FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01/24/2026
For further information, contact:
Susan Scully Petroni
City of Framingham Public Information Officer
508-782-8629
Framingham Cultural Council Awards 71 Grants Totaling $50,500
FRAMINGHAM - The City of Framingham is pleased to announce, on behalf of the Framingham Cultural Council (FCC), the award of 71 grants totaling $50,500 to support cultural programs, educational initiatives, and community arts activities taking place in Framingham during 2026.
The grants support a wide range of programming in the arts, humanities, and sciences, including concerts, theater productions, festivals, school field trips, cultural heritage events, literary programs, and multidisciplinary educational experiences for residents of all ages. Nearly half of the funded programs include educational components for children and youth.
The following organizations, schools, artists, and community groups received funding:
2026 Framingham Cultural Council Grant Recipients
A Common Thread Theatre Company, Inc. — Fun Home — $1,000
A Common Thread Theatre Company, Inc. — Hadestown: Teen Edition — $1,000
Benton, Zachary — Music of the Beach Boys — $340
Benton, Zachary — Howlin' Halloween Concert — $340
Bettagere Nagendra Prasad, Pranav Swaroop — SARANG - Colors of South Asian Music — $500
Boston Arabic Music Ensemble — Mourouj: Boston Arabic Music Ensemble in Concert — $1,000
Boston Coalition for Autism, Inc. — Neurodiversity is Culture — $500
Boston Opera & Zarzuela Corp. — Zarzuela y Olé! - Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Framingham — $1,000
Boys and Girls Clubs of MetroWest, Inc. — Incorporating STEAM Experiences into Summer Learning — $1,000
Cameron Middle School — McAuliffe Center Mars Simulation — $500
Cameron Middle School — Field Trip Visit — $500
Charlotte A. Dunning Elementary School — Field Trip to Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum — $500
Charlotte Dunning Elementary Parent Teacher Organization — Dunning Variety Show — $500
Chinese Family Network Inc (CFN) — Spring Harmony: Performances and Crafts — $1,000
Christa McAuliffe Branch Library — 2026 Summer Reading: Plant a Seed, Read — $1,000
Christa McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning at Framingham State University — Challenger Series 2025–2026 — $1,000
City of Framingham — Framingham 325th - Black History, Women's History & Hispanic History — $1,000
City of Framingham — Framingham FEST — $1,000
City of Framingham Parks & Recreation Department — Framingham Summer Concert Series — $1,000
Costarelli, Eve — Mindful Mobility for All: An Adaptive Arts & Movement Program for Youth — $1,000
De Musis, Rejane — McCarty Music — $1,000
Druyan, Ron — Tiny Tutti — $675
Edwards Church Incorporated (United Church of Christ) — Artist in Residence: Building Community through Art and Storytelling — $1,000
Ethnic Arts Center of Somerville, Inc. — Circles of Love: ME AND MY PALS Puppetry Esteem & Friendship Project — $750
Framingham Centre Common Cultural District — Live Music on the Centre Common at Farmers Market — $1,000
Framingham Garden Club, Inc. — Building Bridges through Connections — $378
Framingham High School — Beyond FHS: Your Story in Photographs — $600
Framingham High School — The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — $800
Framingham History Center, Inc. — The Art of History in Framingham — $1,000
Framingham Public Access Corporation — Access Film Festival — $1,000
Framingham Public Library — Bachata by the Bookmobile — $500
Framingham Public Library — Summer Reading: Plant a Seed, Read — $1,000
Framingham Public Library — FPL Jazz: 2026 Summer Concert Series — $1,000
Framingham Public Library — Dark Summer Book Festival Guests of Honor — $1,000
Framingham Public Schools — Harmony Grove goes to see the Boston Symphony Orchestra — $500
Framingham State University — Adventures in Lifelong Learning — $500
Framingham Townwide PTO Council — Around the World Fair — $500
Framingham Townwide PTO Council — Matilda Jr. — $500
