The Mass Cultural Council has announced recipients of the first round of gaming mitigation grants. In total, 52 non-profit and municipally-owned performing arts centers across Massachusetts will receive $3.34M to help mitigate the challenges they face when directly competing with resort casinos to book touring artists. The UMass Fine Arts Center (FAC) received an award of $31,909.
The Gaming Mitigation Program aims to mitigate a direct threat to the sustainability of non-profit and municipal performing arts centers in Massachusetts by providing capital to preserve their ability to compete with casinos in a new, unbalanced marketplace. Gaming Mitigation grant funds must be spent on fees paid to touring shows or artists, which can include payments to the show/artist, housing costs for the touring show/artist and/or travel costs for the show/artist. While performing arts centers, including the FAC, are now closed due to COVID-19 precautions, this funding will help attract and pay touring artists when it is deemed safe to reopen.
“When the legislature considered the operation of resort-style casinos in Massachusetts almost a decade ago many were concerned with unintended consequences. While the influx of new gaming revenues into state coffers and the creation of new jobs was anticipated and welcome, many predicted performing arts centers would lose access to acts once they began competing with casinos to attract and book nationally-touring artists. This program was envisioned by the Legislature to protect and preserve the ability of those venues to compete,” said Anita Walker, executive director, Mass Cultural Council. “Mass Cultural Council is proud to administer this program, fulfilling the Legislature’s vision by making these mitigation funds available to non-profit and municipally-owned performing arts centers.”
Mass Cultural Council was directed to administer the Gaming Mitigation Program by the legislature in the Expanded Gaming Act of 2011. As outlined in statute, the agency receives 2% of gaming revenues, three-quarters of which are mandated by law to be used for this grant program. While the program was first envisioned nine years ago, the agency is now managing the first award round in 2020 because casinos did not begin operating in Massachusetts until 2018, and a technical correction to the statute was necessary for Mass Cultural Council to receive the gaming revenues.
That concern was addressed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in December 2019 when the Massachusetts Cultural and Performing Arts Trust Fund was established, creating a vehicle for Mass Cultural Council to receive gaming revenues and administer the program as originally envisioned by policymakers.
See the 2020 Gaming Mitigation Grant Program funding list at the Mass Cultural Council website.