#SavePHLArts! Tell City Council Not to Cut the Philadelphia Cultural Fund's Budget!

The Mayor's proposed FY2016 budget cuts the Philadelphia Cultural Fund's budget by 40%, slashing it back down to $1.84M. We need your help to save the Cultural Fund's budget for FY2016. Please email your councilmember and tell them to #SavePHLArts.

 

In 2014, arts supporters from across the region came together to urge Philadelphia City Council to restore funding to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. After our two month campaign, City Council passed their FY 2015 budget, which included an additional $1.3 million for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. This appropriation increased the Cultural Fund's budget from $1.84 million to $3.14 million. This increased funding allowed the Cultural Fund to give out larger grants in 2015 and also to reinstate the Youth Arts Enrichment grants, which provide project support for arts-education programs serving K-12 students in the Philadelphia School District!

Despite our great success last year, we find ourselves again in the same position. Mayor Michael Nutter's proposed FY 2016 budget only allocates $1.84 million to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. We must again call on City Council to include an additional $1.3 million in the FY 2016 budget that they will pass in June. We are calling on all arts supporters, whether you live in Philadelphia or in the surrounding counties, to tell Council not to cut this crucial funding for the Cultural Fund!

The Philadelphia Cultural Fund provides crucial general operating support to almost 300 cultural organizations in the City of Philadelphia. These grantees range in budget sizes, from the very large to the very small, and they operate in almost every neighborhood in the city. These organizations have a tremendous economic and social impact on the city and our residents. If we want to continue to reap the benefits these organizations provide, we must ensure that the city provides adequate funding to support their work!

Please email your councilmembers and tell them to #SavePHLArts and not to cut $1.3 million from the Cultural Fund's budget! We have written the email for you, all you have to do is fill in your name and press send! Of course personalized emails are always better so feel free to add in your own story about how the arts impacts you and/or what your organization was able to do with a larger PCF grant this year! 

Not a Philadelphia resident, but love visiting and patronizing the city's arts & culture institutions? Send your own email to Council President Clarke and let him know the arts are what bring you (and your dollars!) into the city.

 

The work of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is made possible through the generous support of committed individuals and institutions.