Boston arts committee advances $297,200 state cultural grant out of committee

BOSTON — February 27, 2023 — Boston's arts committee advances $297,200 state cultural grant for small nonprofits, with equity questions raised. The City Council's Committee on Arts, Culture, and Special Events cleared Docket 0118 on February 27, authorizing acceptance of a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant to be administered by the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture; the measure now heads to the full council. Committee Chair Gabriela Coletta Zapata, the sole councillor present, pressed Chief of Arts and Culture Cara Elliott Ortega on whether the office collects demographic data from grantees, saying the city must verify it is "funding the arts in an equitable way for all populations and demographics." Elliott Ortega acknowledged demographics are not yet collected at the application stage but said an ARPA-funded pilot is collecting that data for the first time this year. The program's total FY23 budget is $547,000, but applicants requested over $1 million across a record 255 submissions — 27 percent of which came from first-time applicants.