Thursday, October 8, 2020

LCC Grant Application Deadline Extended to December 14!

The Fairhaven Cultural Council is currently accepting online applications for 2021 Local Cultural Council Grants. This year's deadline has been extended to December 14,  2020. 

 Online applications are available from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for LCC applicants via www.mass-culture.orgApplicants must complete their forms entirely online and upload any required supplemental materials by the Dec. 14 deadline.

For this grant cycle, applicants’ projects or events must take place between January through December 2021. The Fairhaven Cultural Council prioritizes projects that take place in Fairhaven and most directly benefit Fairhaven residents, as well as first-time applicants and new projects. Please refer to Fairhaven’s official MCC page for full local guidelines and council funding priorities.

Contact chairperson Bill Levasseur for assistance or with any questions at wjlevasseur85@gmail.com 

Monday, August 17, 2020

Seeking New Members!

If you enjoy the arts and culture and are interested in serving your community, the Fairhaven Cultural Council is seeking new members. New and prospective members who are residents of Fairhaven are invited to apply.

Council members are appointed by the Board of Selectmen and oversee the awarding and distribution of grant monies from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and local funds for projects in the arts and humanities that directly benefit Fairhaven residents. 


The council usually meets on Monday evenings for only three to four formal voting meetings throughout the year, and on an as-needed basis for other council business. Currently, the council meets remotely on Zoom, and will continue to do so until further notice. All parts of the grant application process are accessed online as well. Members must have access to necessary computer technology and internet access to participate.


Any Fairhaven resident interested in joining the council to contact chairperson Bill Levasseur at wjlevasseur85@gmail.com for more information.



Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Your Voice Matters! Complete our 2020 Community Input Survey

The Fairhaven Cultural Council would like to hear from you! 


The council is asking Fairhaven residents for their opinions about what types of arts and humanities-based projects should be prioritized for Local Cultural Council grant funding. Each year, grant monies are provided by the state through the Massachusetts Cultural Council and from the Town of Fairhaven to support arts and cultural programming that benefits our community and residents.

To participate, residents may complete this confidential survey online at this link:

(Google Sign-in is required, but emails are NOT being collected.)

Deadline to complete the survey is July 31, 2020.
Thank you for your participation!

In addition, the council is always seeking new members and welcomes any Fairhaven resident interested in joining the council to contact chairperson William Levasseur at wjlevasseur85@gmail.com for more information.

Monday, February 10, 2020

2020 Fairhaven LCC Grant Awards!

The Fairhaven Cultural Council is pleased to announce the Fairhaven Local Cultural Council Grant award winners for 2020! 

In addition to demonstrating compliance with Massachusetts Cultural Council and local grant project guidelines, winning projects demonstrated the most benefit to our community and specifically for residents of Fairhaven, providing opportunities for all ages to participate in a variety of arts and humanities areas.

Projects funded this year include NBAM/ArtWorks! Teen Internship Program, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s Learning in Concert program for Fairhaven Elementary School students, New Bedford Ballet’s in-school programs for Fairhaven Elementary School students, New Bedford Festival Theater’s Summer Academy, Tri-County Symphonic Band, the New Bedford JazzFest, the New Bedford Folk Festival, Fishing Heritage Center’s “We Came to Work” multimedia exhibit, Shakespeare in NB’s “Caesar”, the South Coast Children’s Chorus, Tracy Barboza’s “House of Glass” project at Haskell Gardens, “The Wonderful World” Magician Show at the Millicent Library, the Greater New Bedford Choral Society, and Seaglass Theater Company’s “Whaling Wives”.

Support for the Local Cultural Council (LCC) grant program is provided annually by the
Massachusetts Cultural Council as well as from the town of Fairhaven. Funding allotted by the
town of Fairhaven is earmarked to support events that promote tourism and attract visitors to
local businesses. In 2020, town funds will be supporting John R. Nelson’s “Birds of New England” lecture at the Millicent Library, Sally Ride Intergenerational Presentation at the Fairhaven Council on Aging, Music by Denya LeVine at Our Lady’s Haven, John Root’s “Birds of New England” presentation at Alden Court, the Cooke Memorial Park Basin Garden, and “Discover Buzzards Bay” Outdoor Education Program.

Events and programs are offered at affordable or free ticket prices; many offer senior citizen
discounts as well. 

The council is always interested in new members. If you are a resident of Fairhaven and would

like more information about joining the council, contact chairperson William Levasseur at wjlevasseur85@gmail.com.

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Grant Application FAQs 2019

For LCC applications due on October 15, 2019:


FAIRHAVEN CULTURAL COUNCIL IS ACCEPTING ONLINE APPLICATIONS ONLY. Visit www.mass-culture.org for information.

