TAKE ACTION: URGE THE HOUSE AND SENATE TO INVEST $28M FOR THE MASS CULTURAL COUNCIL AND $17M FOR THE MA TOURISM TRUST FUND
Features Clara Hevia of the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company performing at the State House and holding a basket of flowers. Floating triangles are decorative.
The MASSCreative Action Network is organizing support for $28 million for the Mass Cultural Council (0640-0300) and $17 million for the Massachusetts Tourism Trust Fund (7008-0902) in the state’s FY26 Budget.
In January, we sent out a call to take action on the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s FY26 Budget and more than 700 individuals and cultural organizations signed onto our budget request letter. On January 22, 2025, Gov. Healey filed her budget and proposed $26,045,152 for the Mass Cultural Council in FY26, essentially level-funding the agency.
On March 10th, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means started their statewide hearings to learn from different sectors about their FY26 Budget priorities. The Mass Cultural Council was invited to testify at the March 10th hearing in Gloucester and shared their request for $28 million for the agency. The Joint Committee has scheduled six more hearings that will take place before the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees release their proposed budgets. The House will debate their budget the last week in April and the Senate will debate their budget the third week of May. You can read more about the state budgeting process on our blog.
The Mass Cultural Council’s annual operating and grantmaking budget is approved each year through the state budget. The Mass Cultural Council’s budget is also the single largest annual public investment made towards arts and culture in Massachusetts. In FY25, our coalition successfully advocated for increased funding for the Mass Cultural Council at $26.9 million.
According to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, arts and culture account for $28.6 billion in economic value, 135,000 jobs, and 4.1% of the Commonwealth’s economy. Contributed economic value by arts and culture ranked second compared to other key sectors, including retail, construction, and education. In 2023, Massachusetts’ travel and tourism sector generated $23.6 billion in spending from 52.3 million domestic and international travelers, which in turn generated $2.3 billion in state and local taxes.
With ongoing concerns over federal funding streams, it’s critical that the creative sector stands in solidarity for the strongest possible state-level support for arts, culture and creativity.
Take action today by signing onto the MASSCreative Action Network’s letter urging House and Senate leadership to propose $28 million for the Mass Cultural Council (0640-0300) and $17 million for the Massachusetts Tourism Trust Fund (7008-0902) in their FY26 Budgets.
The deadline to add your name and your organization’s name is Monday, March 31st at 11:59 PM.
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Dear Speaker Mariano, Senate President Spilka, Chair Michlewitz, Chair Rodrigues, Chair Garballey, and Chair Mark:
Thank you for your steadfast leadership and service to the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We are writing on behalf of the 135,000 individuals who are employed through Massachusetts’ creative economy and its beneficiaries to request that you support arts, culture, and tourism in the House FY26 Budget by including $28 million for the Mass Cultural Council’s annual operating and grantmaking budget (0640-0300), and $17 million for the Massachusetts Tourism Trust Fund (7008-0902), which supports the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and Regional Tourism Councils.
According to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, arts and culture account for $28.6 billion in economic value, 135,000 jobs, and 4.1% of the Commonwealth’s economy. Contributed economic value by arts and culture ranked second compared to other key sectors, including retail, construction, and education. In 2022, Americans for the Arts released their Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) analysis of the City of Springfield, which found that attendees of arts and cultural events spent an average of $31.85 per person on related goods including parking, transportation, and dining. Individuals who traveled from outside of the county where the event took place contributed an average of $51.83 to the local economy. In 2023, Massachusetts’ travel and tourism sector generated $23.6 billion in spending from 52.3 million domestic and international travelers, which in turn generated $2.3 billion in state and local taxes.
Beyond the economic value of the sector, we know that arts and culture animate our communities, preserve our stories, and foster belonging. A supported creative workforce reinforces community bonds and pride in the places where we live, work, and create. Studies consistently demonstrate that young people who have access to arts education in the classroom or through creative youth development programs grow the creative thinking skills and social and emotional learning necessary to become resilient, innovative, and empathic future leaders. A strong creative sector will be essential for us to achieve our visions for social and economic prosperity in Massachusetts.
Since 2020, state and federal funding has provided crucial support for a creative ecosystem that is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. SMU DataArts reported that the average Massachusetts cultural organization reduced its budget by 12% in 2022. Organizations remain reliant on declining contributed revenue sources, and individual private giving has dropped 13% after adjusting for inflation. Earned revenue has decreased 34% and attendance has decreased by 47% since 2019. Foundation funding supported nearly the same level of Massachusetts organizations’ total expenses in 2022 as in 2019, even as the cost of production and operating businesses increased. Further, the sector is not recovering at a uniform rate, with attendance to music and theater venues still lagging behind museums.
We are grateful that the Healey-Driscoll Administration proposed $26,045,152 for the Mass Cultural Council in their FY26 H.1 Budget, which is a modest increase over the agency’s current operating budget of $25.9 million. Further, we appreciate the Legislature’s work last session to pass the Live Theater Tax Credit and Downtown Vitality Act, which will provide the creative sector with additional and timely support.
As artists, cultural leaders, creative workers, and arts supporters, we urge the House and Senate to invest $28 million for the Mass Cultural Council (0640-0300) and $17 million for the Massachusetts Tourism Trust Fund (7008-0902) in their FY26 Budget proposals.
The investment of these public funds will provide essential assistance to artists, creative workers, cultural organizations, and culture bearers as they continue to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, weather the present fiscal climate, and continue adding the social and economic value that we rely upon in Massachusetts.
Thank you for your consideration, leadership, and service to the residents of the Commonwealth. We look forward to working with you and your colleagues to build a stronger, more resilient, and more equitable creative sector for all in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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