Your Advocacy in Action: $1M More for PA’s Arts
On July 12th, Governor Shapiro’s office announced Pennsylvania’s 2027 budget, featuring a $1M increase to the Grants to the Arts line item– the first budget increase in 16 years!
Your actions made this possible: thank you for attending our town halls, sending emails and postcards, making phone calls, and traveling with us to Harrisburg on Arts Advocacy Day. We are so proud of the way NWPA showed up: over 250 of you raised your voices and made a difference for artists, arts organizations, and grassroots groups across the state. Thank you!
The $1M increase comes with guardrails co-written by Jonathan Stein, Eric César Morales and Patrick Fisher, leaders in Pennsylvania’s non-profit arts sector. The fiscal code specifies that a minimum of $1M must be awarded in grants to arts and cultural organizations rooted in and serving historically underserved communities. The grants must offer multiyear, tiered technical assistance and organizational development services. This language enshrines support for rural, underfunded, and marginalized communities, ensuring they have the financial and technical resources to lead sustainable and impactful initiatives.
Earlier in the summer, the statewide coalition of 30+ members led by Creative PA secured programmatic wins: the restoration of $1M in funding to support small arts organizations, fiscally sponsored groups, and arts programs of non-arts organizations with budgets between $10,000 and $100,000. These groups represent up to 60% of Pennsylvania’s arts and culture sector, and were initially disregarded by the Pennsylvania Creative Industries. The new program is called the Spotlight Program and will award grants up to $5,000.
This is just the start. Erie Arts and Culture and the statewide coalition will continue to advocate for more funding and the reinstatement of cancelled initiatives: the Arts in Education and Folk and Traditional Arts programs and regional intermediary partnerships.
Join us August 27th from 12:00-1:00 for our Virtual Town Hall where we will discuss what these changes mean for our region. Can’t make it? Don’t panic. This session will be held via zoom and recorded for later access on our YouTube page. Make sure to bring your questions!
