Pew Trusts Awards $9.2 Million to Support and Strengthen Cultural Organizations in Philadelphia Region

Press Releases and Statements July 13, 2006 Read time:

Projects: Pew Center for Arts and Heritage

The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced more than $9.2 million awarded to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations to encourage, facilitate and reward the development of exemplary management practices. The awards were provided through the Trusts' annual Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program and in support of the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative. Historic Bartram's Gardens, Philadelphia Young Playwrights and Settlement Music School are just three of the 21 arts and cultural organizations awarded more than $4.3 million in general operating support under the Trusts' Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program (PCLP). The PCLP initiative provides unrestricted grants for operating support to nonprofit arts and cultural groups in the five-county Philadelphia region that demonstrate excellence in their operations, fiscal management and programming. PCLP's goal is to stimulate leadership and best practices for cultural institutions, helping them provide the public with high quality arts and cultural activities on a sustained basis.

“These organizations represent some of the region's strongest cultural institutions dedicated to performing at a high level programmatically and managerially,” said Marian Godfrey, managing director of Culture and Civic Initiatives at The Pew Charitable Trusts. “Their strong leadership and management will allow them to effectively carry out what is most important—delivering innovative and cutting edge cultural experiences for our region's arts audiences.”

Organizations awarded under PCLP this year receive grants ranging from $48,000 to $1,080,000, all distributed over three years. Currently, there are a total of 37 grantees receiving more than $10.4 million in support through the program. Grantees represent a wide variety of organizations in terms of size, discipline and geographic location. There were two first-time PCLP grant recipients this year: Art-Reach, Inc.—an organization that works in partnership with human service agencies to make the arts accessible to people with physical or developmental disabilities; and Astral Artistic Services—a service and presenting organization that offers promising young classical musicians vocations guidance and training.

“The PCLP process, with its focus on good planning and financial practices, was a real galvanizing event for our whole organization, particularly the board,” said Michael Norris, executive director of Art-Reach. “Its impact goes way beyond the actual grant itself, which of course is incredibly helpful since it is multi-year and for general operating support. Because of it, we now have a very clear picture of what the next three years at Art-Reach will look like on every level of the organization.”

A complete listing of 2006 PCLP awards and descriptions is below.

PCLP grant applicants are evaluated against an Index of Organizational Health, which has been developed from those practices and standards exhibited by the best-managed arts institutions in the region and nationally. Applications are reviewed by a team of independent consultants who evaluate applicants on such criteria as leadership, artistic/programmatic standards, financial operations and planning. Since the beginning of the Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program in 1997, the Trusts has awarded more than $48 million in operating support to 55 arts and cultural groups in the metropolitan region.

To complement the PCLP awards, the Trusts awarded a renewal grant of $4.9 million over three years to the University of the Arts in support of the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative (PCMI), an organization that helps strengthen the management effectiveness of arts institutions in southeastern Pennsylvania. PCMI, an initiative of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, provides opportunities for grantees and applicants to improve management and become more self-sufficient through a variety of services, tools and resources.

Launched by the Trusts in 2001, PCMI assists the local cultural community by offering grants, training and information designed to strengthen arts organizations' infrastructure so they can thrive in an increasingly competitive and challenging environment. The initiative provides two types of grants: professional development grants for individual arts managers to take courses or attend seminars in areas such as accounting, fund-raising and marketing; and organizational development grants for updating financial and technological systems, strategic planning activities or new marking and fund-raising programs. Since its inception, PCMI has awarded nearly $1.75 million in grants in support of professional development and organizational development.

PCMI also assists the cultural community by providing professional development seminars and workshops on such topics as finance, human resources management and program evaluation, and by offering lectures and networking opportunities.

“For nearly five years now, PCMI has assisted a wide variety of arts, culture and heritage organizations in building more effective management practices, strengthening operations and decision-making, and supporting the growth and knowledge of organizational leaders,” said Martin Cohen, director of the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative. “It is PCMI's goal to continue strengthening and expanding these resources to foster vibrant, healthy organizations that contribute to such a rich and broad cultural life in Philadelphia.”

Nearly 100 of the region's artistic and cultural institutions, including many PCLP applicants, have participated in PCMI's professional development and executive education programs.

“These grants have enabled the Arboretum to strengthen our fiscal and management practices, as well as enhance educational programs and outreach efforts,” said Richard Colbert, executive director of Tyler Arboretum, which has received support through both the PCLP and PCMI initiatives. “The PCMI program provided critical funds required to upgrade our accounting systems and the program has also allowed staff members to receive technical training related to their job function. In order to prosper, non-profit organizations of all sizes must continue to strengthen their business practices and develop high quality programs that are relevant to the community. PCMI has provided the critical funding that has allowed Tyler Arboretum to become a meaningful community resource and a regional destination.”

The Philadelphia Center for Arts & Heritage supports creativity and excellence through Dance Advance, Heritage Philadelphia Program, Pew Fellowships in the Arts, Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, Philadelphia Music Project, Philadelphia Theatre Initiative and the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative. PCAH programs are dedicated to helping cultural organizations in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region develop high-quality public programs and effective management practices. They support dozens of performances, exhibits and other public programs, and encourage high levels of artistic and management capacity through seminars, publications, and other activities designed to develop and sustain a rich array of world class cultural programs for audiences in the Philadelphia region.

