The Philadelphia Cultural Fund

Grants to fund meaningful cultural and arts experiences for youth.

 

Upcoming Round - January 2011 Application Availability

PCF will distribute $100,000 in 2010-2011 to support Youth Arts Enrichments Grants. To be eligible, applicants must be a recipient of the 2010-2011 general operating grants. Note: 2011 Guidelines will be available in January 2011. The guidelines below are included for your reference only.

 

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2010 Guidelines - For Reference Only

Overview
The Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) announces a new grants program - Youth Arts Enrichment Project Grants. These project-related grants will support specific programs that use the arts to enrich the lives of young people, aged 5 to 18, in and out of school. A total of $350,000 will be used to make grants between $25,000 and $50,000. The money for these grants came out of PCF's 2010 general budget allocation.

The goals of the Youth Arts Enrichment Project Grants are:

1. To provide high quality arts instruction, training, and participatory experiences that serve those young people most in need, unlikely to be able to access cultural enrichment in their lives in other ways. This includes programs that are working in our most underserved, impoverished communities.
2. To provide consistent arts programming that directly addresses the priorities of reducing youth violence, reducing truancy and drop out rates and increasing the percentage of School District graduation rates and graduates going on to college.
3. To encourage arts and cultural programming as an alternative activity for youth, in after-school, weekend and summer programs.

Special consideration will be given to:

• Programs with a demonstrated track record of previous operation or experience delivering successful similar projects.
• Programs that can demonstrate measurable results from the past and/or have a clear plan for tracking outcomes for the proposed activity.
  

Eligibility
If you received a grant from PCF in 2009/2010 (this most recent grant cycle) and if you have a track-record of providing good quality arts programs for youth, then you may apply. If you did not receive a grant from PCF in 2009/2010, then you cannot apply. If you received a grant in the New and Emerging category, use a fiscal sponsor, or if your total operating budget is under $50,000 then you cannot apply.

Grants
The total pool of funds is $350,000. Grants will range from $25,000 to $50,000. The program you are applying for must occur between June 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. Grant funds may be used for any program expense such as staffing, reasonable overhead (no more than 10%), artistic expenses, materials, etc. Grant funds may not be used for capital expenditures, permanent fixtures, or equipment not directly related to the delivery of the program (ex. a potter's wheel is eligible for a pottery program but a photocopier is not). There is no matching requirement for this grant. However, you may not get the whole amount you apply for, you may only get partial funding.

Process

1. A special grant panel will review the applications. PCF will evaluate the applications, but will also use the information from your 2009/2010 general operating grant application. Your standing with PCF will be taken into consideration as part of this application review process.
2. The application for the Youth Arts Enrichment Project Grants must be submitted online. Please contact the Cultural Fund office with any concerns.
   

Timeline and Application Deadline

• March 3, 2010 - Guidelines available
• April 2, 2010 - Applications Due. Applications must be received at 1515 Arch Street, 12th Floor, no later than 5PM. Postmarks will not be accepted.
• May 17, 2010 - Panel meets
• June 1, 2010 - Grant Awards made