The Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) was established in 1991 when Philadelphia’s Mayor and City Council authorized the creation of a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation whose mission was to provide funds to enhance the cultural life and vitality of the City of Philadelphia and its residents. The Cultural Fund promotes arts and culture as engines of social, educational and economic development in the Philadelphia region. Grants are made from a City budget allocation to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund for operating support of Philadelphia-based arts and culture organizations dedicated to creating, preserving and/or exhibiting visual, literary and performing arts, architecture, science, history and the humanities. Grant amounts are determined through the use of a funding formula; applicant organizations do not request a specific grant amount.

Among the overall goals of the Cultural Fund are:

• to provide general operating support funds to serve Philadelphia-based arts and cultural institutions and organizations
• to advocate for the value of the arts in daily life and their importance to the growth and future of the community
• to recognize the contributions of Philadelphia-based organizations, both emerging and established, that have a demonstrated track record of service, and the financial management and programming capacity to continue providing service
• to recognize and nurture artistic quality
• to encourage and increase opportunities for involvement and participation in arts and cultural activities by culturally diverse constituencies
• to preserve and protect the cultural heritage of Philadelphia and encourage a sense of pride and commitment in the city

Eligibility Requirements

An organization must:

1. Have an articulated mission that is dedicated to arts and culture. Non-arts and culture organizations that operate an arts and culture program may be eligible to apply for a 1-year Program Grant; organizations are urged to call the Cultural Fund staff for clarification before applying. Arts and culture is defined as creating, preserving and/or exhibiting visual, literary and performing arts, architecture, science, history and the humanities.

2. Have its official place of business located in the City of Philadelphia as demonstrated by the address on latest 990 filing, Data Arts Funder Report, website, letterhead and printed public materials. The address of a staff member, board member, or volunteer, or that of a fiscal sponsor, unless the official address of the organization, will not be accepted.

3. Be incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit in good standing OR has contracted with a fiscal sponsor that has been pre-approved by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. Unincorporated organizations, such as LLCs, regardless of size, may apply using a fiscal sponsor if they can demonstrate that their organization has a mission dedicated to arts and culture and meets all other criteria.

4. Present at least 60% of its programming in the City of Philadelphia, thus demonstrating a commitment to provide arts and culture to the residents of the City of Philadelphia.

5. Have 60% of its current operating budget devoted to arts and culture. If an organization’s budget does not meet this 60% threshold the organization may be eligible to apply for a 1-year Program Grant if they have a specific arts and culture program that meets the other eligibility requirements. Those organizations are asked to call the Philadelphia Cultural Fund office for clarification before applying.

6. Have programs accessible to the public (provided for a charge or free). Example of ineligible programming: a private library collection of valuable documents not open to the public for study or research.

7. Have conducted public programming for at least one year.

8. Have a Governing body. If a 501 (c) (3) organization, has a board of directors; if contracted with a pre-approved fiscal sponsor, has an advisory group, such as an advisory council, board or committee that oversees the operations of the organization.

9. Have non-discriminatory employment and personnel practices.

10. Have three or more people that share organizational responsibilities (paid or unpaid).

11. Have at least one person responsible for ensuring programmatic and fiscal accountability.

12. Have the capacity to carry out its intended programming goals through the support of staff, board, advisors and/or volunteers (paid or unpaid).

13. Have a plan or planning process that demonstrates how the organization will achieve its stated mission and vision.

14. Be in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations including, without limitation, those of the IRS and the Commonwealth of PA.

15. Have appropriately filed financial statements that are completed within one year of filing the 990 tax return, if required (including 990-EZ). The PA Department of State’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations requires organizations with gross annual contributions of $750,000 or more to file audited financial statements. For more detailed information about filing requirements go to: PA Department of State, Information for Charitable Organizations

16. Complete and submit a DataArts CDP Funder Report for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. All applicant organizations are required to provide a current CDP Funder Report representing the organization’s operational and program data with their application. See About the Required CDP Funder Report below for specific requirements.
 

