SWAMPSCOTT — Anyone seeking a grant from the Swampscott Cultural Council needs to act fast, because Monday marks the last day that local artists can apply for SCC funding.
Each year, the SCC awards a number of grants in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences, which serve to add vibrancy to the town, introduce a cross-section of cultural events, enrich community life, and connect citizens of different ages and generations.
The SCC is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is funded in turn by the Massachusetts Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
In the 2020 fiscal year, the Swampscott Cultural Council granted $6,248 to 10 individuals and organizations. The grants were used to fund plays, dance troupes, concerts, and research projects.
“The Cultural Council is wonderful,” said Anne Lucas, a local playwright who was awarded a $750 grant by the SCC in 2020 to produce her play Recovery. “We were very excited to get the grant.”
Recovery, based on Lucas’s own experience with loved ones suffering from addiction, explores the effects of drug addiction on a family.
“So many people said that this is such an important play and that we need to do it,” said Lucas. “And that’s what inspired me to apply for a grant.”
Many of the 2020 grants were put on hold due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery, which was set to be produced in April, had to be put on hold indefinitely.
“I had it scheduled and I had all the actors cast,” said Lucas. “I hope that when we can have theater again that I’ll be able to reapply and bring these plays to these communities.”
Based on the results of the SCC’s Summer 2017 community input survey, this year’s funding will be directed towards five types of projects.
These include community events and public performances, cultural programming for the schools, environmental education projects, public arts projects, and projects that support cultural diversity.
Programs funded by the SCC for two years or more will have a lower priority in subsequent years.
Events that take place in schools will be viewed more favorably if additional or follow-up learning will be integrated into the classroom.
Due to limited resources and the interest in providing diverse programming, the SCC reports that they are more likely to fund grants between $200 and $750.
Interested parties can apply on the Mass Cultural Council website at: https://www.mass-culture.org/swampscott.
Guthrie Scrimgeour can be reached at [email protected].
