Philadelphia Cultural Fund to Announce Recipients of First Annual Youth Arts Enrichment Grants

PHILADELPHIA, June 15 /PRNewswire/ --

WHAT:  The Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) will announce and present the first recipients of the organization's newest, landmark grants program -- the Youth Arts Enrichment Grants, created to support projects and programs that use the arts to enrich the lives of young people both in and outside of school -- with their grant funds at a press event at 11:00 am in the Mayor's Reception Room 204 in City Hall.

The inaugural round of grants, totaling $357,700 (comprised of $350,000 drawn from PCF's 2010 general budget allocation of $3,200,000 from the City of Philadelphia, and $7,700 which PCF received from the city's 2010 combined United Way campaign, which this year allowed city employees to contribute to PCF for the first time), range from $25,000 to $50,000 and will support the youth-focused programming of NINE cultural organizations.

This first group of recipients were chosen from a pool of 82 applicants, all of whom were required to have been a 2010 recipient of PCF general operating support and have a budget in excess of $50,000. As with PCF's established annual grants, the grantees were chosen by a dedicated panel of peer reviewers, including four Arts Education experts: Marge Horner / Director of Education at the Abington Art Center; Barbara Bassett / Constance Williams Curator of Education, School and Teacher Programs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Judy Hellman / Director of Education at the Mural Arts Program; Nancy Shaw / former Director of Education at People's Light and Theatre Co

WHO:  Gary Steuer, City of Philadelphia's Chief Cultural Officer and director of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy

Sara Garonzik, President of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund

Representatives from the initial round of grantee organizations, including:

    
    
    Art-Reach, Inc.               Asian Arts Initiative
    BuildaBridge International    The Clay Studio
    InterAct, Inc.                Kulu Mele African American Dance Ensemble 
    Taller Puertorriqueno, Inc.   Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership
    West Park Cultural Center

Representatives from Grantee Organizations' Councilmanic Districts

WHEN:  TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 11:00AM

WHERE:  MAYOR'S RECEPTION RM #204 CITY HALL

WHY COVER:  It's new. It's exciting. And it's important. The impact of these programs and initiatives can change the lives of Philadelphia's neediest children. And, purely & simply, that can change the world.

A full list of recipients and their programs is available. For more info, please call Nina Zucker Associates at 610.667.0706 or email at [email protected].

SOURCE Philadelphia Cultural Fund