FY2027 Cultural Facilities Fund – Feasibility and Technical Assistance Grants
Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment provide competitive funding to help eligible Massachusetts cultural organizations obtain professional planning and analysis ahead of a cultural facilities project. Maximum individual grant: $35,000. Covered services include architectural or engineering studies, market and feasibility work for a new cultural facility, facility maintenance planning, accessibility studies, energy-efficiency/decarbonization analyses, and related consultant scopes. It is an applicant grant, not a government contract to purchase consultants.
Funder: Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment. This is the Fiscal Year 2027 Cultural Facilities Fund competitive grant round, open October 8, 2026 through December 10, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Awards are expected in June 2027.
Eligible applicants: Massachusetts 501(c)(3) organizations primarily concerned with arts, humanities, or interpretive sciences whose facilities are accessible to the public; qualifying municipalities owning cultural facilities that meet the state size and cultural-use conditions; and qualifying public or private higher-education institutions with cultural facilities open to the community beyond their educational mission. Fiscal sponsors are not eligible. Municipal facilities normally must be at least 50,000 square feet and at least 50% devoted to cultural purposes, with an exception for qualifying historic facilities at least 125 years old.
Matching funds: A 1:1 secured cash or legally obligated matching contribution is required for every award before an agreement and fund draw. In-kind donations, ordinary pledges, loans, and the listed ineligible state or operating sources do not meet the match. Applicants need not have the match fully in hand when applying; funding deadlines after award differ by category.
How to apply: Review the full FY27 program guidelines, create or access an organization profile in Mass Cultural Council’s grants management system, complete the mandatory Eligibility Quiz for the desired category, and submit the online application and required supporting information by December 10, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Applicants can generally request only one category per round; the guidelines allow limited combinations for Systems Replacement Plan and qualifying green-building feasibility projects.
Funding restrictions: Grant funds may not cover regular operations, organizational strategic planning unrelated to a facility, ongoing staff positions, fundraising or marketing implementation, or publications. Applicants must demonstrate project need, support, financial need, local tourism impact, identified planning consultants, a coherent consultant scope, and a planning budget.
Required application materials: Planning budget with sources and uses, project timeline, planning consultant scope-of-services, recent audited or permitted alternate financial statements, and pictures of the facility/site. Provide lease or deed where applicable; this is not required when studying a facility the organization does not yet own or lease. Previously funded Feasibility grantees are subject to a one-year wait for another Feasibility Grant and completion rules.
Official instructions: https://massculturalcouncil.org/organizations/cultural-facilities-fund/application-process/feasibility/