With support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, VSA arts of Massachusetts is pleased to offer ADA Cultural Access Grants for organizations proposing innovative ways to include artists with disabilities and to attract audiences including people with disabilities.

The purpose of the ADA Cultural Access Grants is to create opportunities for cultural organizations to engage artists, humanists and interpretive scientists with disabilities in the creative work of the organizations. Programs are intended to be accessible and to reflect universal design principles. They may include staff development, audience development and access services like sign interpretation, captioning, assistive listening and audio description, however, only programs substantially involving people with disabilities are eligible.

The 2008 grant cycle has begun! If you are interested in applying for the 2008 grant cycle please click on the forms below to learn more. Fill out the intent to apply and submit it via email or mail to Bonnie Kaplan, Director of Cultural Access at grants@vsamass.org . After your intent to apply is approved you may submit the full ADA Cultural Access Grant proposal. If you experience difficulty with the forms below please contact Bonnie Kaplan at the above email or tty (617)350-6836.

Review past ADA Grant Recipients:
2006 - 2007
2007 - 2008

2008 ADA Cultural Access Grant Downloadable Forms:

Step 1: Request for Proposals (word doc)

Step 2: Does your project meet the ADA Cultural Access Initiative Grant guidelines?
Come to a seminar to modify your Intent to Apply form before the April 23rd deadline:
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at Massachusetts Cultural Council, Boston 10 A.M. - 12 P.M. . . more
Thursday, May 8, 2008 at Worcester Main Public Library, 10 A.M. - 12 P.M. . . . more

Step 3: Submit an Intent to Apply (word doc) in one of the following ways by April 23, 2008:

email to: grants@vsamass.org or
mail to: VSA arts of Massachusetts, 2 Boylston St,
Boston, MA 02116

Step 4: After your intent to apply is approved submit the complete ADA Cultural Access Grant Application (word doc) to VSA arts of Massachusetts, 2 Boylston St suite 211, Boston, MA 02116 by 5pm on May 23, 2008.

To learn more about the Americans with Disabilities Act, please review the ADA Title III Technical Assistance Manual covering public accommodations and commercial facilities found at the following link http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/taman3.html or to view highlights visit http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/t3hilght.htm . The NEA and the National Endowment for the Arts have also published a free resource, Design for Accessibility: A Cultural Administrator's Handbook.