The term “arts and culture’ covers a wide swath of disciplines and genres. What does the term mean, anyway? Is art what Andy Warhol described as “what you can get away with”? Is creativity what Einstein described as  “…intelligence having fun”? Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said culture is what we preserve in memory. Is it? The answer is yes. “Arts and culture:” it’s all the things, evolving, ineffable, subjective. 

 One concrete and quantifiable element of the arts and culture sector, however, is its soaring economic impact. In 2023, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) released data showing that arts and cultural industries contributed 4.3% of gross domestic product (GDP): $1.1 trillion to the U.S. economy, and created 5.7 million jobs.*

This boon in spending within the sector trickles down to local municipalities in hard numbers because increased cultural offerings lead to increased visitation and spending, greatly benefiting local economies. 

Enter the Maynard Cultural Council (MCC) (The Council) and the Maynard Cultural District (MCD) (The District). Both bring dollars to Maynard that support work for artists, community cultural events, collaborations, public space improvements and more. Both increase the volume of spending for local businesses without encumbering local tax revenues.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

• The Maynard Cultural Council (MCC) (The Council) is an advisory board that uses state funds to support arts, culture and humanities projects that benefit the Town of Maynard and stimulate local spending.
• The Maynard Cultural District (MCD) (The District) is a geographical area in the Town of Maynard designated by the state.  Funds are allocated by the state to promote the district as a cultural destination and boost the local economy.  

WHERE DOES MONEY COME FROM?

• The Massachusetts Cultural Council distributes money to localities from a budget funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, private and public foundations, private contributions and money allocated by the Massachusetts State Legislature. The primary source of MA Legislative funds is the state’s lottery program. It’s important to note that no local tax dollars are used for cultural programming.
• Both the Council and the District receive their funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. 
• Each organization distributes grants from two individual budgets. A Maynard Cultural Council Grant and A Maynard Cultural District Grant are two distinct entities.

SPECIFICS:

The Maynard Cultural Council 

What it is, its goals and how it is funded:  

• A local advisory board appointed by the Select Board of the Town of Maynard. The Council operates under the umbrella of the Massachusetts Cultural Council which was created in 1990 to promote the state’s cultural economy.  
• Its purpose is to administer state-allocated funds for programs that benefit the Town culturally and economically.
• Money for the grants comes from the Massachusetts Cultural Council budget which is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, private foundations, private contributions and funds allocated by the Massachusetts State Legislature’s primary source: lottery revenues.  Local tax dollars are not used for cultural programming.  

Who runs it?: 

• Local volunteers appointed by the Maynard Select Board serve on the Council. These volunteers meet publicly and report all of their activities to the Maynard Select Board and to the state annually.

How it works. It’s all on the public record: 

• On an annual basis, state funds are distributed to the local Council(s)
• The Council issues public calls for grants with criteria, guidelines, deadlines and instructions for applications
• At public meetings the Council evaluates grants and votes on distribution based on applications that best fit the criteria, guidelines and priorities of the Council. 
• The Council prioritizes projects that will benefit residents of the Town of Maynard and are offered free-of-charge to participants, along with other stated guidelines. 
• Progress and completion of projects are followed by members of Council, with financial reporting to the Town of Maynard and the Massachusetts Cultural Council  
• The Council conducts all of its business publicly; issues regular reports to the Town and State; holds an annual public information session and an annual reception to announce grantees. The Council is administered and run entirely by volunteers.

Learn more:  https://www.facebook.com/MaynardCulturalCouncil/

Reach out: [email protected]

The Maynard Cultural District 

What it is, its goals and how it is funded

• The Maynard Cultural District is a designated geographical area in Maynard, recognized by the Massachusetts Cultural Council as a “District:” an area dense with cultural assets, ie, art galleries, studios, performance venues, historic sites, etc. 
• The District operates under the umbrella of the Council. 
• The goal of the District is to create, promote abd arts and cultural activities in the designated area; promote it as a cultural destination, and stimulate local spending.
• The Massachusetts Cultural Council distributes funds drawn from state lottery revenues, the NEA and public and private foundations annually to the local district(s) to support its goals 

Who runs it

• Local volunteers comprised of individuals representing the arts, cultural and business communities

How it Works:

• Much like the Council, the District funds projects-based grants
• The District committee issues a public announcement that funds are available.  
• The primary criteria for grants are that the activity or project take place within the designated geographic area (the District), and serves a broad public audience 
• Grant applications are reviewed by members of the District at meetings, voted upon, and then referred to the Council for a final decision. Members of the public are welcome at the District’s meetings.
• Use of the funds allocated are reported to the Town of Maynard and to the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/DowntownMaynard/

Reach out: [email protected]

HOW DOES THIS BENEFIT MAYNARD RESIDENTS?

The local economy:  

• The  $29.7 billion dollars generated by the cultural sector in Massachusetts trickles down to local economies, all the while preserving local taxes revenues which are not used to fund grants and programs. 
• In Maynard, festivals, music events, exhibits and other cultural related events bring residents and visitors to the downtown where they spend money in local retail shops and restaurants. Owners of buildings that house these retail services pay commercial taxes to the town.
• Local restaurants and retail outlets report a surge in revenue when there is cultural activity downtown. A surge in local revenue increases the circulation of dollars throughout the town.

Community:

• Art and culture bring people of diverse backgrounds together, fostering social cohesion and pride. Festivals, public projects and other cultural events increase civic engagement, volunteering and community activism. 
• Early exposure to the arts can improve educational outcomes, engage young minds to think about new perspectives, even help identify intellectual strengths to be nurtured and supported.

Beautification:

• Public art beautifies and transforms cityscapes. Murals, sculptures and installations improve public spaces and reinforce community identity
• Cultural Districts and destinations bring state, federal and municipal dollars for the improvement and beautification of public spaces in areas such as traffic calming measures, road improvements and pedestrian safety.  

Read below to see what the Council and District have funded in recent years and click here to submit an application:

Learn more about the Massachusetts Cultural Council here: https://massculturalcouncil.org/

Sources:  The National Endowment for the Arts https://www.arts.gov/

 The Massachusetts Cultural Council https://massculturalcouncil.org/

*The most recent economic data on the arts and culture sector is from 2023.