STAMP Signs Up Over 11,000 Philly Teens in Year 1; Plans to Launch Second Year with Dance Party, Additional Museums and Loyalty Rewards

August 6, 2014. Philadelphia, PA – STAMP, an innovative program which offers Philadelphia teens free admission to the city’s top museums, has just reported that over 11,000 teens have signed up for the STAMP Pass since the program launched in Fall 2013. Year 2 of STAMP will kick off with a free dance party for teens at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Wednesday, August 20 from 5-8pm. 

The STAMP Pass is a key component of STAMP: The Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Family Teen Program, a Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance initiative that seeks to make arts and culture more accessible for Philadelphia high school-aged students. After a year of success offering free admission to Philadelphia teens at 12 of the city’s top museums and attractions, the program is expanding with the addition of 3 new museums and a loyalty program to incentivize visitation and increase engagement. 

In addition to the original twelve museums, starting September 1, STAMP Passholders will also get free admission to The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and the Philadelphia History Museum. (See below for a full list of participating STAMP institutions.) 

The STAMP Pass is available at no charge to teens ages 14-19 who live in the city of Philadelphia. Teens who are new to the program can register for the pass by visiting www.phillystamppass.org; any teen who enrolled in Year 1 and is still eligible for the program will be automatically mailed a new pass for Year 2 by September 1.

“We are proud to continue to support STAMP as it moves into its second year,” say philanthropists Harvey and Virginia Kimmel. “The response by teens has been fantastic. It is important that we invest in the youth of Philadelphia, and STAMP reflects the cultural community’s collective effort to do so.” 

Year 2 of STAMP will kick off with a free dance party for teens in the Great Stair Hall at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Wednesday, August 20 from 5-8pm. STAMP is partnering with Mayor Michael Nutter’s Fun Safe Philly Summer campaign to produce the event, which will include a DJ, food, crafts, and interactive activities from each of the 15 STAMP museums. The Mayor and members of the STAMP Teen Council will speak, and the museum will be open to the public for Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays and ArtSplash, with programming for all ages throughout the museum. Teens can RSVP for this free event at http://phillystamppass.org/rsvp-stamp-party/.

“STAMP fills a void in the kinds of cultural programs available to Philadelphia high school students,” says Nicole Allen, Director of Policy & Community Engagement for the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. “Many arts education programs target younger children, so our goal is to give Philadelphia’s high school-aged youth more access to the city’s incredible arts and culture offerings, especially at this crucial time when many schools are being forced to cut art classes and after-school programming due to budget constraints.” 

In its first year, STAMP recruited over 11,000 Philadelphia teens to sign up for the STAMP Pass, resulting in thousands of visits to STAMP museums and events. STAMP has been a tremendous tool for museums to diversify their audiences by race and economic status, as well as by age. The program has been extremely successful in reaching youth from Philadelphia neighborhoods with very low cultural participation, with over 75% coming from such areas. Furthermore, 58% of STAMP Passholders are African American or Latino, and 47% come from economically-disadvantaged households. The Cultural Alliance hopes to expand the program in future years until all arts and culture is free and accessible to Philadelphia’s high school students.

Additionally, in an effort to increase engagement, STAMP is adding a loyalty program where every time a teen visits a museum with their STAMP Pass, they will get points redeemable for prizes like T-shirts, sunglasses, water bottles, key chains, museum discounts and gift cards. At the highest level, teens can even choose from deluxe prizes like tickets for arts and culture events, or a free music lesson with Girls Rock Philly. STAMP will also partner with participating museums and attractions to offer promotional opportunities where passholders can earn double or triple points on their visit, and attend large-scale, multi-museum social events throughout the year. 

Participating STAMP museums and cultural institutions for Year 2:

African American Museum in Philadelphia
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Barnes Foundation 
Eastern State Penitentiary 
Fabric Workshop and Museum
The Franklin Institute 
Institute of Contemporary Art 
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Mütter Museum
National Constitution Center
National Museum of American Jewish History
Penn Museum
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Philadelphia History Museum
Philadelphia Zoo

STAMP is generously underwritten by Virginia and Harvey Kimmel and by grants from the Hess Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Philadelphia Foundation’s Fund for Children, Wells Fargo, and Wyncote Foundation.

ABOUT THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA CULTURAL ALLIANCE
Established in 1972, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is the region’s leading arts and cultural advocacy, research and marketing organization. Our mission is to “lead, strengthen and give voice to a diverse cultural sector that is making Philadelphia a world-class region to live, work, and play.” Our membership includes over 400 organizations ranging from museums and dance companies to community art centers, historic sites, music ensembles and zoos. Our members, as well as the cultural community as a whole, count on the Alliance for signature research reports on the health and growth of the sector; grantmaking in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the arts; robust professional development and membership services; marketing and audience development through our signature consumer marketing programs, Phillyfunguide.com and Funsavers; and leadership in policy and community engagement through our GroundSwell advocacy initiative and STAMP teen program. For more information on the Cultural Alliance, please visit www.philaculture.org.

ABOUT STAMP 
Students who enroll in STAMP: The Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Family Teen Program receive the STAMP Pass, a card that they can present to get free out-of-school-time admission to some of the city’s top museums and cultural venues. The STAMP Pass is available at no charge to teens ages 14 to 19 who live in the city of Philadelphia. Teens can register for the pass by visiting www.phillystamppass.org.