North Andover Receives Cultural Grants

North Andover has been awarded 10 grants totalling $4,400 for cultural programs, lawmakers announced.

"The North Andover Cultural Council has greatly contributed to the town by inspiring and motivating residents to stay actively involved in the community through the arts, sciences and humanities," State Rep. Diana DiZoglio said. "I am happy to hear that they have received the support they need to continue to be successful in their efforts.”

This year's grants include:

• North Andover Council on Aging
• North Andover Schools Enrichment Council
• Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Society, Inc
• Treble Chorus of New England
• New England Classical Singers
• Stevens Memorial Library
• Thomas Elementary School
• Rogers Center for the Performing Arts at Merrimack College
• Shakespeare and Company
• Andover Choral Society

"I want to extend my sincere congratulations to the recipients of this year’s North Andover Cultural Council grant awards," State Sen. Kathleen O'Connor Ives said. "These awards will help fund cultural events and activities in North Andover that are valuable educational opportunities and add to our quality of life."

The North Andover Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils 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 Massachusetts 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 North Andover Cultural Council makes limited resources go as far as possible, and they make the tough decisions about which projects should be supported. The North Andover Cultural Council is committed to ensuring the arts, sciences and humanities are part of people's everyday lives in our community and across the state.

Statewide, more than $2.3 million will be distributed by local cultural councils in 2013. Grants will 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 North Andover Cultural Council will seek applications again in the fall. Information and forms are available online at (www.masscultural council.org). Applications are due Oct. 15, 2013.