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City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant FAQ 2026 Draft
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CITY HALL PLAZA ENGAGEMENT GRANT FAQ

Welcome to our City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant Frequently Asked Questions document. You can find all information about the grant and the application on our website. We recommend reviewing the website, application guidelines, and application to understand the City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant. If you still have questions, we hope you can find the answers here. We’ve also included instructions below for how to ask additional questions if you do not find the answer to your question here.

Who Can Apply for the City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant?

For City Hall Plaza Engagement grants, individuals, collectives, and non-profit organizations are welcome to apply.

Can I apply using a fiscal sponsorship?

Yes, applicants can apply with a fiscal sponsor if they do not have a 501(c)(3) designation. This grant is intended to support the work of organizations, but unincorporated groups can apply with a fiscal sponsor as long as they meet the rest of the eligibility criteria. This includes: artist collectives, volunteer groups and any other group jointly working toward common creative goals.

What type of programs/events are eligible for the City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant?

What is categorized as a public benefit?

Applicants who propose projects that are primarily focused on the benefit of one group, person, or organization will not be eligible. Each program/event must serve a public benefit, be open to all, and include community partners.

Will I be able to sell tickets for my City Hall Plaza Engagement program or event?

No, all programming must be free, non-ticketed and open to the public. This also includes free participation for artists, vendors, and merchants who you will be partnering with.  No participant should be required to pay a fee to be on City Hall Plaza as it is a public space that is available to all.

What items can I include in my budget for the City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant?

What items are NOT allowed to include in the program budget?

Budget should not include:

Are permits required prior to being considered for the City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant?

No, permits are not required prior to applying for the City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant. However, in addition to the grant submission, all applicants must have their proposed date for their event requested and approved via the Property Management portal here. 

Will other permits be required for my proposed event? What Types of Permits will I need?

Depending on the location on the plaza, size and scale of your event you may be required to acquire additional permits for your proposed event/program. Learn more about the other types of permits here.

Are arts organizations with university affiliations eligible?

Arts organizations with university affiliations or larger non-profit affiliations are eligible to apply but are encouraged to have multiple community partnerships and individual artists participating in the proposed program or events.

I have a personal vendor ID, so does that create any issue creating one for my organization with my name?

A vendor ID for the organization you represent is required, so an individual’s vendor ID will not be acceptable. You will be able to set up an additional Vendor profile for your organization. You can find instructions for how to create a vendor ID included in the application.

Are applicants required to use the City Hall Plaza Engagement budget template, or are we free to use our own document & formatting?

You are not required to use the template, it is just meant to be a resource. Feel free to adapt it and change the formatting to whatever works best for you. There is a link to the budget template provided in the application.

Looking at the “organizational type” question, there is no category that matches my organization. What is advised in such a case?

Please pick the category type that most closely describes your organization.

Do all-volunteer organizations qualify for either grant?

Yes, we don’t have a requirement for organizations having paid employees.

What is a fiscal sponsor?

A fiscal sponsor is an organization that accepts money on another organization’s behalf, and then issues it to the grantee. For more information about fiscal sponsorship, visit here.

I’d love to see my organization’s application from last year. How do I do that?

You should be able to log into the Submittable account your organization used last year to submit their application to see last year’s application. Just navigate to “Submissions” in your Submittable account to view all of your past submissions. If the person who submitted your application last year no longer works for your organization and you cannot access their account, let us know and we can download a PDF of your submitted application from Submittable and email it to you.

What is the deadline?

The deadline to apply for this grant online is April 3, 2026 at 11:59PM. Our office closes at 5:00PM that day and we will not be able to help you with submission issues after that time. Please try to submit your application as early as you can to avoid last minute issues and technical difficulties. Print applications must be received in-person at our office or by mail no later than April 3, 2026 at 5PM.

Where is the address of your office if I want to drop off my application in person or mail my application?

We are located on the second floor at 26 Court St. Our address is:

26 Court Street

Floor 2

Boston, MA 02108

Attn: Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture

I am having technical difficulties with Submittable, what should I do?

