Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism is offering a new grant program to support municipal and nonprofit programming around the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution next year.
The Massachusetts 250 Grant Program will fund programming and activities that tell the stories of the American Revolution in Massachusetts and increase travel and tourism to and within the state. The state is looking to award up to $1.5 million to support 250th-anniversary programming, and individual grants are expected to range from $5,000 to $100,000.
The program is open to municipalities, public agencies, tribal entities and nonprofits. Municipalities subject to the MBTA Communities Act must be in compliance with the law to qualify for the grants. The application deadline is Aug. 26 at 3 p.m.
Eligible projects will have a direct connection to the American Revolution in Massachusetts, connect to historic themes of revolution and independence, celebrate the significant firsts in Massachusetts history that make the state special, and/or take a creative or innovative approach to commemorating or celebrating the nation’s semiquincentennial. The grant program will accept multiple applications from a single municipality.
Applicants must demonstrate how the project will increase domestic and/or international leisure travel to and within Massachusetts. Applications will be weighed according to the following criteria: vision and clarity of the project, economic impact, alignment with community plans around economic development in the tourism industry and strength of partnerships, and ability to execute. The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism encourages projects that involve the arts and creative community.
Grant funds can be used for programming and marketing, and must be spent by June 30, 2025. Funded exhibits and exhibitions can remain open to the public after that date, as long as they were opened, and the funds were spent, in fiscal 2025.
Grant awards are anticipated to be announced in September.
For more information about the grant opportunity, visit the MA250 grant page or email MOTT Executive Director Kate Fox at kate.fox@mass.gov, or MA250 Coordinator Sheila Green at sheila.green@mass.gov.