Philadelphia Cultural Fund Announces Youth Arts Engagement Grants

PHILADELPHIA, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) is proud to announce an exciting new grants program -- Youth Arts Engagement Grants -- created to support projects and programs that use the arts to enrich the lives of young people in and out of school.  The money for these first-time grant awards -- a total of $350,000 -- will be drawn from PCF's 2010 general budget allocation of $3,200,000 from the City of Philadelphia.  Ranging from $25,000 to $50,000, the first round of grants will be announced and distributed this spring.

Stated Mayor Nutter, "With the economy hitting our city hard on just about every level, it's been -- and will continue to be, at least for the short term -- more challenging than ever to maintain cultural activities for Philadelphia youth. This program is exactly what's needed at this juncture, providing opportunities for our kids to see, hear and learn about the numerous cultural organizations that keep our arts community thriving, and most importantly, that there are real possibilities for them to find their passion and follow their dreams."

"We're proud and delighted to be able to offer this grant program," remarked PCF Board President Sara Garonzik, Artistic Producing Director of Philadelphia Theatre Company. "In addition to the over 200 grants we distribute annually to support general operating expenses, these larger grants will enable the Cultural Fund to support one of the Mayor's primary objectives of enriching the lives of young people across our city with much-needed cultural exposure."

The goals of the Youth Arts Engagement Grants include:

• Providing high quality arts instruction, training and participatory experiences that serve those young people most in need, who are unlikely to have access to cultural enrichment;
• Providing consistent programming that directly impacts the reduction of youth violence, truancy and drop out rates, while increasing the number of graduations and college-bound students; and
• Encouraging arts and cultural programming as an alternative activity for youth in after-school, weekend and summer programs.  

To apply, an organization must be a 2010 recipient of PCF general operating support and have a budget in excess of $50,000. Guidelines are available on the PCF website www.culturalfund.org, with applications due on April 2, 2010 by 5pm.  A dedicated panel of peers will review applications, and the inaugural round of Youth Arts Engagement Grant recipients will be announced on June 1, 2010.

The Philadelphia Cultural Fund is a non-profit corporation established by Philadelphia's Mayor and City Council in 1991 to support and enhance the cultural life and vitality of the City of Philadelphia and its residents.  Since 1991, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund has distributed just over $30,000,000 in city funding to arts and culture organizations throughout our region.

SOURCE Philadelphia Cultural Fund