If you have any issues with Submittable, please review Submittable’s Submitter Help page. If you can’t find the answer to your question there, you can reach out to their help team directly by sending a message.

It seems like some of the issues that come up for applicants more often are generally receiving error messages and having trouble uploading documents. Here is some advice from Submittable on those issues:

Error messages can be related to a wide variety of possible issues, most of which are local to the submitter. Typically the issue occurs when a user has left a browser tab with their application open for 24+ hours, their browser has timed out the page, and the user returns to the page to try and continue filling out their application.

Here are helpful tips and troubleshooting steps for problems uploading files to a form:

File Upload Troubleshooting

If you continue to have technical issues with Submittable and cannot mail in or drop off a print application, please contact billydean.thomas@boston.gov with proof of the technical issue (ex. A screenshot of the error page you have received) and let us know about this technical issue in advance of the application deadline April, 3, 2026 at 11:59PM . We cannot consider applications or proof of technical issues that arrive after this time and date.

I didn’t see my question answered here. What should I do?

If this FAQ didn’t address your question, please email your questions to billydean.thomas@boston.gov with the subject line “Question about City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant Application.” We will add your question and its answer to this FAQ in case anyone else has the same question.

My question has been answered but it would be helpful for me to talk to someone about the grant or the application. What should I do?

Please email your questions to billydean.thomas@boston.gov with the subject line “Question about City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant Application.”

Are you interested in performing for an upcoming CHP Engagement program?

If you are an artist or creative interested in performing at an upcoming City Hall Plaza Engagement program please fill out the following form here. In many cases most events already have a secured lineup but we will absolutely keep your name on the creative index! When you are filling out the form please indicate in the suggestion box that you are a performer, share your art practice and any links that allow us to check out your work!

Do I have to Pay for the upcoming City Hall Plaza Events?

All events that are programmed and sponsored by MOAC are free and open to the public so no registration or admission fee/ticket is required. This includes all events that have been funded by the City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant.

Can I propose an event date outside of September 1 - December 15, 2026?

No, during summer 2026, City Hall Plaza will be hosting the FIFA Fan Festival™, making the space unavailable for grantees at that time. We also are not accepting proposals for 2027 at this time. All proposed programs and events must take place from September 1, 2026 -December 15, 2026

Are you interested in producing an arts or cultural event at City Hall Plaza but do not have interest in applying for the City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant?

If you would like to share more information about the event you are producing with our office please fill out the following form here.

Program Suggestion Box

If you have a suggestion for a program or event that is separate from the City Hall Plaza Engagement grant please submit it at the following link here.

Figure I: Timeline of the City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant

Property Management/Permitting/Rental Costs etc.

Are there any specific guidelines to produce an event on the plaza?

City Hall Plaza is a space that is open to all Boston residents to rent, produce events and hold gatherings. If you are planning to utilize the space there are permits that you will have to acquire depending on the size and scale of your proposed program or event. Learn more about the different  permits and how to host your event on the plaza here.

How do I apply for a special event permit?

Here is the link to apply for a special event permit. This permit allows for you to host outdoor events on City Hall Plaza. You will have to create a username and login before accessing the portal to apply for a special event license. If you have further questions regarding permitting please reach out to the licensing department at licensingboard@boston.gov.

Are you interested in renting a space on City Hall Plaza?

 If your program/event is already in the works and you are just looking to secure the plaza space please fill out the knack application here to inquire about the availability of the plaza. You will need to create a username and login. This portal is managed by the Property Management Department.

Do you have an event coming up at the plaza and would like clarification surrounding capacity, equipment allowed and the measurements of the space? If so please contact Property management staff member Lisa Menino at lisa.menino@boston.gov 

Is the outdoor plaza space the only space that is available to activate? Or are there other indoor space options?

There are several spaces throughout City Hall Plaza to activate. When applying for the City Hall Plaza Engagement grant  applicants are eligible to host all sections of the plaza as well as the Indoor civic pavilion space. See here for photos of the different sections of City Hall Plaza.

Parking and City Hall Plaza Accessibility:

There is Street parking available and the nearest parking garage is Haymarket Garage.