The Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) are thrilled to announce the recipients of the Massachusetts 250 Grant Program. This program, awarding a total of $1.5 million, aims to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in a vibrant and engaging way.
Awarded projects highlight the themes of revolution and independence, celebrate significant historical “firsts” in Massachusetts, or utilize creative approaches to showcase the state’s rich 250-year history. A full list of awardees is presented below.
| Organization | Community | Grant Amount | One Sentence Description |
| 1Berkshire | Pittsfield | $7,500 | Marketing the Berkshires250 website, a clearinghouse of events and programming. |
| Boston 4 Foundation | Boston | $60,000 | Promoting the Boston Symphony Orchestra concert and fireworks spectacular in 2025. |
| Carlisle Historical Society | Carlisle | $10,000 | Series of public events to encourage tourists to discover the rich colonial history of Carlisle. |
| Charlestown Historical Society | Boston | $50,000 | The “Brothers of the Battle” program will shine a light on the hundreds of stories of the men who fought at Bunker Hill that have not been told before now. |
| City of Cambridge | Cambridge | $65,000 | Showcasing Cambridge’s role in Massachusetts’ revolutionary history, including tours, a parade, and a dance party. |
| City of Chelsea | Chelsea | $50,000 | “Chelsea: The Forgotten Story of the Battle of the Creek” is an initiative that promotes Chelsea to tourists as an unconventional, unexplored historical destination through programming and a bilingual, digital marketing campaign. |
| City of Fall River | Fall River | $15,000 | Partnering with the Lafayette-Durfee House to bolster its capacity ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence via hands-on youth programming. |
| City of Salem | Salem | $5,000 | Showcasing the 250th anniversary of Leslie’s Retreat through a reenactment and other historical programming. |
| Congregational Library & Archives | Boston | $50,000 | New exhibition featuring treasures from its collections including objects associated with Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Phillis Wheatley. |
| Essex National Heritage, Inc. | Salem | $60,000 | Reenactment of the Battle of Bunker Hill on the 250th anniversary, with school programs and talks in the lead up to the event in June. |
| Explore New Bedford | New Bedford | $65,000 | Expand the “See-Worthy” tagline to spotlight revolutionary places, monuments, ideas, and art that embody New Bedford’s diverse culture, innovation, and creativity. |
| Framingham History Center | Framingham | $7,500 | The “Stitching Revolution in Massachusetts: Quilting and Cotillions,” an immersive two-day event. |
| Freedom Trail Foundation | Boston | $75,000 | The 250th Marketing Project will create excitement for visitation to Massachusetts and Boston. |
| Freedom’s Way Heritage Association | Devens | $17,500 | Designing and disseminating marketing materials including a six-page fold-out itinerary map titled “A Monumental Road Trip–Discovering the Past Through Monuments and Memorials”. |
| Friends of Doherty Park | Boston | $10,000 | Creation of a Paul Revere Lego mosaic in coordination with the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club to be unveiled at the Battle of Bunker Hill Day Parade. |
| Hingham Historical Society | Hingham | $30,000 | “Revisiting the American Revolution: Hingham 1775-1777” will give a snapshot of Hingham’s response to the Revolution. |
| Historic New England | Haverhill | $25,000 | Marketing campaign and programming emphasizing the revolutionary themes and programs to be experienced at Historic New England’s 22 Massachusetts Properties. |
| Lexington Historical Society | Lexington | $10,000 | A reenactment of Paul Revere’s arrival at the Hancock-Clarke House to alert John Hancock and Samuel Adams of the impending arrival of British Regulars. |
| Massachusetts Historical Society | Boston | $75,000 | Programs, events, educational initiatives, and a scholarly conference. |
| Museum of African American History | Boston and Nantucket | $75,000 | “Black Voices of the Revolution,” a digital exhibition enhanced by previously unseen objects and AI features. |
| Museum of Old Newbury | Newburyport | $65,000 | Newburyport’s “Road to Revolution” will explore the events and decisions that led to Newburyport’s early support of the revolutionary cause. |
| North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau | Salisbury | $32,000 | Marketing videos featuring man-on-the-street style content to promote exploration of the rich revolutionary heritage of North of Boston. |
| Plimoth Patuxet Museums | Plymouth | $60,000 | “Revolutionary Ideas Started Here,” a campaign to promote the museum and wider Plymouth community through a new interpretive program, a digital advertising campaign, and additional participation in consumer and travel shows. |
| Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum | Hadley | $17,500 | “Hadley and the American Revolution: Stories of Independence and Servitude,” implements exhibits and programs along with marketing. |
| Somerville Museum | Somerville | $65,000 | Increase tourism by creating a map, exhibition, historic family events, and trolley tours to highlight the less celebrated route of Paul Revere through Somerville and the City’s key Revolutionary sites and firsts. |
| Springfield Preservation Trust | Springfield | $5,000 | “Voices from the Grave: Heroes of the American Revolution” cemetery tour at the Springfield Cemetery. |
| The Concord Museum | Concord | $45,000 | “Whose Revolution,” will explore the competing the contradictory meanings of revolution in the years leading up to the war, including a spotlight on the experiences of Indigenous peoples, enslaved and free Black communities, and women. |
| The Innovation Trail of Greater Boston | Boston | $45,500 | Video series entitled “The Revolution Continues…” making the case that in Massachusetts, one Revolution may have ended in 1783, but many others have followed. |
| The Museum of Printing | Haverhill | $7,500 | “Revolution: Then and Now,” a series of exhibits, lectures, demonstrations and maker events focusing on the importance of printing and handbills in Massachusetts during the American Revolution. |
| Town of Arlington | Arlington | $60,000 | Increasing awareness, excitement, and visitors around the Battle of Menotomy Historical Reenactment, Public Art, library programming, and marketing. |
| Town of Concord | Concord | $25,000 | “A Fight for Freedom: Honoring Patriots of Color” will examine the stories of Patriots of Color who fought for freedom during the American Revolution, to include an augmented-reality program and art exhibits. |
| Town of Visitors Center | Lexington | $48,000 | Short-Form video of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride to be projected for tour groups at the Lexington Visitor Center. |
| Town of Weymouth | Weymouth | $65,000 | Creation of an Abigail Adams Documentary. |
| USS Constitution Museum | Boston | $22,000 | Commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy and Massachusetts’ critical role in the Navy’s origins. |
| Visit North Central Massachusetts | Fitchburg | $65,000 | Promoting regional tourism, agriculture, industry, business, and cultural assets under a revolutionary theme through social media, print, digital, website, and visitor center marketing. |
| WBUR | Boston | $50,000 | 250th programming track at the WBUR Festival in May 2025. |
| White Snake Projects | Brookline | $60,000 | “Native Triumphs–Celebrating Living Cultures and Traditions,” a series of artistic events including a competition powwow, an indigenous-focused walking tour, and a series of songs about the Revolutionary War. |
