BRPC to Receive $50K National Endowment for the Arts Grant

01:35PM / Wednesday, January 11, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) announced it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to receive a Grants for Arts Projects award of $50,000.

This grant will support the Creative Compact for Collaborative and Collective Impact (C4) Initiative. This grant is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants.

"The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects in communities nationwide," said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. "Projects such as this one strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy."

According to a press release, for seven years, the C4 Initiative has fostered cross-sector regional alignment and community development, centering equitable access to artistic and educational resources to tackle widespread regional challenges. In partnership with various educational advocacy networks, the C4 Initiative, in collaboration with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will execute region-wide collaboration for creative placemaking and address regional needs in Berkshire County's 13 school districts. This initiative was launched in collaboration with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the North Adams Public Schools.

"Engaging in the arts develops creative capacities that prepare young people for lives and work across sectors," Lisa Donovan, Director of the C4 Initiative said. "The rich cultural resources we have in the Berkshires distinguish us as a region and should be central to every young person's experience growing up in the county. This generous funding from the National Endowment for the Arts will allow us to develop clear career pathways that support high school and college students' needs, maximize access to our cultural resources, and make visible how arts learning builds creative workforce skills."

The next phase of C4's work will focus on cultivating a creative workforce by broadening the region's awareness of the myriad of career opportunities in the arts and culture sector. This will include establishing formalized career pathways in arts/cultural organizations, making visible the internships in the arts/culture sector available to Berkshire high school and college students, and producing a student-hosted podcast focused on the connections between early creative learning and arts exposure and critical workforce skills.

Tags: BRPC, NEA,

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Pittsfield Committee Recommends Scanlon for City Audit

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires.com
11:59AM / Sunday, August 02, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— After the bid for a new auditing company came back more than 30 percent higher, Pittsfield will stick with Scanlon and Associates.

On Tuesday, the Auditing Services Evaluation Committee voted, 4-2, to advance Scanlon to the City Council for an independent audit. CliftonLarsonAllen also responded to the bid, but came in costing $120,000 more.

“I have to go with saving money for the city. I mean, the discrepancy is too much of a difference,” committee member Karen Kalinowsky said.

“The city could have used for that difference over the next three years.”

This process was prompted by Rule 40 of the council rules and the City Charter, where in any year the City Council votes to hold a procurement process for an independent certified public accountant or firm to audit Pittsfield's books and accounts, the city must, through its Finance Committee with the assistance of the purchasing department, solicit requests for proposals or invitations for bids before June 1.

The council in March recommended that the purchasing agent draft a request for proposals and put it out to bid.

Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren, who has vocally supported the independent audit for years, said the city doesn’t have to follow a bidding process for the professional service, “We are doing this so the public knows that we're being professional and are looking for other options, looking at what the best options are, and comparing them based on what they can offer and what the cost is.”

Board member Kathy Amuso said both CLA and Scanlon have comparable reviews with high recommendations. Especially considering the budget crisis Pittsfield is in, she moved to recommend Scanlon to the full council.

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