Our Arts and Culture grantmaking strategies support:
The general operations of arts and culture organizations to produce high-quality arts and culture programs and activities informed by diverse staff, boards, and audiences that build community, regional vibrancy, and achieve goals of racial and economic inclusion.
ARTS EDUCATION AND EXPOSURE
In-school partnerships, grades K-6, and community-based arts training, grades 7-12, that provide an entry to the arts for young people and help develop skills that reflect the cultural diversity of our communities as well as students’ own cultural and racial identities.
ARTS PRESENTATION AND ART MAKING
High-quality arts and culture projects or programs that emphasize diverse and culturally relevant work produced in an inclusive and equitable way.
ARTS AND CULTURE HUBS
Provides unrestricted general operating support to organizations whose missions are rooted in arts and culture and invest in their staff, programming, and operations to deepen or maintain a commitment to greater racial and economic equity and strengthen our communities and the region.
Arts and Culture Hubs organizations are community-minded, equity-focused organizations making substantial impacts in their communities or region wide to build community, regional vibrancy, and/or cultural identity. Eligible organizations may represent any artistic discipline. They must be in the five-county region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia). However most funding focusing on the City of Philadelphia. Eligible organizations must also:
- Be incorporated as a 501(c)(3)
- Provide year-round programming
- Serve multi-generational audiences
- Have a history of Creative Communities funding
- Demonstrate a commitment to racial equity, economic inclusion
-
Generate high-quality work in terms of strong artistic skill and cultural expertise that acknowledges and reflects the participants and audiences
Applicants will be reviewed for:
- A clear description/plan for how funding will help an organization in its commitment to racial equity and economic inclusion through its operations, programs, and activities
- The role that high-quality artistic programs and activities play in reflecting and building on a shared identity—locally, regionally, or nationally
- The role that diverse audiences/communities play in building an organization’s understanding of local, regional, or national context; involving appropriate expertise in programming and operations to drive shared power and to share the benefits of the organization and its work equitably
Typically, an Arts and Culture Hubs grant is awarded for three years (36 months). The grant term will be tied to the organization’s fiscal year so please refer to the How to Apply to Creative Communities webpage to see the quarterly board meetings to determine when to apply.
What We DO NOT Fund:
- Fiscally sponsored projects
- First-time Creative Communities applicants
- Organizations established around one annual event or festival
- Government agencies, departments, or offices
- Organizations that only offer youth-focused programming (18 years-old and younger)
ARTS EDUCATION AND EXPOSURE
Primarily provides funding to support programming; however, some activities may be eligible for planning support. Programs taking place throughout the five-county region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia) and the City of Camden, NJ are eligible for funding, though most funding will focus on the City of Philadelphia. In any locale, activities should be focused on supporting youth from low-income households.
Applications will be reviewed for:
- A clear definition of the young people the program seeks to engage and benefit through its work
- A plan to engage youth that builds on past work or that thoughtfully leverages external expertise and community assets
- A clear definition of benefits the arts education program seeks
- Evidence of a plan to provide these benefits in ways that are equitable, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate
- A commitment to continuous improvement that takes student/participant feedback into account
- A design that facilitates youth-led approaches
- An implementation plan that clearly supports opportunities for ongoing, continual learning (e.g., staff time, professional development, learning from other similar programs, etc.)
What We DO NOT Fund:
- Nonprofits that are not direct providers of professional arts education programming
- Support directly to early childcare providers, elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools
- Scholarships for individuals
- Individual teaching artists
- For-profit arts education providers
- Arts organizations without professional teaching artists on staff
- Organizations without a recent history of at least two consecutive years of programming are not eligible for project support funding, although can apply for planning support
- Arts education programming in which the vast majority of participants (over 75%) are not young people coming from low-income households
- Arts therapy programs
To learn more about the process for applying to Arts Education and Exposure, or any of the Creative Communities strategies, visit the How To Apply To Creative Communities webpage.
ARTS PRESENTATION AND ART MAKING
Provides support for projects and programs of any artistic discipline. It supports projects and programs geared toward greater equity of access, ensuring more people feel welcome and a part of the arts and culture experiences in our region, because of how they are created and presented. The strategy may also provide planning support for projects or programs in their early development stages. Programs and projects must take place in the five-county region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia) and the City of Camden, NJ, though most funding will focus on the City of Philadelphia.
Applications will be reviewed for:
- A clear definition of the benefits that proposed work is trying to generate
- A clear definition of the people the work aims to engage and benefit
- A plan to provide these benefits in ways that are racially equitable and economically inclusive
-
A plan to engage the intended audiences/participants for the project that:
- Reflects an understanding of local context
- Thoughtfully leverages community and external assets and expertise, if applicable
- Seeks to build lasting collaboration through which decision-making power can be shared
What We DO NOT Fund:
- Individual artists*
- Public or private memorials
- Art projects focused on young audiences and with a goal of sustained arts learning; these projects should review Arts Education and Exposure for potential eligibility
- Projects that do not pay artists/creators for their involvement
- Projects that do not involve artists centrally in the design and conception of the projects
- Film projects that are not supporting filmmaking as an art form or are primarily for instructional or educational purposes
*Individual artists would be considered as a member of an arts organization’s team or project team if funded through a fiscal sponsorship.
To learn more about the process for applying to Arts Presentation and Art Making, or any of the Creative Communities strategies, visit the How To Apply To Creative Communities webpage.
And for any additional questions, see if our FAQs provide answers, or feel free to reach out to us.