The following are not eligible for Philadelphia Cultural Fund grants:

• Individual artists
• Sole proprietorships or other groups that are neither a 501 (c)(3) corporation or operating under a contract with a fiscal sponsor that has not been pre-approved by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.
• Religious institutions
• Agencies and departments of city, state and federal governments
• Elementary or secondary schools, public, charter or private
• Colleges and universities, with some exceptions (please speak to Cultural Fund staff before applying). Example exception: an art gallery or performance venue housed within a university that has robust public arts programming, designated staff, an advisory board, discrete budgeting, etc. When eligible, only the budget for the public arts and culture programming (not the budget of the umbrella/parent institution) will be considered for grant amount purposes.
• Organizations that are a line item allocation in the City’s 2019 General Operating Budget OR have received unrestricted monies, pledges or commitment of monies from any City department in excess of $10,000, cumulatively, between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018.

Types of Grant Applications

Organizations will complete an online application that is tailored to their situation, as described below.

Applicant organizations are:

• either an Established organization (have operated arts and culture programs for 5 or more years) or a New & Emerging organization (have operated an art and culture program for less than 5 years).
• either a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization or are currently contracted with a fiscal sponsor that is pre-approved by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. See How Do We Apply with a Fiscal Sponsor? in Frequently Asked Questions below.
• applying for either General Operating Grant or Program Grant

Established organizations can apply for:

General Operating Grant (3-yr)

• Applicants that apply for a 2019 General Operating Grant are automatically considered for multi-year funding that, if awarded, provides an annual general operating grant for three years (2019, 2020, 2021), on the condition that the organization continues to meet the Philadelphia Cultural Fund’s eligibility requirements, completes the annual Interim Report as required, and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund receives an allocation from the City. The grant amount will be newly calculated each year based on the score the organization received during the peer review process. Applications and site visits are not required of organizations in their interim years; an Interim Report is required.
• Organizations may be awarded funding for one year rather than three years. In that case, the organization must reapply to be considered for future funding

Established organizations may apply for a 2019 grant if they were not awarded a multi-year General Operating Grant in either 2017 (for 2017, 2018, and 2019) or in 2018 (for 2018, 2019, and 2020). If uncertain of your organization’s status, please call the Philadelphia Cultural Fund staff at 267-419-7641. 

Program Grant (1-yr)

• Organizations that do not have arts at the core of their mission but produce valuable arts programs can apply for a 1-year Program Grant. For example, a hospital that has a long-stannding exhibition program. Applications for a discreet arts and culture program within a larger non-arts focused organization will submit program budgets rather than organizational operating budgets.
• Organizations that work on a project-by-project basis can apply annually for a 1-year Program Grant. Applications for project based work will submit program budgets rather than organizational operating budgets; the CDP Funder Report attached to the application must reflect the applicant organization’s financials and activities. Program applicants with a Funder Report representing non-arts programming and financials should speak to Cultural Fund staff before applying..
• If awarded a Program Grant, the organization must receive approval from the Philadelphia Cultural Fund beforechanges to the program, or the program budget, are implemented. The grant may be withdrawn or the amount adjusted.

New and Emerging organizations can apply for:

General Operating Grant (1-yr)

• Organizations that have been operating programming for less than 5 years. Applicant organizations must include the operating budgets and the CDP Funder Report in their application.

Program Grant (1-yr)

• Organizations that do not have arts at the core of their mission but operate a specific arts program. For example, a hospital that has founded an exhibition program. Applications for a discreet arts and culture program within a larger non-arts focused organization will submit program budgets rather than organizational operating budgets.
• Organizations that work on a project-by-project basis. Applications for project based work will submit project budgets rather than organizational operating budgets. Applicant organizations must attach a CDP Funder Report to the application that reflect its financials and activities.
• If awarded a Program Grant, the organization must receive approval from the Philadelphia Cultural Fund beforechanges to the program, or the program budget, are implemented. The grant may be withdrawn or the amount adjusted.

How to Apply

Accessing the Online Application

• All applications are completed and submitted online; no hard copies will be accepted. Applications can be worked on over time and saved after each session.
• Former Philadelphia Cultural Fund applicants will need to register their username and password prior to starting their 2019 application. Once registered, the user can just log in using those credentials for the duration of the time they are working on the 2019 application.
• Only one unique username is allowed per applying organization. To protect your information from being corrupted, only one person at a time should be logged in and working on the application.
• Established organizations click here.
• New & Emerging organizations click here.