FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joan-Ellen Messina, Chatham Cultural Council
(508) 432-4933 or je.messina@verizon.net
January 12, 2009
CHATHAM CULTURAL COUNCIL ANNOUNCES 2009 GRANTS
The Chatham Cultural Council recently awarded grants totaling $19,436 for the 20082009 grant cycle. Of the thirtynine grant applications the Council received, twentyfive qualified for either partial or full funding. Guidelines for selection and grant monies are provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The Town of Chatham matched $4,000 in state monies to support public programs and educational activities in the arts, sciences and humanities. The remaining amount came from the generosity of local individuals and merchants during the Council's annual fund raising drive.
Statewide, more than $2.65 million will be distributed by local cultural councils in 2009, supporting a range of grassroots activities: concerts, exhibitions, historical preservation, lectures, First Night celebrations, and nature and science educational activities. On the local level, nearly half of the funds support educational activities for young people.
Grants benefitting the Chatham schools included field trips to Woods Hole, Harwich Junior Theater and Chatham Drama Guild, visiting performances by the Cape Cod Opera and Allegretto Musical Instrument Outreach, as well as an After School Photography Project. Partial funding was awarded to the Chatham High School Latin class for its Rome trip, and Chatham Elementary School for Bringing the Museum to the Classroom, a series of popular art history classes. Chatham Youth Services also received a grant for an art mentoring program, Chathams Young Artists.
Making limited resources go as far as possible in the local community, partial funding was provided to First Night Chatham Childrens Programs, Friends of Monomoy Theatre for a family musical, HONK, the Tides Dance Company, and the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, 30th anniversary season. The Council also provided funds for "30 Years at Stage Harbor: An Interactive Installation Photo Show and Guglielmo Marconi Architecture Salvage Documentation. Grants were also given to the Cape Cod Museum of Art Intern Program, and the Chatham Historical Society for conservation of paintings and maps.
Funding for workshops was provided to the Chatham Council on Aging and Alzheimer's Services of Cape Cod & Islands. Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary/Audubon received grants for natural history field studies with Chatham schools and public lectures. Finally, a grant was awarded to Friends of Chatham Waterways toward the publication of "The Chatham Blue Pages," a resource to help preserve and protect our water ecosystem, that will be mailed to all Chatham residents.
The Chatham Cultural Council holds an annual community workshop on the last Saturday in September at the Eldredge Public Library. In 2008, seventeen organizations or individuals either attended or expressed interest in receiving assistance in writing successful grant applications. The annual workshop also fulfills the Massachusetts Cultural Council open meeting requirement to gather community input.
The Chatham Cultural Council will seek applications again in October 2009. Information and forms are available on our website, www.chathamculturalcouncil.org or by emailing Barbara Waters at bwaters14@verizon.net.
