(Image via Flickr user schnaars)

Earlier in the month on March 6, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter delivered his 2015 fiscal year budget address before City Council. The budget totals $4.5 billion, $800,000 over the current year’s budget. GroundSwell and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance put together an analysis of the parts of the mayor’s proposed budget which effect arts and culture in Philadelphia.

The report was prepared by Nicole Allen, director of policy and community engagement. No institution saw a decrease in funding, according to Allen.

These are the arts and culture institutions that are receiving roughly the same amount of funding:

• Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy funding remains the same at $2.67 million for FY15. Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) and the African American Museum of Philadelphia both receive part of OACCE’s funding. PCF will receive $1.84 million and the African American Museum of Philadelphia will continue to receive $230,688. The remaining 24% of the budget allocation will go to support OACCE programming.
  
• The Philadelphia Museum of Art appropriation remains the same at $2.55 million. This is part of six-year $20 million commitment from the city for interior and exterior renovations.
• Mural Arts Budget will be funded at about $1.6 million.

Increased funding:

• The Free Library will receive an increase of $2.5 million. $2.3 million of this will go towards opening all libraries six days a week. Mayor Nutter made a point of apologizing to the city’s youth and library users for cutting the library’s budget in 2008. The rest of the funds will go towards building the neighborhood branches’ collections.
• Parks and Recreation will receive an additional $500,000. This will be for expanded programs at recreation centers throughout Philadelphia.
• The Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent will receive an additional $12,595.

Allen said that The Philadelphia Cultural Alliance will be working with city council members and the public to garner support for arts and culture institutions.

“Along with the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, we will be working to get City Council to include the increased appropriation in their ‘wish lists’ to the Mayor. This spring through our grassroots advocacy program, GroundSwell, we will be working to garner public support for the increase,” Allen said in an email.

Read GroundSwell’s analysis here and view the entire budget here.