The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) is seeking community input on arts and culture in Worcester through its 2022 Funding Priorities Survey.
The online survey is open now through August 8, 2022, and can be completed at: https://tinyurl.com/WACSurvey2022. Responses to this brief survey will help determine WAC’s funding priorities for its 2023 grant cycle, which opens in September 2022.
“You can help shape arts and culture in the city by taking the Worcester Arts Council’s Funding Priorities Survey. Your responses directly influence where our annual grant funds go,” said Worcester Arts Council Chair Jennifer Riley. “Plus, the survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete, and you could win a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses just for completing it!”
Those who complete the survey also have a chance to win a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses of their choice, worth up to $300. WAC is offering this raffle prize to encourage survey participation.
Last year, WAC saw its highest Funding Priorities Survey participation ever, with over 2,000 responses. This year, the Council seeks to build on that success to gain even more participation, and broader demographics among survey respondents.
“It’s very important that these survey responses represent a wide variety of perspectives, lived experiences, and voices from across Worcester. We have extensive outreach plans again this year, and will be distributing the survey to community members all around the city,” Riley said.
Because WAC is responsible for distributing public dollars, the Council seeks community input about how to best distribute those funds through its Funding Priorities Survey each year. Like most Local Cultural Councils across the state, WAC typically receives more grant requests than can be funded. Strong priorities based on community input help guide its grant-making decisions.
“WAC deeply values the community input we receive each year,” said Riley. “The annual funding priorities we establish are based directly on these survey responses. We prioritize grant applications that align with what the Worcester community tells us is most important to them. This is an opportunity to have your say — and your voice truly matters!”
WAC also intends to publish a report with the survey results again this year, and will share the report with other local arts and cultural organizations.
The Worcester Arts Council is part of a statewide network of 329 Local Cultural Councils supported through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). The Local Cultural Council (LCC) Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and sciences. This program assists the Worcester community in the development of local projects and adds to the cultural vitality of the city.
The current Worcester Arts Council members are Jennifer Riley (Chair), Lisa Malo (Vice Chair), Brandon Lewis (Secretary), Christopher Rich (Treasurer), Silvana Boaheng, Sean Brennan, David Filar, and George Sedares.
About the Worcester Arts Council:
The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) is a municipal body consisting of nine members appointed by the City Manager. The Council is charged with promoting the cultural affairs of the City of Worcester and allocating funds received by the Council for cultural projects and programs. The mission of the Worcester Arts Council is to promote excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities and interpretative sciences to improve the quality of life for Worcester residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our City. The Worcester Arts Council is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information visit: www.worcesterma.gov/cultural-development/worcester-arts-council
About the Massachusetts Cultural Council:
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) is a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive 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 grant programs, partnerships, and services for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists. For more information visit: http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/about/about.asp
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