Underground Railway Theater receives 4.92 out of 5.00 rating from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for overall organization excellence.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) rated Underground Railway Theater (URT) an outstanding 4.92 out of 5.00 points for their work over the past three years. The panel comments accompanied a grant award for FY2005 for Organization Support from the MCC.
The MCC Panel rates Arts Organizations in three main categories: Quality, Community Service, and Administration and Fiscal Management. Underground Railway Theater received the second highest score out of 90 applicants state-wide. MCC designated perfect scores to URT in both Quality and Community Service. The panel especially noted URT's "exemplary partnership with [the Nora Theatre Company] to build a new theater, the company's superb puppetry and "outstanding commitment to diverse communities."
The Boston Foundation has recognized the Central Square Theater (Underground Railway Theater's new project to build a theater in Central Square, Cambridge with The Nora Theatre Company) in its groundbreaking report, Culture is Our Common Wealth, An Action Agenda to Enhance Revenues and Resources for Massachusetts Cultural Organizations and has also awarded us a grant so that we can create a comprehensive business plan for the new theater. The Foundation's report cited CST three times as a positive example of the strong advantages of effective collaboration and the importance of supporting cultural facilities projects. The report, which was officially released in May, 2004 determined that "The highest priority…is a significant, sustained state investment in cultural facilities," and recommended collaboration as a primary strategy for cultural organizations to accomplish more with fewer means. Finally, the Culture is our Common Wealth report deemed the strategic partnership between URT the The Nora as a "best practice" and considers the project one of the "best of local efforts". Please contact The Boston Foundation at info@tbf.org to request a copy of Culture is Our Common Wealth or access it directly on-line at www.tbf.org/artsfund.