Organization	Grant	Description
The Academy of Vocal Arts 1920 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 K. James McDowell, Executive Director 215.735.1685	$144,000 over 3 years	Stages up to five operas annually and provides specialized training to help young artists prepare for the demands of an operatic career.
Arden Theatre Company 40 North 2nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 Terrance J. Nolen, Producing Artistic Director 215.922.8900	$168,000 over 3 years	Stages seven productions each year, including two for children, from its modern facility in Old City.
Art-Reach 1819 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 200 Philadelphia, PA 19103 Michael L. Norris, Executive Director 215.568.2115	$45,000 over 3 years	Brings cultural events and special art programs to economically disadvantaged and disabled communities through arts workshops, on-site performances and the ticket distribution program.
Astral Artistic Services 230 South Broad Street, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Vera Wilson, President 215.735.6999	$48,000 over 3 years	Provides a career bridge for promising young classically trained musicians, through individualized career development resources and artistic support necessary for success on and off the traditional concert stage.
Asian Arts Initiative 1315 Cherry Street 2nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 Gayle Isa, Executive Director 215.557.0455	$48,00.0 over 3 years	Fosters dialogue within Philadelphia's Asian American community and with other ethnic groups through performances, exhibitions and workshops.
The Bucks County Historical Society 84 South Pine Street Doylestown, PA 18901 Douglas C. Dolan, Executive Director 215.345.0210	$240,000 over 3 years	Operates the Mercer Museum, Fonthill Museum and Spruance Library, preserving the pre-industrial history of Bucks County and the Delaware Valley
Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia 1616 Walnut Street Suite 711 Philadelphia, PA 19103 Peter Grandell, Executive Director 215.545.8634	$48,000 over 3 years	Directs a 100-voice symphonic chorus that performs traditional repertory and new choral work.
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance 1616 Walnut Street Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 Peggy Amsterdam, President 215.557.7811	$144,000 over 3 years	Expands awareness of and support for arts and culture in the region while serving as a resource to its 252 member organizations.
Historic Bartram's Garden 54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard Philadelphia, PA 19143 William LeFevre, Executive Director 215.729.5281	$60,000 over 3 years	Preserves America's oldest existing botanic garden as a museum and public garden and promotes environmental awareness.
The James A. Michener Art Museum 138 South Pine Street Doylestown, PA 18901 Bruce Katsiff, Director and CEO 215.340.9800	$240,000 over 3 years	Collects, preserves and exhibits the visual art tradition of the Bucks County region.
John J. Tyler Arboretum 515 Painter Road Media, PA 19063 Richard A. Colbert, Executive Director 610.566.9134	$96,000 over 3 years	Conserves the plant collection and natural environment of the oldest and largest arboretum in the northeastern United States.
The Library Company of Philadelphia 1314 Locust Street Philadelphia, PA 19107-5698 John C. Van Horne, Ph.D.,Librarian and CEO 215.546.3181	$120,000 over 3 years	Founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, maintains collections documenting the history of American culture up to the late 19th century.
Main Line Art Center Old Buck Road and Lancaster Avenue Haverford, PA 19041 Judy Herman, Executive Director 610.525.0272	$84,000 over 3 years	Advances community awareness, understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts through programs serving people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
Opera Company of Philadelphia 1420 Locust Street, Suite 210 Philadelphia, PA 19102 David Devan, Managing Director 215.893.3600	$1,080,000 over 3 years	Presents five operas each season at the Academy of Music as well as special educational outreach programs to audiences throughout the Delaware Valley.
Philadelphia Young Playwrights 7 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Second Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103 Glen Knapp, Executive Director 215.665.9226	$54,000 over 3 years	Promotes literacy, creativity and academic skills for students in grades K-12 through a yearlong program designed to inspire learning through playwriting.
People's Light and Theatre Company 39 Conestoga Road Malvern, PA 19355 Grace E. Grillet, Managing Director 610.647.1900	$516,000 over 3 years	Maintains a full-time, resident company of actors and serves an audience that is made up of equal parts adults and young people under 18 years of age.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society 135 South 18th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 Philip Maneval, Executive Director 215.569.8587	$96,000 over 3 years	Provides performances by world-renowned chamber music ensembles and solo artists encompassing a broad range of musical styles, periods and repertoire.
Philadelphia Folklore Project 735 South 50th Street Philadelphia, PA 19143 Debora Kodish, Ph.D., Director 215.726.1106	$48,000 over 3 years	Supports local folk arts and cultures through programs and workshops, technical assistance to traditional artists, touring exhibitions, archives and publications.
Philadelphia Theatre Company 230 South 15th Street, Fourth Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102 Sara Garonzik, Producing Artistic Director 215.985.1400	$192,000 over 3 years	Specializes in works by contemporary American playwrights, and has staged more than 100 Philadelphia premieres of major new American plays.
Settlement Music School of Philadelphia Post Office Box 63966 416 Queen Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 Robert Capanna, Executive Director 215.320.2600	$600,000 over 3 years	Offers a broad program of instruction in music with a focus on instrument instruction, voice and theory as the nation's largest community music school.
The Wilma Theater 265 South Broad Street Broad and Spruce Streets Philadelphia, PA 19107 James Haskins, Managing Director 215.893.9456	$300,000 over 3 years	Stages four innovative productions each year from its 300-seat state-of-the-art home on South Broad Street.