It comes as no surprise that arts and cultural institutions have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these organizations rely heavily on ticket purchases and other earned income revenue streams to fund their programs and operations. With the total loss of all in-person audiences at the beginning of the pandemic, and the gradual re-introduction of in-person programming since, arts and cultural institutions have suffered since the pandemic started. (For more resources and information on this topic, check out research conducted by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.)
Recently, the Cultural Alliance sent a letter to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and members of City Council to express the support of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund’s (PCF) FY2023 budget request of $3.5 million.*
The Cultural Alliance’s letter says it best: “Given its role in providing necessary financial support to hundreds of arts and cultural organizations – many of which are only beginning to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic – PCF grants remain a critical lifeline. These grants are also some of the most equitable and impactful distributed in our sector and our city.”
As a member of the Cultural Alliance and a funder of arts organizations, specifically ones focused on music, The Presser Foundation supports PCF’s budget requests. Arts and culture organizations are essential to the creative and economic fabric of Philadelphia. For more than 80 years, The Presser Foundation has witnessed how music organizations specifically contribute to the Greater Philadelphia area. Through their programming and performances, they offer opportunities for education, community-building, and learning. They provide thousands of jobs to musicians and arts administrators. People of all ages connect to music and strengthen relationships with others through the power of music.
With all that they do, these organizations often operate on a razor-thin budget. COVID has dramatically affected their ability to offer services, yet despite those challenges, music organizations have adapted and innovated throughout the pandemic to connect with their audiences and deliver essential programming to people of all ages.
Funding and government support is needed to support these vital institutions. As the Cultural Alliance points out, cities like New York City and Chicago have made multimillion dollar investments into their creative communities. The $3.5 million to support Philadelphia’s arts and cultural organizations represents a fraction of other cities’ budgets. As such, it is critical that this comparatively small amount is approved to fund the indispensable arts and culture organizations that help make Philadelphia more vibrant and thriving.
Read a previous letter about funding for the PCF from the Foundation’s Executive Director, Teresa Araco Rodgers, to members of City Council.
As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to restore funding for the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy as well as the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.
While we all recognize the aftermath of COVID-19 as a moment of shared sacrifice in Philadelphia, the total sacrifice of arts and culture in the FY21 budget will have significant impact on equity and access to the arts in neighborhoods across our city for years, if not decades, to come.
OACCE is critical to closing the gap in access to quality cultural experiences while elevating the role of arts and culture in civic life and in City government. In the last year alone, OACCE has convened more than 150,000 together for neighborhood art programs, while promoting 4,000 free cultural events and completing 22 public art projects. This work is not just important, but necessary.
And PCF is equally necessary. Granting $2.9 million to 349 community arts organizations last year, 60% of grantees serve pre-K and school-aged children (in and out of school) while 47% have operating budgets of less than $150,000 with little or no paid staff. Simply put, this defunding will trigger a collapse of arts and culture opportunities for those Philadelphians who benefit most from them.
As you begin budget hearings this week, I ask you to reconsider these critical budget decisions and restore both OACCE and PCF.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
*Note that as of March 31, the Mayor’s Proposed Budget allocated $2.5 million to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance will be strongly advocating for a return to the $3.5 million in the final budget, and The Presser Foundation supports this ask. Learn more here.
