Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the City of Philadelphia announce $225,000 in grants to 11 arts groups in Philadelphia.

Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the City of Philadelphia announce $225,000 in grants to 11 arts groups in Philadelphia. Funding is part of over $1 Million in National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Stimulus Funds Awarded to the City.

John McInerney
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
johnm@philaculture.org; 610-551-4881

(Philadelphia, PA)— The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the City of Philadelphia today announced that $225,000 in federal stimulus funds from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) have been distributed to 11 nonprofit arts groups in Philadelphia adversely impacted by the economy. A total of 84 groups applied.

"These are exceptionally challenging times for the arts community." said Cultural Alliance President Peggy Amsterdam. “Given the importance of the arts to our regional economy, and the extremely competitive nature of the NEA stimulus grant process, we are pleased to bring this help to our region.”

These grants were made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Cultural Alliance and the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. The funds are part of a $50 million federal stimulus package being allocated by the NEA in support of job recovery programs for nonprofit and local and state public arts agencies, and are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program (the "Recovery Act").

"My office is pleased to team up with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance to successfully obtain this special Recovery Act funding from the NEA for Philadelphia’s arts community,” said Gary Steuer, Chief Cultural Officer for the City. “Like jobs in other industries, many jobs in the arts are currently at risk due to the economic downturn. This grant program will both protect our arts sector and stimulate our local economy."

These one-time grants will provide salary support for a single position, critical to an organization's artistic mission, which is threatened or has been eliminated as a result of the current economic climate, or fees for a previously-engaged artist or contractual employee to maintain or expand their engagement with the organization. The 11 grants range from $15,000 to $25,000 and are diverse in geography, artistic discipline, and communities served.

Grantees are:
Art Sanctuary $25,000 
Located in North Philadelphia, Art Sanctuary uses the power of black art to transform individuals, unite groups of people, and enrich, and draw inspiration from the inner city by inviting established and aspiring artists to help create excellent lectures, performances, and educational programs.

Art-Reach $15,000 
Art-Reach enriches lives by connecting underserved audiences with cultural experiences so that they may enjoy and benefit from the transformative powers of the arts.

BuildaBridge $25,000 
BuildaBridge use the arts to help people in difficult situations to heal from trauma working with artists to bring hope and healing to children, families and communities in the tough places of the world

Jeanne Ruddy Dance $15,000 
Jeanne Ruddy Dance is a company of highly trained professional dancers that provides audiences with world-class performances of works by Jeanne Ruddy and leading contemporary choreographers.

Musicopia $25,000 
Musicopia’s mission is to bring a vibrant combination of music performance and education to students and communities throughout the Delaware Valley, with a particular focus on geographical areas that lack adequate music programs.

Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) $25,000 
PHILADANCO is a modern contemporary dance company that tours nationally and internationally.

Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe $25,000 
Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe exists to commission, develop and present a wide range of high-quality contemporary performance.

Taller Puertorriqueño, Inc. $15,000 
Taller is dedicated to the preservation, development and promotion of Puerto Rican arts and culture and to the quality representation of other Latino cultural expressions and common roots.

The Clay Studio $15,000 
The Clay Studio is dedicated to the promotion and development of the ceramic arts and the work of new clay artists.

The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre $15,000 
The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre’s mission is to be Philadelphia’s “town commons” for all things Shakespeare with the core of our work being world-class, accessible, affordable productions of William Shakespeare’s plays.  

Village of Arts & Humanities $25,000 
The Village of Art and Humanities’ mission is to build community through innovative arts, educational, social, and leadership programs

In addition to the funds distributed by the Cultural Alliance, 20 arts groups located in Philadelphia have received an additional $800,000 in direct grants and two arts groups located in the suburban Pennsylvania counties will receive $75,000.  (A full list of current direct NEA grantees is available at http://www.arts.gov/grants/recent/09grants/states2/arra.php?STATE=PA).

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is a leadership organization of over 375 nonprofit arts and cultural institutions located primarily in the five counties of southeastern Pennsylvania.  Its mission is making greater Philadelphia the foremost creative region in the world. For more information on the Cultural Alliance, please visit www.philaculture.org

The City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy works to improve access to the arts for both residents and visitors; expand arts education for young people; oversee all the City’s arts programs; support the growth and development of the City’s arts, culture, and creative economy sector, by promoting public and private investment in the creative economy sector; coordinate with relevant City agencies to unify the City’s arts efforts; and serve as a liaison between the City’s many cultural institutions.  For more information, please visit http://www.phila.gov/visitors/arts_office.html  or call 215-686-8446

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 recognizes that the nonprofit arts industry is an important sector of the economy. Through this Act, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is able to fund arts projects and activities that preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn. As part of this important investment, the NEA designed a plan to expedite distribution of critical funds for the national, regional, state, and local levels for projects that focus on the preservation of jobs in the arts.