The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) and State Senator Jack Hart launched the MCCA Community Partnership & Hospitality Scholarship Fund, a two-part program that will allow all of Boston’s neighborhoods to benefit from consumer shows at the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) and will establish scholarships to boost workforce development in the hospitality industry.  

The program will be funded through unanticipated revenue generated from consumer shows, also known as “gate shows,” and encourages local Boston non-profit organizations to apply for grants or donations up to $5,000.  Additionally, as part of the program, the MCCA has launched a statewide scholarship program that will provide four $2,500 scholarships annually to current and future hospitality students.

The program expands on the South Boston Community Development Foundation (SBCDF), which was established in conjunction with legislation passed in August of 2006 that lifted a ban on gate shows at the BCEC.  By state statute, the SBCDF will receive ten cents for each square foot of rented exhibit space and one dollar per admission ticket sold for each gate show at the BCEC.  The SBCDF can then make charitable donations to South Boston non-profits.  To fund the expanded neighborhood program, the MCCA will match the revenues generated for the SBCDF and create a fund for charitable donations to non-profit organizations in the other neighborhoods of Boston. 

An internal committee of the MCCA will review grant and scholarship applications and choose which programs will receive funding.  Once programs are recommended, the MCCA Executive Director has final approval.