SAUGUS — The Saugus Cultural Council will donate $13,000 to worthy recipients this year. It just has to find them first.
The council has set an Oct. 15 deadline for organizations, schools and individuals to apply for grants that support cultural activities in the community.
The grants must be used to support an artistic project or activity in Saugus, including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies, or performances in schools, workshops and lectures, said council spokesman Mike Sullivan.
The Saugus Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.
This year, the Saugus Cultural Council will distribute about $13,000 in grants. Previously funded projects included field trips to the North Shore Music Circus, a performance of William Shakespeare at the Belmonte and visits by the traveling New England Aquarium.
For local guidelines and complete information on the Saugus Cultural Council, contact Sullivan at 617-968-6261 and [email protected].
Application forms and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program are available online at www.mass-culture.org.