The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Applauds the City of Philadelphia’s Unprecedented $21.3M Investment in Arts & Culture through the Approved Mid-Year Transfer Budget

December 1, 2022 (PHILADELPHIA, PA) – Today, during public testimony, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (“Cultural Alliance”), which represents 348 arts and culture organizations in the City of Philadelphia, applauded Mayor Jim Kenney and City Council for its unprecedented infusion of $21.3 million into the arts and culture industry through the Mid-Year Transfer. This investment comes after a three-year advocacy campaign, which was sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing effects on the arts and culture community. 

Statement On City of Philadelphia’s Midyear Transfer

Today is a banner day for our arts and culture community in the City of Philadelphia. Mayor Kenney proposed and City Council increased and approved over $21 million new dollars for arts and culture in the 2022 Mid-Year Transfer Ordinance. The ordinance moved unanimously from the Appropriations Committee, chaired by Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr, and received first reading at today’s Council session. It is poised to receive final consideration on Thursday, December 1. 

Statement On City of Philadelphia’s FY2023 Budget

With the passage of the City of Philadelphia’s FY2023 Budget, I can affirmatively state: Advocacy works.

When the initial City budget was proposed in late March 2022, the Creative Economy and its priorities were nearly absent for a third straight year. As a sector, we knew that this was unacceptable and together, we marshaled a weeks-long advocacy campaign to ensure that arts and culture was represented in this budget, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Rallies Philadelphia’s Arts and Culture Industry, Calling for $6.2 Million in Additional Funding in the FY2023 City Budget

May 11, 2022 (PHILADELPHIA, PA) – Today, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (“Cultural Alliance”), which represents 348 arts and culture organizations in the City of Philadelphia, rallied artists, creative entrepreneurs, arts educators, organizational leaders, and arts and culture allies at Philadelphia’s City Hall to call for greater and necessary public investment in the City’s creative economy, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Member Spotlight

The Village of Arts and Humanities is a cultural treasure in the Fairhill-Hartranft neighborhood of North Philadelphia, which uses art to envision and generate a thriving community where Black residents are leaders, stewards, and ultimate beneficiaries of reinvestment. The organization is a renowned model for ground-level work that blends art with social justice, neighborhood revitalization, and youth development. 

People travel from as far away as Gambia and Taiwan to visit The Village's Ile Ife Park, the crown jewel of its creative campus comprising art parks, murals, and sculptures created over 36 years by the hands and imaginations of artists and neighbors. Read the blog to learn more about its roots, unique approach to work, and what’s next for the organization.

Statement On Philadelphia Cultural Fund Allocation In the Proposed City Budget

PATRICIA WILSON ADEN, PRESIDENT & CEO, GREATER PHILADELPHIA CULTURAL ALLIANCE
MARCH 31, 2022

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is deeply disappointed that the Kenney Administration did not maintain the Philadelphia Cultural Fund’s (PCF) comprehensive $3.5 million allocation in its proposed budget. As the City grapples with surging gun violence and a continued reckoning around equity and access, the decision to reduce the PCF by $1 million is shortsighted at best.

Introducing the Cultural Alliance’s RestART Initiative!

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has devastated the Arts & Culture Sector. From March 2020 through March 2021, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance estimates a total revenue loss of $371.7 million for the arts and culture sector in the Philadelphia region. You can read more about the impact the pandemic has had on our sector in the Fall 2021 COVID-19 Impact report.

Fall 2021 COVID-19 Impact Study (December 2021)

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (“Cultural Alliance”) is committed to tracking the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and culture sector in our region.

Member Spotlight

Jazz Bridge Project assists Jazz and Blues musicians living in the Greater Philadelphia Metro area who face financial, health, housing and similar crises.  A registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, they also support musicians by providing paid performance opportunities through their live neighborhood concerts and special event presentations. Their concerts celebrate the Philadelphia Jazz & Blues tradition and build cultural awareness throughout the region. As a service organization in the arts and culture community, they are uniquely positioned to address the suffering resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite new challenges, they remain committed to assisting Jazz and Blues artists of all ages and backgrounds. Read more in our blog!

Member Spotlight

Spiral Q is a 25 year old arts and justice nonprofit that unleashes the power of art to connect people, actions, values, neighborhoods, organizations, and movements to each other and to their collective creative force for change. They work with up to 100 diverse partners annually, prioritizing disenfranchised communities whose residents are systematically oppressed due to race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic, and sexual identities. They are artists, educators, and cultural workers partnering with schools, youth service providers, CBOs, cultural centers, AIDS service and advocacy groups, LGBTQIA+ groups, advocates for the unhoused, addiction recovery centers, and mental health providers. Spiral Q knows their communities to be culturally rich in tradition, heritage and strong social bonds. Their neighborhood and city-wide partners are committed collaborators and informational resources that guide our work along with their team of talented teaching artists who demonstrate high quality teaching artistry and share their creativity and experience as thought-partners.

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