The Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) is seeking applications for its 2025 Art & Culture Grants.
Donor Name: The Philadelphia Cultural Fund
State: Pennsylvania
City: Philadelphia
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/22/2025
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) was established in 1991 when Philadelphia’s Mayor and City Council authorized the creation of an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to provide funds to enhance the cultural life and vitality of the City of Philadelphia and its residents. PCF is managed by a professional philanthropy staff, with governance provided by a board composed of arts leaders, community members, and representatives named by the Mayor and City Council President.
By providing general operating support to Philadelphia-based arts and culture organizations, they advocate for the value of the arts and their importance to the growth and future of the community. The social, educational, and economic development of Philadelphia is tied to the vitality of arts and culture in the city. PCF recognizes and promotes the contributions and services of Philadelphia-based organizations, both emerging and established, across all ten districts.
The overall goals of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund are:
- To provide general operating support to Philadelphia-based arts and cultural organizations
- To advocate for the value of the arts in daily life and their importance to the growth and future of the community
- To promote arts and culture as engines of social, educational and economic development in Philadelphia
- To recognize the contributions of Philadelphia-based organizations, both emerging and established, that have a demonstrated track record of service, and the financial management and programming capacity to continue providing service
- To recognize and nurture artistic quality
- To encourage and increase opportunities for involvement and participation in arts and cultural activities by culturally diverse constituencies.
What PCF supports?
- Arts Education
- Arts Service
- Community Art
- Dance
- Music
- Theatre
- Visual Art
- Historic Site
- Literary
- Museum
- Media
- Multidisciplinary
- Presenter
Eligibility Criteria
An applicant organization must:
- Have its official place of business in the City of Philadelphia as demonstrated by the address on latest 990 filing for 501(c)(3)s, the SMU|DataArts PCF Funder Report, website, letterhead, and printed public materials. PCF will only accept the official address of the organization. They will not accept the address of a staff member, board member, or volunteer.
- Have an average budget of $1.5M or less as shown on the organization’s updated SMU|DataArts Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) Funder Report. The organization must provide information for its most recently completed and audited fiscal year (i.e. FY23 or FY24).
- Have a mission that is dedicated to art and culture. Art and culture is defined as creating, preserving and/or exhibiting visual, literary and performing arts, architecture, science, history and the humanities. Non-art and culture organizations that operate an art and culture program are not eligible.
- Be incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in good standing OR has contracted with a fiscal sponsor/parent organization that has been pre-approved by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. Unincorporated organizations, such as LLCs, regardless of size, may apply using a fiscal sponsor/parent organization if they can demonstrate that their organization has a mission dedicated to art and culture and meets all other criteria.
- Present most or all of its programming in the City of Philadelphia, thus demonstrating a commitment to provide art and culture to the residents of the City of Philadelphia. Note: While the pandemic has had a profound impact on how programming has been and can be presented, the primary audience/community served, by whatever means, must be the residents of the City of Philadelphia.
- Have conducted public programming (in person or virtually) for at least one year.
- Have a Governing body. If a 501(c)(3) organization, has a board of directors; if contracted with a pre-approved fiscal sponsor/parent organization, has an advisory group, such as an advisory council, board or committee that oversees the operations of the organization.
- Have a plan or planning process that demonstrates how the organization will achieve its stated mission and vision.
- Be in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations including, without limitation, those of the IRS and the Commonwealth of PA.
- Have appropriately filed financial statements that are completed within one year of filing the 990 tax return, if required (including 990-EZ). The PA Department of State’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations requires organizations with gross annual contributions of $750,000 or more to file audited financial statements.
The following are not eligible for Philadelphia Cultural Fund grants:
- Individual artists.
- Sole proprietorships or other groups that are neither a 501 (c)(3) corporation or operating under contract with a fiscal sponsor/parent organization that has not been pre-approved by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.
- Religious institutions.
- Agencies and departments of city, state and federal governments.
- Elementary or secondary schools, public, charter or private.
- Colleges and universities, with some exceptions (please speak to Cultural Fund staff before applying). Example exception: an art gallery or performance venue housed within a university that has robust public arts programming, designated staff, an advisory board, discrete budgeting, etc. When eligible, only the budget for the public arts and culture programming (not the budget of the umbrella/parent institution) will be considered for grant amount purposes.
- Organizations that are a line item allocation in the City’s 2025 General Operating Budget OR have received unrestricted monies, pledges or commitment of monies from any City department in excess of $10,000 between July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024. This does not include funds granted for a specific project.
For more information, visit PCF.
