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  1. Home
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  3. State Profiles

Massachusetts

Facts and Figures

In the past five years, the National Endowment for the Arts distributed $35,756,533 in federal funding, either directly or through state and regional partners, in Massachusetts.

In the most recent information (2023) from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA), which is produced jointly by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Office of Research & Analysis and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Commerce Department, Massachusetts...

  • Added 4 percent or $30 billion to the state economy from arts and cultural production
  • Employed 130,263 workers in the arts and cultural industries, with workers earning wages and benefits totaling more than $16 billion

More than 45 percent of Massachusetts' adults attended live music, theater, or dance performances, while more than 27 percent attended art exhibits, according to the 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau.

In addition to offering direct grants, the NEA supports national initiatives benefiting people across the country. Over the past five years:

The Blue Star Museums program provided free admission to thousands of active military personnel and their families at 202 participating museums in Massachusetts.

More than 12,847 students in Massachusetts participated in Poetry Out Loud, a dynamic poetry recitation competition.

The NEA Big Read program generated community events focused on reading outstanding American literature and involving more than 22,251 students and adults in Massachusetts.

The Shakespeare in American Communities program in Massachusetts enabled schools to offer 15,607 students the opportunity to see live professional performances of Shakespeare, or to engage in educational programs.


Massachusetts Fact Sheet

On this page, find information on the arts and culture for Massachusetts, and how the National Endowment for the Arts has supported the arts in communities throughout the state. 

To find a list of grants awarded by the agency to Massachusetts, go to our Recent Grant Search. 

State Highlights

Headshot of a woman.
Elizabeth James-Perry (Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, Aquinnah): NEA National Heritage Fellow Tribute (2023)
May 06, 2024
View Video
Portrait of man with arms folded
Chick Corea
May 01, 2020
2006 NEA Jazz Master pianist and composer Chick Corea talked to us about his love of performing and composing and the art of play.
Listen to Audio
Three men and women outstretch their arms and give big smiles
True Story Theater: Building Community One Story at a Time
Working with its hometown of Arlington, Massachusetts, and with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, True Story Theater has created themed performances about issues from city planning to motherhood, from aging-in-place to opioid addiction.
Read Magazine Article

State & Regional Contacts

Massachusetts Cultural Council 
10 St. James Ave., 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02116-3803
617/727-3668
TT: 617/338-9153
web@art.state.ma.us

New England Foundation for the Arts (Regional Arts Organization)
145 Tremont Street, 7th Floor 
Boston, MA 02111
617/951-0010
info@nefa.org 

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