Governor’s Budget Proposes Level Funding for Arts & Culture through the MCC
From the Massachusetts Cultural Council:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2016
(Boston, MA) – Governor Charlie Baker today released a state budget proposal that would invest $14 million in the arts, humanities, and sciences through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) for the coming fiscal year. The Governor’s budget plan for FY17 would fund arts and culture at current levels.
The MCC seeks a $17 million state appropriation, a $3 million increase, for FY17. MCC Executive Director Anita Walker said the agency will continue to make the case for that increase in concert with MASSCreative and its network of advocates across the state. As part of that effort, MCC has released new data on the benefits of arts and cultural funding to the state’s economy, communities, and the education of our young people – and what long-term reinvestment in its work can accomplish.
“We appreciate Governor Baker’s support for the arts, humanities, and sciences,” said Anita Walker, MCC Executive Director. “Despite strong economic growth, the state faces fiscal challenges. The Governor’s budget proposal recognizes that the creative sector is part of the solution to those challenges, and that investing in our nonprofit cultural organizations, communities, and young people yields real dividends for the Commonwealth.”
The release of the Governor’s budget proposal is the first step in the annual state budget process. The House and Senate will release their own budget recommendations in April and May, respectively. The two chambers must then agree on a final tax and spending plan, and then send it back to the Governor for final approval before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
See MCC’s Advocacy Action Center for updates on the budget process and for the latest data on the nonprofit cultural sector’s contributions to the Massachusetts economy and quality of life.
Join the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s email list to stay up-to-date!
About the Massachusetts Cultural Council
The MCC is a state agency supporting the arts, sciences, and humanities, to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts and its communities. It pursues its mission through a combination of grants, services, and advocacy for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists. The MCC’s total budget for this fiscal year is $15.7 million, which includes a $14 million state appropriation and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. The MCC also runs the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment
