NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Arts Council has opened applications for the fiscal year 2026 Local Cultural Council Grant Round which funds arts projects in Northampton, Florence and Leeds, and applications will be accepted until the Oct. 16 deadline.
Grants typically range from $250 to $2,000 and support projects such as performances, exhibits, festivals, readings, workshops and school programs. Applications are judged on artistic merit, community benefit and financial feasibility.
Arts Council Executive Director Brain Foote told Reminder Publishing that each year, they look for anybody and anyone who has a creative idea that they want to show off to the city of Northampton, Florence and Leeds. Specifically, they are looking for arts projects that include a public component like an exhibit, live performances or workshops.
“We want to basically highlight really creative individuals and their projects to our community and what we do as an LCC is we focus in on arts projects in Northampton because we’re such a cultural hub for the area,” said Foote.
Local cultural councils in each city or town define their priorities such as humanities or science projects, and in Northampton, priorities have been set on the arts and have been a part of the foundation that has made the city a welcoming place for all artists.
“The legacy of that has passed over to each continuous Northampton Arts Council member and they want us to keep focusing on that so we can create this hub of artistic creativity in our area,” added Foote.
The deadline to submit an application is Oct. 16 at 11:59 p.m. Projects must run sometime during 2026 and applicants will be notified of their acceptance by Jan. 16, 2026. Applications must be submitted online through the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s LCC portal. For details, visit northamptonartscouncil.org or email arts@northamptonma.gov.
Foote said each year when this grant round opens serves as a reminder to him of the opportunity the council has to continue supporting local artists in a world where it is becoming increasingly more challenging to pull off effectively.
“Personally, I am so proud to be able to live and work around this region, in particular Northampton, because so many people care about creativity and arts, and they understand how it adds to the fabric of society. The proof is in how it plays out in our community and within the schools, within the cultural institutions we have downtown, or sidewalk chalk where people are drawing cool interesting designs in the sidewalk, to public art and our murals which we’ve been trying to lead the way on in creating more public art downtown.”
Foote said he and fellow arts council members wish they could accept and fund all the projects that come through the application process, but the reality is there is a limit.
“I’m always excited to look at what our community members are bringing to us to fund. It’s always a displeasure of mine that we can’t fund all of them. Theres always a good 70% of applicants that are really exciting applications that I love reading and looking at what people are doing in our community. It’s always with heavy heart that we have to send decline notices,” said Foote. “I wish the arts in our state and all across the country were funded more. We have so much creativity in our region, and I wish I could fund more applications. Looking at those applications always lends me to have a much broader view of the art community here.”
Foote added that those who apply and are not accepted should not become too discouraged as the council offers feedback and communication with applicants about their work and how they can improve their application for next time.
“It’s not just beyond the idea that you should reapply, it’s ‘hey you should reapply and we should sit down and talk about your application and where we can strengthen it,’” Foote explained. “We provide that extra service. I really think we’re like onboarding to anyone who wants to be an arts creator in our area, and I think a lot of the times we’re the first grant that anyone applies to so sometimes projects, ideas are not fully baked.”
Foote continued, “We try to do the best to be a springboard for people if they’re really focused on being a project creator or an artist, to help them onboard and get them the support they need to be successful in a really difficult art world.”
