The mission of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) is to strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of Pennsylvania's communities through the arts. The state council promotes equitable access for all Pennsylvanians to participate fully in a creative life and in the diverse forms of arts and culture found throughout the Commonwealth.
1.) Strengthen Pennsylvania communities through the arts.
2.) Connect and increase Pennsylvanians' access to lifelong learning through the arts.
3.) Champion public awareness and appreciation of the arts in Pennsylvania communities.
On October 26, 1966, Governor William D. Scranton signed enabling legislation establishing the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Through the provisions of Act No. 538, the Council is charged with "the encouragement and development of the various arts" in the Commonwealth. Funding for the PCA comes from the citizens of Pennsylvania through an annual state appropriation by the General Assembly and from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a federal agency.
The Council's grants programs began in 1968 with a modest program of support for community arts festivals. Currently, the PCA accomplishes its mission through a combination of grants to the arts; partnerships and initiatives; technical assistance to partners and applicants; and by serving as a resource for arts-related information for public officials, other agencies of state government, and the general public. The PCA undertakes partnerships and initiatives to leverage opportunities, to seek solutions to challenges affecting the arts in the Commonwealth, and to initiate programs that will serve a broad spectrum of artists, arts organizations and arts participants throughout the state.
The PCA's current grants budget is $9,590,000.
The PCA is governed by a Council of 19 members - 15 private citizens and four members of the General Assembly. The Council sets the mission and goals of the agency, evaluates the progress toward these goals, formulates policy, and makes final decisions on the use of funds.
The PCA’s staff administers the Council’s funding programs, partnerships, initiatives, and provides assistance to the Commonwealth’s arts organizations, arts programs, individual artists and the general public.
To learn more about the PCA, please visit their website below: