commitment to equity

Accessibility:

NEMPAC prioritizes diversity and inclusion in arts education and performing arts programs. We do this by prioritizing equity in our annual operating budget, where we are committed to professional development, anti-racism hiring practices, diverse programming, partnerships, tuition assistance, and creating a canvas where every individual’s potential can flourish.

We are proud to support the Marshall Scholarship Fund and a robust annual Tuition-Assistance program breaking down barriers to participation in the arts through financial assistance. NEMPAC’s Tuition-Assistance three-year equity remodel, launched in Spring 2023, has us supporting an increase in tuition-assistance awards each year while increasing the cost of tuition to help subsidize affordable programming. 

NEMPAC tuition assistance and scholarship applications are available in three languages: English, Spanish, and Mandarin. 

NEMPAC is committed to physical accessibility at our ‘in-house’ and satellite locations and supports ADA compliance at all programming sites. Currently, the 50 Tileston Street 2nd and 3rd floors are not physically accessible due to limitations with the historic building. However, we are committed to a long-term plan to find a solution for this.

Public events and programs will ask attendees if specific access requirements are needed to attend. Please reach out to our facilities and operations coordinator should you require specific support in any NEMPAC program or events at sallen@nempacboston.org. 

Click to Learn About Tuition Assistance

Anti-Racism Statement:

At NEMPAC, we do not tolerate or accept racism of any kind, in any form.

We are committed to becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization by overcoming the disparities and inequities that exist through the services we provide, the people we reach, the workplace culture we foster, and the outcomes we achieve. This is the defining work of our time and essential to our long-term relevance and impact.

We are committed to programs that bring together and celebrate individuals and/or groups of people of varying opinions, experiences, beliefs, and backgrounds – to spark conversation, build understanding, listen to perspectives, and unite the community. We use the arts to tell stories that represent the communities and cultures of Greater Boston. Through music, artists, and performers, we speak in sound—as well as words—about the shared and unique experiences of artists and audience members. Equity is one of our core values, and we continue through our actions as a nonprofit arts organization to provide programming that is diverse, inclusive, and accessible for all.

As we begin the work of becoming a more inclusive organization that contributes to increased equity in Boston and in cultural and civic life, our desire for positive progress must be informed by our historical context. We recognize that structural racism exists in our neighborhoods, our cultural institutions, and within the NEMPAC community. We work to dismantle structural racism and create an environment where everyone has access to the performing arts and feels a sense of belonging.

We seek to become an inclusive community, working against white privilege, bias, racism, religious and ethnic intolerance, and discrimination based on gender, sexuality, multiple marginalized identities, class, age, and ability. We strive to overcome these issues through a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).

Inclusion Practice at NEMPAC:

All individuals are welcome and encouraged to participate in NEMPAC’s lessons, classes, and events regardless of ability, gender, sex, race, national origin, economic status, sexual orientation, or religious background. To be inclusive, NEMPAC encourages the following: 

• In all classes and group lessons, the instructor is encouraged to lead the class in a Pronoun Circle and name Pronunciation Check during the first class. Students are not required to disclose their pronouns if they do not wish.
• NEMPAC will provide our Tuition Assistance and Marshall Scholarship application to families in English, Spanish, and Chinese.
• Class and lesson goals should be flexible to meet students of all learning needs and styles, while progress will be assessed in various contexts, both through process and product.
• Instructors are encouraged to provide a well-rounded curriculum that includes multiple means of instruction, such as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, verbal, interpersonal, and intrapersonal strategies to present information and to have students express understanding.
• Upon request, NEMPAC will support teachers with a class curriculum sample template to assist with curriculum development
• NEMPAC encourages cultural responsiveness to teaching and rehearsal spaces. Instructors, artistic staff, and artists are encouraged to explore a variety of cultures, musical and theatrical genres, and dance styles, from a diverse range of musicians, composers, playwrights, and choreographers.
• NEMPAC provides faculty and staff with the skills, information, and support necessary for a diverse and culturally responsive classroom and learning environment.
• NEMPAC will work to start including closed captioning and sign language interpreters in student events and performances throughout the year.
• NEMPAC has wheelchair access at the Prado studios, Hull St, and the first floor of Tileston St for any person with mobility issues.
• Pre-event surveys requesting attending specific needs to support event participate and attendance
• Post-event surveys to capture data and information from our audience on accessibility needs
• Commitment to use of captions on digital and online streaming materials

Card to Culture:

We are proud to participate in Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture program in collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Public Health’s WIC Nutrition Program, the Massachusetts Health Connector, and hundreds of organizations by making cultural programming accessible to those for whom cost is a participation barrier.

Massachusetts residents who are EBT cardholders and their families automatically qualify for partial tuition assistance for our classes, workshops, and summer workshop programs. Students with an EBT card will typically receive a minimum 50% discount on one class or Private Music Instruction session, with larger awards available based on applicant need and the NEMPAC budget. Financial aid is available on a first come, first serve basis as the budget allows.

Click to Learn About Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture Program