Our Response to COVID-19: Additional Unrestricted Funds Announced

04 May 2020

Center Updates as of May 4, 2020

All of us at The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage are acutely aware that the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent measures we are all taking to protect public health and safety have had significant economic implications for the arts and culture sector.

I’m pleased to announce, therefore, that with support from our funder, The Pew Charitable Trusts, we are providing additional unrestricted funds to our 2019 and 2018 Pew Fellows and to grantees with currently active Center-funded projects. This support to individual artists ($2,500 to each Fellow) and operating funds for organizations totals over $535,000 and is meant to help defray lost income due to closures, postponements, and event cancellations during this period. A full list of recipients of this support follows below.

As we keep in mind the challenges faced by artists and cultural institutions and make efforts to help our grantees adapt and sustain their programs, we also are offering greater flexibility in the use of grant dollars so that resources can be best directed to mission-aligned needs. Additionally, we have loosened restrictions on grant requirements, such as reporting deadlines and timelines for achieving milestones, to provide breathing room to cope with substantial organizational changes and pressures.

You can learn about how The Pew Charitable Trusts is addressing the impacts of COVID-19 on their website. In an open letter, Frazierita Klasen, Vice President leading Pew’s work in Philadelphia, writes, “Pew is committed to supporting the Philadelphia region, our grantees, and the communities they serve at this critical time.” We are grateful for Pew’s ongoing commitment to the cultural vitality of our region.

The Center works to foster a vibrant cultural community in our region. We believe, as always, that art plays a vital and irreplaceable role in people’s lives and in society as a whole. It is with that thought in mind that we have also launched our 2020 grant cycle. Those new project grants, which are augmented by general operating support, and fellowships for individual artists will be announced in the fall of this year.

We look forward with hope and optimism to the time when we can gather again in real space for shared cultural experiences. Until that moment, we wish everyone in our community continued well-being and safety.

Paula Marincola, Executive Director
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

Current Grantees of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
Receiving Additional Funds


PEW FELLOWS
Jonathan Lyndon Chase
Dinita Clark
David Hartt
Kirsten Kaschock
Carolyn Lazard
David Ludwig
Roberto Lugo
Ken Lum
Diane Monroe
Quentin Morris
Karyn Olivier
Jonathan Olshefski
Michelle Angela Ortiz
Lisa Marie Patzer
Imani Perry
Ursula Rucker
Maria Shaplin
Leah Stein
Becky Suss
Zaye Tete
Alex Torra
Rachel Zolf

PROJECT GRANTEES
Arcadia Exhibitions
Ars Nova Workshop
Asian Arts Initiative
Beth Sholom Synagogue Preservation Foundation
Bowerbird
Broad Street Ministry
Bucks County Historical Society/Mercer Museum
Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, Temple University
Christ Church Preservation Trust
The Clay Studio
Cliveden of the National Trust
The College of Physicians/ Mütter Museum
Curtis Institute of Music
Drexel University Westphal College
The Fabric Workshop and Museum
Fund for the Water Works
Hurford Center for the Arts and Humanities
Institute of Contemporary Art
Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia
The Library Company of Philadelphia
Mann Center for the Performing Arts
Maternity Care Coalition
Tiona Nekkia McClodden
Mural Arts Philadelphia
Nichole Canuso Dance Company
Opera Philadelphia
People’s Light
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Presbyterian Historical Society
PRISM Quartet
RAIR
Scribe Video Center
Stenton
Temple Contemporary
The Trust for Public Land
The Village of Arts and Humanities
William Way LGBT Community Center
University of the Arts School of Dance
WXPN, University of Pennsylvania
 

Center Updates as of March 23, 2020

We are mindful of how the COVID-19 pandemic is causing major disruptions to our lives, both professional and personal. While we are moving forward with the Center’s 2020 grant application process, we have extended deadlines in our current grant cycle.

Please make note of these NEW dates:

  • March 25: Letters of Intent to Apply for a project grant due
  • April 17: Fellowship applications due
  • April 20: Date by which the Center will notify applicants of an invitation to submit a full grant application
  • June 24: Project grant applications due
  • October: Notification of grants awarded

Our digital application system will continue to be fully available to LOI and Fellowship applicants through their respective deadlines.

Office Operations

Center staff are maintaining business operations remotely and are available to answer your questions via phone and email during usual business hours, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Program staff will do our utmost to be flexible and thoughtful in working with our grantees around grant requirements, reporting, budgeting, and adapting to how COVID-19 is affecting their grants with us.

We are continuing our work in support of the cultural community to the best of our ability as the situation around the pandemic evolves, and we will provide necessary updates here. Please continue to contact program staff with any questions.

All of us at The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage care deeply about the well-being of our community and urge you to follow current CDC recommendations, as well as state and local specifications, regarding how to respond to this unprecedented situation. Updates from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health can be found at phila.gov/COVID-19.

Our thoughts and wishes for your continued good health and safety are with you.