ARPA Pennsylvania Arts and Culture Recovery

• You are an active artist or creative entrepreneur who was working in your artistic discipline or operating a creative business in 2019.

• In 2019, you made the majority of your income from your creative work.

• You experienced a pandemic-related disruption to your income.

• You are a full-time resident of Erie, Warren, Crawford, Venango, Mercer, or Lawrence County.

Erie Arts and Culture was awarded funds to make 25 grants, and we anticipate high demand. At this time, EAC will prioritize the following requests, in this order:

1. Applicants who did not receive the NWPA recovery grant, administered by EAC from 2021-2023.

2. Applicants located in Crawford, Warren, Mercer, Venango, and Lawrence counties.

3. BIPOC applicants and those located in low-income communities*.

4. Severity of disruption to income stream.

*In alignment with the PA Council on the Arts’ equity goals for its creative entrepreneur accelerator program, EAC will use the CDFI Fund New Markets Tax Credit (<80% AMI) map, working towards a goal of 51% of funds distributed to individuals located in these communities and BIPOC applicants.

Proof of residency, 2019 tax return, and one tax return from 2020-2023, whichever demonstrates the greatest difference in creative income. Describe the pandemic's impact on your creative career. Biography, up to 3 work samples, optional demographic information. Applications will be accepted virtually through Submittable or physically through the mail. Physical applications will be accepted and must be postmarked by the deadline to be considered.

• Application Period: September 1 - October 31, 2024

• Notification of Funding Decisions: January 31, 2025

• Online Submission: Please return to this page during the application period for a link to the application.

• Physical Submission: Mail the application and required supporting documentation to 310 East 10th Street, Erie, PA 16503. Submissions must be postmarked by the deadline to be considered.

Virtual information sessions will be held to assist applicants. Specific dates for these sessions will be announced on our social media pages and via email.

All applications will be reviewed by Erie Arts and Culture staff for eligibility. Eligible applications will then be forwarded to the Programming Committee for review. Final recommendations will be presented to the Board of Directors for approval.