Grant Information
Grant Application
The Commission on Cultural Development accepts grant applications from individual artists and non-profit arts and cultural organizations twice yearly. Applications must be postmarked by April 1st and October 1st for consideration. The Commission on Cultural Development does not fund programming outside of the City of Bangor. Only nonprofit/tax-exempt organizations and individual artists are eligible to apply for grants.
Past Grant Awards
Spring
Bangor Ballet
The CCD recommended $2,293 to alleviate administrative costs at Thomas School of Dance and venue costs at Gracie Theatre, both in Bangor.
Bangor Beautiful, Inc
The CCD recommended $2,293 to commission a colorful multi-story mural at 116 Hammond Street depicting the Maine woods in springtime by Maine-based artist, Jared Goulette.
Maine Academy of Modern Music
The CCD recommended $2,293 to support the Amplify Bangor program.
Merrilee Schoen
The CCD recommended $300 for reimbursement of materials & supplies purchased for a one-night pop-up art exhibit at the site of the old YMCA building. * Note: This event has not yet been put on, and grant funds have not been disbursed.
Spring
Bangor Beautiful, Inc
The CCD recommended $4,000 for their large bee-themed mural project in downtown Bangor, at 49 Park Street, during the summer of 2023.
Linda Packard
The CCD recommended $531.25 for expenses for her solo show at Bangor’s Zillman Art Museum, which will include 20 oil paintings.
Maine Academy of Modern Music
The CCD recommended $1,500 for expenses to retroactively support their Bangor Girls Rock! concert that was held on May 13.
Fall
Bangor Public Library
The CCD recommended $2,000 for their exhibit of 12 portraits from Robert Shetterley’s “Americans Who Tell the Truth” series and related activities, including a workshop with the artist and a screening of the documentary Truth Tellers with a reception.
Bangor Symphony Orchestra
The CCD recommended $5,000 to support free outreach concerts in Bangor to bring the power of music to the unsheltered community, and to raise awareness of the needs of this community & how people can make connections with them.
Christopher Packard
The CCD recommended $1,000 for reimbursement of materials & supplies purchased for the Bangor Authors Book Fair & Literary Festival, to be held at the Bangor Public Library.
Penobscot Theatre Company
The CCD recommended $5,000 to support the production of My Story Is Glukabe, which will showcase Penobscot language & culture, as well as Dramatic Academy students.
Spring
Launchpad
The CCD recommended $840 for wheat paste mural project in downtown Bangor featuring 12-15 installations of temporary artwork.
Penobscot Theatre Company
The CCD recommended $4,000 for the production of “Queen” by Madhuri Shekar as the opening production for the 2022-2023 season by helping to bring two actors and a dramaturg to guide in the portrayal of the Indian diasporic culture that is fundamental to the production.
Fall
Bangor Community Theatre
The CCD recommended $2,895 for support of their project expenses such as performance royalties/rights and purchase of scripts, costumes/sets/props, printing of posters, tickets & programs, fees for online streaming, and publicity.
Bangor Symphony Orchestra
The CCD recommended $5,000 for support of the full return of its Bangor Arts Exchange educational & performance programs.
Maine Discovery Museum
The CCD recommended $5,000 for support of the Maine Science Festival.
Spring
Bangor YMCA
The CCD recommended $1,000 for creative arts & social engagement program pairing a visual arts educator with isolated seniors in Bangor.
United Way of Eastern Maine
The CCD recommended $8,000 for installation of Hopeful art on public or private location as part of statewide campaign.
Some Theatre Company
The CCD recommended $1,000 for performance of Venus in Fur at their Bangor Mall venue in the fall/winter 2021.
Ten Bucks Theatre
The CCD recommended $1,945 for live performance in Bangor in December 2021.
FALL
Maine Science Festival
The CCD recommended $5,000 to support the Maine Science Festival headliner event, The Warming Sea – An Exploration of Hope in the Face of Climate Crisis, on March 19, 2022.
Robinson Ballet Company
The CCD recommended $3,750 to assist in the production of Wild Thing, a live dance performance for children & families on May 14 &15, 2022 at Gracie Theatre.
Spring
Bangor Ballet
The CCD recommends awarding $3,336 in support of Bangor Ballet's productions of "A Tribute to Seuss: Think and Wonder, Wonder and Think" and "Nutcracker in a Nutshell: A New Telling of an Old Tale" which will be performed in schools and at The Gracie Theatre. In the event that live performances are not possible, Bangor Ballet has a plan to develop virtual content. The requested $3,336 is to support production costs.
Bangor Symphony Orchestra
The CCD recommends an award of $3,336 in support of Bangor Symphony Orchestra's community programming in celebrating their 125th season which is planned to be a combination of virtual and in-person events. In the event that live performances are not possible, Bangor Symphony Orchestra has a plan to develop virtual content. The requested funding of $3,336 will be used for artist fees, production, and marketing.
Penobscot Theatre Company
The CCD recommends an award of $3,336 to Penobscot Theatre Company to provide support for their Northern Writes Junior New Play Festival, a playwriting competition open to kids ages 4-18, providing them with an outlet to process life during the pandemic. Selected plays will be fully produced and performed as part of their Winter Dramatic Academy programming. In the event that live performances are not possible, Penobscot Theatre Company has a plan to develop virtual content. Funding will support artist/contractor fees, marketing, scholarships, and production costs.
Spring
Individual Artist Project: Beckette Mundell
The CCD recommends awarding $750 in support of Mundell's project to create a scaled Lego model of the Bangor Public Library which will be donated to the library for display. The requested $750 is to support materials needed to create and display the finished model.
