Wicked Local Newburyport
Amesbury Carriage Museum receives $120K from Mass Cultural Council
June 04, 2020
The Amesbury Carriage Museum recently announced it was awarded a Cultural Facilities Fund grant of $120,000 to support the development of the Industrial History Center.
This new facility, currently under construction, will offer a wide range of programs to celebrate the rich history of Amesbury’s industry and its people.
The Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment administer the CFF to support planning and capital projects that benefit nonprofit and municipal cultural organizations and their communities across the state. The program is funded through $9.3 million from the state’s Fiscal Year 2020 capital spending plan, authorized by the state legislature and allocated by the governor.
“This is wonderful — really amazing news,” said ACM Executive Director John Mayer. “We are ecstatic. The support of the Mass Cultural Council is a huge validation of our project and comes at a time when we all could use a boost of positive news. Even during the COVID-19 crisis, we continue to work on our campaign. This grant moves us that much closer to our project goal.”
The $120,000 is a matching grant, intended to encourage community donations and will fund a portion of the new facility that has an overall project budget of $670,000.
In October 2018, after the gift of space in an historic mill building owned by Amesbury Industrial Supply, the ACM began development of a community history center. Since that time, several lead donors have stepped forward to support the project. And in early March, BLB Custom Builders began work on the 2,700 square foot facility. The state of emergency led to a pause in construction. Just recently crews are back on site to start work again.
“Because of the coronavirus, we had to put much of our efforts on hold and we really have not reached out to the Amesbury community.,” says Mayer. “We still need to raise funds for the project. We hope people will see the value of the Industrial History Center as a way to renew our sense of community and place.”
For information, amesburycarriagemuseum.com or contact Mayer at 978-834-5058 or jmayer@amesburycarriagemuseum.com.