Senate Proposes Level Funding for MCC, but…!
Senate Ways & Means Budget Proposes Level Funding for Massachusetts Cultural Council 
(Boston, MA) Today the Senate Ways & Means Committee released a proposed budget for the coming fiscal year that would provide level funding for the arts, humanities, and sciences through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC).The Senate panel recommended $9.25 million for the MCC in the new fiscal year that begins July 1. That roughly matches the figure proposed by the Governor in January, but is about $250,000 below the $9.5M figure recommended by the House of Representatives in April.
MCC will work with Senator Eileen Donoghue of Lowell—Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development—to file an amendment to increase MCC funding and restore cuts to arts and cultural funding over the past decade. The MCC asks that advocates contact their Senator as soon as possible and urge them to support Senator Donoghue’s amendment. The addition of cosponsors to her amendment will demonstrate that arts and cultural funding has widespread support in the Senate, and that restoring this funding should be a priority. Find contact information for your State Senator.
The release of the Senate Ways & Means budget is a key step in the annual state budget process. The full Senate will debate the budget next week and then must reconcile its spending plan with that of the House before sending it back to the Governor for final approval.
Stay on top of the budget process by visiting the MCC’s Advocacy Action Center.
About the Massachusetts Cultural Council
The Massachusetts Cultural Council is a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and sciences, to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities. The Council pursues this mission through a combination of grants, services, and advocacy for cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists. With state funding, an annual state partnership grant from the National Endowment from the Arts, and funds from Bank of America, MCC’s total fiscal year 2012 budget is $10.8 million.