Worcester Art Council 05/28/2026

The City of Worcester Arts Council held a meeting on May 28, 2026, focusing primarily on budget updates and proposed changes to grant funding processes for the 2027 cycle. The council confirmed that they have full access to their remaining fiscal year budget and discussed expenditures related to event funding, including food costs and purchase orders. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a proposal to shift from awarding a few large fellowships to distributing smaller micro grants of approximately $1,000 to a larger number of artists, aiming to broaden community impact and support emerging local talent. The council voted in favor of this change, pending additional funding sources for fellowships. Additionally, the council reviewed and proposed revisions to the grant evaluation rubric to reduce bias and improve fairness, including a new survey-based scoring system. They plan to beta test the rubric before finalizing it for future grant cycles. No new WAC-funded events were reported at the meeting.