
At 6 pm today, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance interim Executive Director Michael Norris will be testifying at a City Council budget hearing in an effort to increase the budget for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) to its 2010 level of $3.2 million.
GroundSwell (an initiative of the Philadelphia Cultural Alliance) is asking people to help pack City Council’s chambers for the budget hearing tonight in support of restoring funding to the arts. Norris will also present a petition, signed by 2000 arts supporters, to restore PCF funding.
In 2010, Mayor Michael Nutter made significant budget cuts due to the recession. The result was decreased funding to PCF, Parks and Recreation and the Free Library. However, while both the Free Library and Parks and Recreation have seen the partial restoration of their budgets, the PCF has not. PCF is still operating at a budget of $1.84 million, and in 2014 distributed $1.6 million in grants to 272 organizations.
An increase in the PCF budget would be used to to increase the size and number of the grants, according to GroundSwell. In addition, PCF has pledged to restore the Youth Arts Enrichment Grants, which provide project support for arts-education programs serving K-12 students in the Philadelphia School District.
GroundSwell is also asking people to participate in Philadelphia Arts Advocacy day by:
- Tweeting today with messages of how you and/or your organization are impacted by the arts in Philadelphia using #RestoreArtsFundingPHL
- Tweet at Council President Clarke @Darrell_Clarke & at your own City Councilmember to #RestoreArtsFundingPHL
- Ask your followers to tweet about how the arts in Philadelphia impact their lives using #RestoreArtsFundingPHL
- Retweet some of your favorite responses
- Follow @GroundSwell_PA and @PhilaCulturalFund as we live-tweet the public budget hearing testimony tonight
- Tweet at the list of City Council members on Twitter asking them to support the arts.
Generocity previously covered the Great Philadelphia Cultural Alliance’s analysis of the FY15 budget here: generocity.org/philadelphia-cultural-alliance-analysis-of-the-2015-budget/.
Learn more about the budget and Philadelphia Arts Advocacy Day at philaculture.org/groundswell/restoreartsfundingphl-social-media-campaign-philadelphia-arts-advocacy-da.
(Image via Flickr User micronova)
-30-From our Partners
Businesses that suffered losses from Hurricane Ida’s flooding have until Oct. 10 to apply for help
Pennsylvania Humanities Council is offering up to $20,000 in flexible funding — but you have to act fast
‘We know we have to do things differently’: This partnership is ready to invest in Kensington in a new way
Generocity Philly
Meet Kim Andrews, new executive director for The Fund for Women and Girls

Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project (YSRP)
Director of Development and Communications
Apply NowDon’t delay! These 11 opportunities for grants (and more) deadline from late January to early March
FAFSA is being simplified. Here’s what you need to know about the changes to come
Awesome Foundation Philly: A peek into our selection process
Generocity Philly
Be the leader to bring a 26-year mission into the future in Chester County
Young Audiences NJ and Eastern PA
Arts Education Administrator (Hybrid)
Apply Now
Regional Housing Legal Services
Staff Attorney, Housing Development Legal Services
Apply Now
More Information