TAKE ACTION NOW Pennsylvania Arts Funding Is Under Threat! Dear Arts Advocate, Pennsylvania’s state arts funding system is facing one of the most significant disruptions in decades. Your voice is urgently needed to amplify the cultural community’s concerns. PA Creative Industries’ new strategic framework and sweeping restructuring of grant programs threaten the stability of arts organizations across the Commonwealth. The changes put artists, educators, and community organizations at risk and could dismantle funding structures that have supported our cultural ecosystem. The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is working with our partners across the Commonwealth to push back against these damaging changes and demand accountability, but we need to take action now. As shared in our Information Update, PA Creative Industries has terminated the Preserving Diverse Culture, Arts in Education, Folk and Traditional Arts and the Creative Sector Flex Fund programs. Plans call for the termination of the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) program after FY26, ending the Cultural Alliance’s role as regional administrator. These changes will have direct and detrimental impacts across the state. In Southeastern Pennsylvania, changes include: - 60% of current Flex Fund grantees with budgets under $100,000 will not qualify for PA Creative Industries’ new Creative Asset program.
- Fiscally sponsored organizations–20% of current Flex Fund grantees–will lose access to funding entirely.
Across the Commonwealth: - Teaching Artist Residencies, Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeships, and Preserving Diverse Cultures grants will be eliminated.
These changes threaten the livelihoods of artists, arts administrators, and community organizations throughout Pennsylvania. Now is the time to speak up! RAISE YOUR VOICE AT UPCOMING ADVOCACY EVENTS Join these upcoming virtual and in-person events to raise your voice on arts funding. - March 12, 2026: ROAR Campaign Kickoff (Virtual) Register Now
- March 24, 2026: Arts Advocacy Day – Harrisburg, PA Sign Up Now ***If you’re planning to attend Arts Advocacy Day, please fill out this short survey regarding your travel plans.
- March 26, 2026: PA Council on the Arts Virtual Meeting Register Now
CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS Let PA legislators know to increase arts funding. Use this template to tell your story. TOOLS & RESOURCES Access key materials to help you advocate effectively to increase arts funding in the Commonwealth. The Cultural Alliance has created a central hub on our website with updates on PA Creative Industries, what funding is at risk, what the cultural community is advocating for, and ways you can take action and engage with state legislators. Please see below! |