Framingham Townwide PTO Council — Music Program — $500
Herzog, Jenny — Music Theory, Songwriting, Performance at MCI-Framingham — $1,000
Hoops and Homework, Inc. — Music at Hoops — $1,000
Jewish Family Service of MetroWest, Inc. — Metrowest Memory Cafe — $500
Joseph P. Keefe Regional Technical High School — You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown — $600
Keezing, Jonathan A. — Classic Songs — $340
List, Melina — Framingham Disability Cultural Series — $700
Lora, Fanny — Mano a Mano: Arias in Dialogue — $1,000
MUSIC Dance.edu — Hip Hop SQUARE Dance for Seniors! and Chair Dance — $500
MUSIC Dance.edu — I Am Autistic, I Am Fantastic – The Musical — $340
MacInnes, Rebecca — Soloveychicks Concert of Yiddish Song — $375
Martin, Jess — Echoes of Nature — $600
Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild, Inc. — The Massachusetts High School Drama Festival — $500
MetroWest Tourism and Visitors Bureau, Inc. — World Cup Fan Zone — $1,000
Nocera, Josef — The GemsTones 50s Dance Party — $1,000
Performing Arts Center of MetroWest, Inc. — PAC Winter and Spring Recitals — $1,000
Pinefield Garden Club — Incorporating Natives in Your Garden — $340
Polatin, David — Music from Memphis — $340
Potter Road Elementary School — Crocodile River Music at Potter Road — $550
ProGente Connections — ProGente Library Launch — $500
Sordillo, Willie — Harmony Grove: A Legacy of Justice and Equality in Framingham — $600
South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc. — Empty Bowls, 2026 — $1,000
Stoney, Kimberly — Printmaking with a Gelatin Plate — $317
Swanson, Kris — Songs & Stories Music Concert — $225
Tasty Harvests — Roots & Recipes: Community Pop-Up Garden & Story Series — $1,000
The Heritage Chorale, Inc. — Winter Pops and Spring Concerts — $600
The Raymond J. Callahan Center — Back to School…Without the Homework — $750
The Raymond J. Callahan Center — Callahan Music Series — $1,000
The Spectacle Collective, Inc. — Common Chords: The New Generation of Chilean Classical Music — $600
Utaegbulam, Rick — JuneteenthFest 2026 — $1,000
Voices of MetroWest, Inc. — Evolution of Broadway — $500
Walsh Middle School — Grade 8 Field Trip MFA — $500
Waterman, Jon — Live Music Making History Live — $340
The Framingham Cultural Council is part of a statewide network of 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCCs) serving all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The LCC Program is the nation’s largest grassroots cultural funding network, supporting thousands of community-based projects each year.
Funding for these grants is provided through an annual state appropriation to the Mass Cultural Council (MCC), which allocates funds to local councils. Statewide, more than $5 million will be distributed by Local Cultural Councils in 2026.
The Framingham Cultural Council consists of 14 volunteers appointed by the Mayor who review applications and make funding decisions based on Mass Cultural Council guidelines and local cultural priorities. The Council conducts a community survey every other year to help guide funding priorities.
2025–2026 Framingham Cultural Council Members:
Kerry Najarian, Chair
Maurico Perea, Co-Chair
Eric Volin, Secretary
Joel Winett, Treasurer
Tim Alexander, Co-Treasurer
Damon Araujo
Noelle Fournier
Katerina Koliovska-Tobaygo
Lois Levick
Katie Listewnik
Ash Nemiccolo
Julie Sullivan Green
Steve Straight
Alexandra White
The FCC will seek applications again in fall 2026, with a deadline of October 16, 2026. For guidelines and information, contact 508-532-5440 or FraminghamCultural@gmail.com. Applications and details about the Local Cultural Council Program are available at www.massculturalcouncil.org.
In addition to its annual grant program, the FCC awards scholarships to high school seniors pursuing arts education in college. The Collins Memorial Arts Scholarship honors Rita and Bill Collins for their longstanding commitment to arts and youth in Framingham. Scholarship information is available on the City of Framingham website.
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