Mayor Nutter's Budget Continues Vital Investment in Arts & Culture

March 4, 2011
Karim Olaechea
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
karimo@philaculture.org; 215-399-3518

Philadelphia – On Thursday, March 3, Mayor Michael A. Nutter presented his FY 2012 proposed budget in an address before City Council. The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is encouraged to see that the Mayor has continued his support for the city’s cultural sector with a budget that proposes level funding for many of the city’s cultural programs including $1.84 million for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, $230,000 for the African American Museum and $268,630 for the Philadelphia History Museum (formerly known as the Atwater Kent Museum). Additionally, Mayor Nutter voiced his intention to keep open the remaining branches of the Free Library and to invest $1million toward a library program to improve adult literacy.

“These are hard economic times and in the face of budget deficits of $1.7 trillion in Washington and $4 billion in Harrisburg, nothing is certain,” commented Tom Kaiden, President of the Cultural Alliance. “But, Mayor Nutter is right; Arts & Culture are crucial to the health of our city, and this is a budget that recognizes that we need to continue to invest in our children and in the quality of life that makes this City special.”

The Cultural Alliance believes that continued investment in Arts & Culture is key to the city's economic and social development. This plan is an important starting point for the budget process, but we also understand that Governor Corbett's budget address this Tuesday and ongoing budget negotiations at the federal level will have implications for the city's financial situation.

Arts & Culture is a critical competitive advantage and a strong economic driver for Philadelphia, our region and the commonwealth. It is our region’s renewable resource for personal, civic and economic growth. From the people, by the people and for the people, it adds sparks to our children’s education, recharges our everyday lives, energizes our neighborhoods and powers economic investment and revitalization. Here in southeastern Pennsylvania, Arts & Culture generates 40,000 jobs, pumps $1.3 billion into our regional economy, and generates approximately $74 million in local tax revenues. Supporting Arts & Culture is how the city and the region grow greater, stronger—and together.

About the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
The mission of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is to make Philadelphia and its suburban counties one of the foremost creative regions in the world. The Cultural Alliance believes that the Greater Philadelphia region grows stronger and more vibrant by growing its Arts & Culture. Representing more than 400 member institutions, with more than 9,000 employees and 24,000 volunteers, the Cultural Alliance is able to speak as one collective voice for the region’s cultural community. In addition to being a vocal advocate for the arts, the Cultural Alliance also offers member organizations an array of research, business management and marketing services specifically designed to help the sector expand the impact of its work for the region.