Pew Awards Over $900,000 To Support Cultural Organizations In The Region

Press Releases and Statements June 12, 2008 Read time:

Projects: Pew Center for Arts and Heritage

The Pew Charitable Trusts announced today $914,000 in grants awarded to five regional arts and culture organizations to reward exemplary programming and management practices. The grants, provided through Pew's Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program (PCLP), were awarded to the Abington Art Center ($72,000); Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts ($156,000); Musicopia ($30,000); Woodmere Art Museum ($56,000); and the Zoological Society of Philadelphia ($600,000).

Full descriptions of the grantees are below.

PCLP provides unrestricted general operating support to organizations in the five-county region that demonstrate excellence in operations, fiscal management and programming. The program's goal is to stimulate leadership and best practices for cultural institutions to help them provide the public with high quality arts and cultural activities on a sustained basis. Since 1997, Pew has awarded more than $53 million in operating support to over 58 arts and cultural groups in the region.

“This year's grantees are representative of the diverse range of organizations supported by the Cultural Leadership Program, from the Philadelphia Zoo—the first zoo in the United States—to Musicopia—one of Philadelphia's first ‘virtual' organizations for music education,” said Marian Godfrey, managing director of Pew's Culture and Civic Initiatives.

Grantee	Award	Purpose
Abington Art Center	$72,000	A multi-faceted arts center that is distinguished from other community arts centers by its acclaimed sculpture garden. Provides classes and workshops in the visual arts for students of all ages, and serves children through its community arts initiative, a program that develops special classes in partnership with youth centers and other organizations to address the needs of disadvantaged or disabled children.
Conservation Center for Artand Historic Artifacts	$156,000	Recognized as one of the leading art conservation and preservation facilities in the United States. Provides state-of-the-art services for Philadelphia museums, historical societies, libraries and archives, and has treated hundreds of works of art, documents, and artifacts related to the nation's cultural heritage. Also provides educational programs that promote best practices of collections care and offers internships to train future professionals for work in the field.
Musicopia	$30,000	Offers training in jazz, classical and popular music for youth in the region. Recognized by its peers as the largest provider of admission-free musical education programs for schools on the East Coast. Core activities include performances, workshops and residency programs that place professional musicians in schools for direct interaction with students.
Woodmere Art Museum, Inc.	$56,000	Permanent collection consists of more than 2,500 works including the art of international recognized painters Benjamin West and N.C. Wyeth. Offers educational programs, including classes and workshops for adults, families and school children, and presents lectures and guided tours that are available to the public. Maintains a library and resource center comprised of more than 2,000 volumes on art history and technique.
Zoological Society of Philadelphia	$600,000	One of the region's main visitor attractions with attendance averaging more than 1.1 million per year over the past three years. Opened in 1874, the Zoo was the first zoo in the United States. An accredited member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, the Zoo promotes greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Its 42-acre site is home to more than 1,300 animals, many rare and endangered.

Through the Philadelphia Program, Pew seeks to enhance civic life in its hometown. We partner with many local institutions in encouraging a thriving arts and cultural community; supporting the health and welfare of the region's neediest residents; informing discussion on important issues facing the city; and, more broadly, strengthening Philadelphia's appeal to visitors and residents alike.