The Franklin Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. According to the Massachusetts' website, the local Cultural Council Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.
The Franklin Cultural Council (FCC) recently reviewed proposals from various artists, schools and musicians offering programs in support of the arts, humanities, and interpretive science projects for the benefit of the Franklin community. They just announced their grants totaling $9,020 were awarded to 24 projects that best provided a public benefit to Franklin residents including Concerts on the Common, Franklin 4th of July Celebration, Symphonic Concert Band, Music for Young Children and many more. Various awards fund the Franklin Schools through the PASS Program, which provides subsidies for school-age children to attend cultural field trips. The Town of Franklin continues to support enriching our community through the arts and generously contributed $2,000 to fund diverse projects. For a complete list of grants funded this year, please visit http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_BComm/cultural.
For the first time, the Franklin Cultural Council will be to hosting a reception in honor of its 2010 grant award recipients at The Franklin Country Club on Sunday April 11th from 2-4pm. Light refreshments will be provided. The Council explains that this is an opportunity for the 2010 recipients to get together, share their experiences and meet their fellow artists. Franklin Town Administrator, Jeff Nutting, State Representative, Jim Vallee, and Massachusetts Cultural Council Program Coordinator, Tara Ahmed will be in attendance to welcome guests.