Local Cultural Council

The Douglas Local Cultural Council is comprised of volunteers who have been appointed by the Board of Selectmen for three-year terms, up to a total of 6 years. Volunteers may be re-appointed after taking a one-year break from service.  Local Councils consist of at least five but not more than 22 citizens. The Massachusetts Cultural Council is the central agency that distributes funds to support programs in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences through the town’s Local Cultural Council (LCC). 

Our mission is to distribute funds awarded from the state of Massachusetts to organizations or people who have submitted qualified applications. All applicants must submit completed applications by the statewide deadline. This year the deadline is October 16, 2025. Late applications cannot be accepted. All applications are now online. Interested parties can go to https://massculturalcouncil.org/communities/local-cultural-council-program/ to review the process and apply for grants. The Council reviews all applications and votes on those that will be of greatest impact for artistic and cultural experiences throughout the community. We strive for a balance of grants awarded to a variety of age groups.

Important Dates for 2025-2026 application season:

Application opens on September 2, 2025 after 12 pm.

Information session online on September 9, @ 6 pm. Register on the MCC website.

Application deadline on October 16, 2025.

January 5, 2026 grant approvals issued.

THE DOUGLAS CULTURAL COUNCIL IS CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR MEMBERS. IF INTERESTED PLEASE EMAIL JENNIFER ZIFCAK @ jzifcak@douglas-ma.gov

Contact Us

  1. Shawn Anderson

    Chairman

  2. Kathy Landers

    Treasurer

  3. Jennifer Zifcak

    Secretary
    jzifcak@douglas-ma.gov

  4. Rakesh Bhaskar

    Member

  5. Dyan Larson-Parker

    Member

  6. Susan Leonardi

    Member

 Douglas CULTURAL COUNCIL IS SEEKING PROPOSALS FROM LOCAL ARTS, HUMANITIES & SCIENCE PROGRAMS

The Douglas Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCC) serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC 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.


Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers. The members of the Douglas Cultural Council are: Shawn Anderson; chair, Rakesh Bhaskar, Jean Dwinnell, Kathie Landers; treasurer, Dyan Larson-Parker, Victoria Peck, Louise Berube- Potter and Jennifer Zifcak; secretary.


Last year, more than $6 million was distributed by local cultural councils statewide. Grants support an enormous range of grass-roots activities: concerts, exhibitions, radio and video productions, field trips for schoolchildren, after-school youth programs, writing workshops, historical preservation efforts, lectures, First Night celebrations, nature and science education programs for families and town festivals. Nearly half of LCC funds support educational activities for young people.
The Douglas Cultural Council will seek grant applications again in the fall. Applications and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program are available online at www.mass-culture.org. Applications will be due in October.

For more information about the Douglas Cultural Council, visit our Facebook page at “Douglas, Massachusetts Cultural Council. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084814531889.




Cultural Council Video Playlist

Click on the Playlist icon in the upper right corner of the video file below to access the complete playlist of available videos. The Playlist icon is three small lines with a tiny triangle, next to the "Share" button. Menu will open upon clicking.