on October 28, 2025. Optional resources include reading the program guidelines, FAQs, application tips, and sample applications; watching a recorded information session; and attending virtual office hours to ask staff questions.

Accommodations

Mass Cultural Council offers alternative formats, auxiliary aids, translation, interpretation, and other services necessary for participation in its programs. To request accommodations or translation services in a timely manner, contact staff at least three weeks before any deadline or event. Translation of application materials into Spanish is available.