If you are considering applying for a cultural council grant, here are some suggestions from our council and answers to frequently asked questions:

What if I don’t have an exact date of my project?
The more specific the dates, the more likely your project will be viewed as viable and therefore be approved. If you don’t have an exact day scheduled, at least include a month you project your event or project to happen. If your project date changes after your grant has been accepted, please notify the council chair.
IMPORTANT: For the application cycle ending on October 15, 2019, projects being applied for must take place between January and December 2020.

Who should the contact person be if I am submitting a grant on behalf of an organization?
Your contact person should be the individual who will be responsible for overseeing the grant for your organization or project. It does not have to be the same person as the applicant. It should be the person you or your organization expects to handle communications with our council throughout the year.
If your contact person changes after your grant has been accepted, please notify the council chair as soon as possible.

What if I don’t have a project venue or host?
Our council does not produce or locate venues for applicants. You should obtain a tentative commitment from a host and/or secure a venue before you apply. We ask for letter or verification of your host or venue when appropriate for applicants’ events or projects.

How many copies of my application should I make?
No copies necessary-- the entire process is now online. Your online application must be submitted online by October 15, 2019. If you do not have access to a computer or web access, your local Public Library can make that available for you. Visit our MCC page and click the Application tab to begin. https://www.mass-culture.org/Fairhaven

What types of expenses will an LCC grant cover?
LCC grants can be used for supplies, stipends, venue rental fees, ticket costs and transportation fees for field trips, advertising materials, and other expendable items that are part of a project that promotes arts, culture, and the/or the humanities. Capitol expenses may be applied for using the additional pages of the grant application, but please keep in mind the limited funds available for these grants. 

LCC funds may NOT be used for food/refreshments, projects that discriminate against population groups or promoting the advancement of specific religious beliefs. 
Although individual students are not eligible to apply for scholarships via LCC grants, an organization may apply to an LCC to sponsor a scholarship provided it shows evidence of an open and fair review and award process.

You will be expected to use the monies for the expenses you outlined in your grant budget form. 
For more information about specific funding allowances, please read the state guidelines. https://www.mass-culture.org/criteria_eligibility.aspx

If my application is accepted, what happens next?
If accepted, you will receive notification via email from the chairperson. 
Because Fairhaven is participating in the Pilot Program, you will need to fill out and return the Grant Agreement and W-9 forms to our Treasurer immediately, and a check with your full funding amount will be issued in 3-4 weeks.

Once your project is completed you will need to complete a final report verifying you used the funds as promised and provide proof you have credited MCC and our LCC as required. Receipts should be available for possible auditing but should not be submitted with your final report.

2019 LCC Grant Applications Now Available!

FAIRHAVEN CULTURAL COUNCIL ANNOUNCES 2019 APPLICATION CYCLE! 

Each year, the Fairhaven Cultural Council, a local organization supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), awards Local Cultural Council (LCC) grants to support arts and cultural projects that directly benefit our community. Grant monies are distributed from both state and local funds designated specifically for this purpose. 

The Fairhaven Cultural Council accepts online applications only. Online applications are now available from the MCC for LCC applicants via www.mass-culture.org. Applicants must complete their forms entirely online and upload any required supplemental materials by the October 15, 2019 deadline. 


For this grant cycle, applicants’ projects or events must take place between January through December 2020. The Fairhaven Cultural Council prioritizes projects that take place in Fairhaven and most directly benefit Fairhaven residents, as well as first-time applicants and new projects. Please refer to Fairhaven’s official MCC page for full local guidelines and council funding priorities.

In 2020, the Fairhaven Council will again be participating in the Mass Cultural Council’s pilot program eliminating the requirement that awards be reimbursement-based. Grant money will be available in full to grantees once applicants are approved. Grantees will be required to submit a signed grant agreement and W-9 to receive funds, then a final report to the Local Cultural Council upon completion of your program verifying that your project was completed and grant monies were used as outlined in your application.


Contact chairperson William J. Levasseur for assistance or with any questions at wjlevasseur85@gmail.com 

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

New Members Welcome!


Are you interested in supporting arts and culture in Fairhaven? If the answer is yes, please consider joining the Cultural Council. The Fairhaven Cultural council is SEEKING NEW MEMBERS!

New and prospective members who are residents of Fairhaven over 18 years of age are encouraged to consider joining the council.

Council members are appointed by the Board of Selectmen and oversee the awarding and distribution of grant monies from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and local funds for projects in the arts and humanities that directly benefit Fairhaven residents. 

The council usually meets on Monday evenings, for only three to four formal voting meetings throughout the year, and on an as-needed basis for other council business. It is not an extensive time commitment, but an important one!

Any Fairhaven resident interested in joining the council should contact chairperson William Levasseur by email at wjlevasseur85@gmail.com for more information.