Cambridge Launches Grant Pilot for Nightlife and Entertainment Businesses

Apply to the Cambridge Nightlife Industry and Thriving Entertainment Spaces (NITES) Grant!


3/10/2025 • 2 weeks ago

Image of people wearing headphones and dancing at a silent race. The setting is outside at night in a Cambridge public plaza with lights and art in the background.

The Economic Opportunity and Development Division is excited to announce the opening of applications for its Cambridge NITES grant pilot. The Cambridge NITES grant is aimed at supporting the nightlife and entertainment industry in Cambridge by providing up to $5,000 awards for outdoor, nighttime events during the month of June.

The Cambridge NITES grant pilot is intended to highlight the success of Cambridge’s nightlife and entertainment industry in its covid-19 recovery by bringing 4-5 nighttime events across the city. Through Cambridge NITES, EODD hopes to position the city as a center for nightlife and entertainment in the region by supporting clubs, bars, live entertainment venues and performance spaces. In its inaugural year, the grant pilot is also meant to encourage residents and visitors alike to explore all that Cambridge’s nightlife has to offer.

Apply for the Cambridge NITES pilot grant today and read on for more information regarding eligibility and requirements. For questions about Cambridge NITES, please contact Jared Staley (jstaley@cambridgema.gov).

Eligibility

All interested Cambridge businesses and nonprofit performance organizations are encouraged to apply. However, Cambridge NITES will prioritize applicants in the following manner:

Tier 1: Existing nightlife and entertainment venues

Tier 2: Bars and restaurants currently offering live entertainment

Tier 3: Existing non-profit performance organizations

Tier 4: Bars and restaurant not currently offering live entertainment but are interested in providing live entertainment in the future

Apply to Cambridge NITES Today

The deadline for applications is March 30, 2025. All applicants will receive a response from the review committee by April 16, 2025.

Requirements

  • All proposed events will be held in public spaces.
  • All proposed events must be free and open to the public and held outside between 7-10 PM (events can be shorter than 3 hours but should be held in this window).
  • Awardees will be responsible for producing the approved event before June 30, 2025.
  • The EOD Division will support awardees with permitting for events in the public way.
  • The EOD Division will assist in marketing Cambridge NITES as a whole; further promotion of specific events will be left to the discretion of the awardees.
  • All awardees are required to submit a post-grant evaluation in order to inform future iterations of Cambridge NITES. EODD also requests that awardees share photos and other media with the City of Cambridge.

Potential Event Locations

The purpose of Cambridge NITES is to support nightlife and entertainment throughout the city and have multiple events in different neighborhoods and areas. EODD will assist selected grantees in permitting for these events. A tentative list of event locations is below (these are subject to change based on ongoing conversations with property owners):

  • Brattle Square
  • East Cambridge Court/Yard
  • Lafayette Park
  • Palmer Street
  • Porter Square
  • South Plaza (Kendall)
  • Termeer Square (Kendall)
  • Urban Park (UP) Roof Garden
  • Vellucci Plaza

Applicants may suggest other locations which will be considered if time allows.

For questions about Cambridge NITES, please contact Jared Staley (jstaley@cambridgema.gov).