GREENFIELD, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The Greenfield Local Cultural Council announced their fiscal year 2025 grant awardees for arts and culture projects in the greater Greenfield area. The GLCC awarded a total of $22,973 to 40 awardees including the Nolumbeka Project’s celebration of Native American art, music and culture. The Bee Fest, Franklin County Pride, Vintage Days, Shea Theater Arts Center, The Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra are just a few of the other awardees this year.
From the City of Greenfield:
Greenfield Local Cultural Council Announces FY25 Funding Awardees
GREENFIELD – The Greenfield Local Cultural Council (GLCC) is proud to award 40 grants totaling $22,973 to a diverse array of arts and culture projects in the greater Greenfield area. Grants ranged from $133 to $1,200 and support areas like dance, literature, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts.
This year’s GLCC awardees feature a medley of long standing community events. The Second Congressional Church received funding for its annual Bee Fest festivities in May, while the Franklin County Pride was awarded resources to continue its annual celebration in June. In addition, the Greenfield Business Association will continue to host Vintage Days in October thanks in part to GLCC funding.
The GLCC awardees cover a diverse cross-section of the arts. Lively dance classes range from hip-hop to traditional folk numbers received funding support. Live stage performances including the Shea Theater Arts Center, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Hilltown Youth Performing Arts Program were also awarded funding.
Supporting cultural endeavors is another essential component of this year’s GLCC awards. The Nolumbeka Project will utilize GLCC funds to host a celebration of Native American art, music and cultures. Additionally, Moving Mountains annual Juneteenth celebration received funding.
In 2024, the GLCC conducted a community survey that informed local priorities for the types of projects to fund. A list of those priorities can be found on the Massachusetts Cultural Council website or by clicking here. The grantmaking process took place in December, with over 80 applicants and $72,000 in requested funds. The next round of GLCC funding will take place in the fall of 2025 for the 2026 calendar year.
The GLCC is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the nation’s largest grassroots cultural funding network, supporting thousands of community-based arts, sciences and humanities projects every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency that allocates funds to each community.
The full list of funded projects can be found below
- Weathervane Community Arts World Music Mini-fest
- Tuckerman’s Glasses, LLC 100 Years of Movies
- Thomas, Cynthia Danse Cafe – French and Breton Traditional Folk Dance
- The Nolumbeka Project, Inc. Full Snow Moon Gathering & Social Dance
- The Nolumbeka Project, Inc. A Celebration of Native American Art, Music, and Cultures
- The Brick House Community Resource Center, Inc. Liberation Playback Theatre 2025 Season
- Steinem, Kathleen Seniority Dances in the Community
- Silverthorne Theater Company, Inc. The Scariest Thing to See in the Woods: A Theater Thursday Reading
- Shea Theater Arts Center, Inc. Shea’s Lounge
- Second Congregational Church Greenfield Bee Fest Plants, Paints and Sings!
- Racial Justice Rising Revitalizing Racial Justice Through Community Education and Outreach
- Polus Center for Social & Economic Development, Inc. Blind in the Baystate: Stories from Across the Generations
- Piti Theatre Company Youth Troupe
- Pioneer Valley Symphony, Inc. Strings for Kids: String Spectacular
- Owens, George PaxSax Concert
- Musica Franklin, Inc. Community Concert Series
- Musica Franklin, Inc. Fun Fest
- MUSIC Dance.edu The History of Hip Hop Music and Dance
- MUSIC Dance.edu Hip Hop Chair Dance for Seniors! – a dance series
- Moving Mountains Media/Mpress Boss Moves Entertainment Greenfield’s Juneteenth Scholarship Program
- Montague Public Libraries Level up with The Whalemobile
- Mohawk Trail Concerts, Inc. Music at the Jail
- Mennella, Cheli In Silhouette Shadow Theatre: A Winter Day & Butterfly Dream
- Maher, Jan Ismene
- Local Access to Valley Arts On the Boards ’25
- Levavi, Bella Lights! Camera! Greenfield!
- Hilltown Youth Performing Arts Program, Inc. Hilltown Youth Recovery Theatre & The Recover Project Present KINKY BOOTS: An Indoor, Outdoor, Traveling Spectacle
- Greenfield Military Band Greenfield Military Band Summer Concert Series 2025
- Greenfield High School Visiting Authors Program – Malinda Lo
- Greenfield High School Taste of World Cultures
- Greenfield Business Association Vintage Days
- Glover, Stephen Free Brass Quartet Concert
- Franklin Land Trust, Inc. Farm Explorers Series
- Franklin County Pride, Inc. Franklin County Pride Parade and Festival 2025
- Elkus, Eli Musical Storytelling & Folk Music at Stone Soup Cafe
- Calcari, Paul Franklin County Community Chorus
- Brewster, Vanessa Looky Here Magazine: Issue 3
- Artspace Community Arts Center Free Art Saturdays at Artspace
- Antenna Cloud Farm, Inc. Antenna Cloud Farm Music Festival, Artist Retreat, and Institute 2025
- Adam, Sarah New England Dreamscapes, an art exhibition of found slate paintings by Sarah Adam
