Apply for Funding

Grants Available

The Westport Cultural Council administers two grants each year, the Local Cultural Council Program (LCC), which is part of the Massachusetts Cultural Council grant initiative, and the new Westport Cultural Council Community Grants. The WCC Community Grants combines our annual award from the Helen E Ellis Fund with the Carol Vidal Cultural Fund to create a single pool of funding for local arts and cultural initiatives.

Proposals for the WCC Community Grants for 2026 are no longer being accepted. We will begin again next winter. Proposals for 2026 LCC grants are accepted in the fall at the Massachusetts Cultural Council website.

You can also attend a Council meeting to get information about grants and the applications process. The WCC meets the first Wednesday of the month (except August) at 6 pm in the Westport Town Hall, 816 Main Rd, 2nd Floor Conference Room. Access is through the side entrance on the left side of the building.

Grant awards are available to support tickets, operating support, school field trips, afterschool programs and artist residencies, concerts, dance, music as well as history and interpretive science projects that engage the residents of Westport. Individuals, non-profit organizations, public schools and library and religious groups are eligible to apply for funding that serves the public.

All applicants who intend to work with the Westport Community Schools or another cultural organization must include a letter of support from the participating partner.

Westport Cultural Council Community Grants

The WCC Community Grants program was established to unify and streamline the process of applying for and administering funds from the combined awards of the Helen E Ellis Fund and the Carol Vidal Cultural Fund. The sum available for grants varies from year to year based on the awards provided to the Westport Cultural Council through the two funds.

For more information and to apply click on the button below.

Westport Local Cultural Council Grant (LCC)

Our council is part of a network of state funded local cultural councils offering financial support to local creative, cultural, historic, and interpretive science programs that serve local needs and interests. Grant awards range in size, based on the overall funding provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Council each year. The Council seeks to serve as many programs as possible which meet the criteria for awards.

The Westport Cultural Council will give priority to grant requests that:

Directly involve the arts, interpretive science, or humanities.
Take place on the South Coast or promote local creative talent or cultural resources.
Have a measurable impact on the Westport community, by reaching a significant number of Westport residents, whether immediately, or over time.
Engage, and help bring together, Westport’s varied communities, or introduce Westport residents to new or different cultural perspectives.
Do not duplicate existing programs or funding.

Proposal submissions for the annual awards are only accepted from September 1 – October 15. Awarded grants must take place between January 1 and December 31 of the following year.

Please let us know if you have a question regarding the application process and we’ll do our best to guide you through the process