Bangor Symphony Orchestra
The CCD recommends an award of $5,000 in support of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra's free and low-cost programming. This series, dedicated to providing access to all ages at an affordable price, includes but is not limited to 3 instrument petting zoos for children, 2 KinderConcerts, 2 iterations of the adult education series, an ARTober open house, a Holiday Youth Orchestra Concert, and more. Funding from the Cultural Commission is key to providing free and low-cost programming in Bangor.
Spring
Bangor Historical Society
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $2400 to the Bangor Historical Society to support Drums on the Penobscot: A Civil War Experience, a weekend-long living history program to be held from August 10-12, 2018. Designed to connect the community with the history of the Civil War and its effects on Bangor, the event will feature an encampment, artillery, and firearm demonstrations, mock skirmishes, and presentations by authors, living history performers, and historians. The requested $2400 would aid in funding the costs of the performance of Abraham Lincoln reenactor Steve Wood and venue fees.
Bangor Symphony Orchestra
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $5000 to the Bangor Symphony Orchestra to provide support for its first full season of programming at its new Downtown Bangor location, the Bangor Arts Exchange. The Bangor Symphony Orchestra provides Maine audiences with powerful, enriching, and diverse musical experiences and education programs, from which the Bangor region will benefit. The requested $5000 will aid in the Bangor Symphony Orchestra's ability to provide free and low-cost arts programming and concerts at the Bangor Arts Exchange.
Penobscot Nation
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $4500 to Penobscot Nation in support of their 2018 Wabanaki Social Gathering and Birch Bark Canoe Regatta. The Wabanaki Confederacy Conference offers the opportunity to educate the Greater Bangor Region about the history of the Wabanaki Confederacy and its homeland. Through public displays and presentations, the Penobscot Nation hopes to create educational opportunities for the Bangor region while marketing their event to increase public awareness. The requested $4500 will aid in offsetting marketing, venue, and presentation costs.
Individual Artist Project: Andrea Beaulieu
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $250 to Andrea Beaulieu to aid in funding her public art installation of the Street Piano Project. The Street Piano Project was founded as a way to provide the opportunity for anyone to have access to a musical instrument and to express themselves through it. The piano will be set for approximately two months in the parks for the community to enjoy for the third non-consecutive year in Downtown Bangor. The requested $250 would assist in purchasing supplies to remodel and add weather-proofing additions to the piano.
Individual Artist Project: Zakaria Allaf
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $1000 to Zakaria Allaf in support of his Syrian Immigrant Experience music video. Zakaria has been writing, recording, and performing hip hop music in Arabic for over a decade, but hopes that this project will open a new chapter in his career, now that he has immigrated to the United States. The music video will reflect a year of living and working in downtown Bangor, featuring local businesses and locations, and once the video is finished, the artist will distribute free download cards around downtown Bangor. The requested $1000 will aid in funding the musical arrangement and sound recording costs.
Fall
Individual Artist Project: Nina Jerome
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $985 in support of Jerome's project to create a series of large-scale, mixed-media drawings for an upcoming show at the University of Maine Art Museum in September 2019. The requested $985 is to support materials needed to create and display the finished art.
Bangor Community Theatre
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $1,000 of the $1,500 requested by the Bangor Community Theatre to support the production of I Remember Mama. Bangor Community Theatre is Bangor's longest-running theatre group. They are dedicated to producing performances for all ages at an affordable price. With their location at the Grange Hall, they are accessible to lower-income neighborhoods. The requested $1,000 would aid in funding the costs of sets, costumes, and royalties.
Peace & Justice Center
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends a partial award of $1,000 of the $1,500 requested by the Peace and Justice Center to provide support for the creation of the Peaceful Pathways artistic element of their $1,400 square foot community garden that will provide fresh produce to numerous food kitchens in Bangor as well as work with school groups and youth organizations to teach gardening, art and community values such as unity. The requested $1,000 will fund materials and artist fees incurred in the student creation of a sculpture at the center of the garden.
Penobscot Contra Dancers
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $700 to Penobscot Contra Dancers in support of their Open Band and Family Dance education and community outreach initiative. Penobscot Contra Dancers began in 2005 and became a robust 503c in 2010. Penobscot Contra Dancers seeks to ensure the future of folk music and Contra Dance in the region by creating an Open Band performance and education opportunity as well as a corresponding family dance that focuses on the intergenerational aspects of Contra Dance.. The requested $700 will be used to buy folk music materials to be kept on hand at the Bangor Public Library and to hire experienced players to work with the Open Band participants.
Penobscot Theatre
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends a partial award of $1000 of the $3,000 requested by Penobscot Theatre for their production of Fun Home, a play that, "offers a life-affirming take on self-love and acceptance, human failing and forgiveness, and the power we all have to chart a healing course." The production will begin mid-March, opening in April and running through May. The awarded $1,000 would assist in purchasing materials needed for the production.
Ten Bucks Theatre
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends a partial award of $3,000 of the requested $5,000 to Ten Bucks Theatre for their productions of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abbreviated and The Elephant Man. Ten Bucks Theatre recently signed a 1-year lease with the Bangor Mall and funds are needed to turn the commercial space into a performance space as well as for materials for two productions and an opening gala. The requested $3,000 will aid in making necessary changes like sound-dampening doors to reduce mall traffic sound and tangibles for the play like costumes, royalties, and marketing.
Bangor Ballet
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $3500 in support of its project to add a new ballet, Carnival of the Animals, to the company's permanent repertoire. This ballet will be previewed at ARTober in the fall of 2018 and performed in schools and for general audiences in February 2019. The requested $3500 is to support only Bangor-area performances and activities.