Last week, I shared a number of government committee vacancies in need of filling. That was initially prompted by the Town advertising for volunteers to join the Southborough Cultural Arts Council.
But what I hadn’t shared, and just learned, is that the SCAC “has only three active members and needs at least five members to conduct official business.”
Below is their recruitment promo:
Council members help support and fund local programs in the arts, humanities, and sciences—including concerts, festivals, school field trips, theater, dance, music, lectures, and other community-based cultural experiences.
If you are passionate about strengthening arts and culture in Southborough, consider volunteering and helping bring meaningful programs to our community!
✨ Get involved and help make a creative impact in Southborough!
The SCAC approves local funding grants provided through the Mass Cultural Council. MCC’s website explains:
Southborough CAC is one of ~300 local councils serving every town in MA, with an objective of supporting and advancing arts & culture. The CAC is responsible for annually administering state grants to arts & cultural organizations serving Southborough.
That page shows that SCAC has been authorized to award $6,500 in grants for 2027. But the council has yet to identify its priorities and guidelines for the next set of awards. It appears that’s part of the official business it needs more volunteers for.
The council last met in May. At that time, they described holding a reception this fall for recipients of grants through the last award cycle. That application window was open this time last year.
SCAC’s page on the Town’s website explains:
The Local Cultural Council (LCC) program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and sciences annually.
The program promotes the availability of rich cultural experiences for every Massachusetts citizen.
Administered by 2,400 municipally appointed volunteers, the LCC network consists of 329 councils serving all 351 Massachusetts Cities and Towns. Each year, local Councils award more than $3 million in grants to more than 5,000 cultural programs statewide. These include school field trips, afterschool programs, concerts, festivals, lectures, theater, dance, music, and film. LCC projects take place in schools, community centers, libraries, elder care facilities, town halls, parks, and wherever communities come together.
You can view past meeting minutes here and videos of past meetings here.
To apply, click here.
For a reminder of other committees also in need of members, click here.
(image of flyer and hands edited from public domain image by Karen Arnold)
