Philadelphia City Councilmembers Isaiah Thomas and Katherine Gilmore Richardson created a $1 million grant called “Illuminate the Arts” to be distributed to individual artists, mid-size nonprofits and small businesses.
According to the Philadelphia City Council website, the grants are part of the city council’s $25 million New Normal Budget Act which prioritizes recovery for jobs and economic prosperity throughout the pandemic and will be administered through the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.
“The Illuminate the Arts Grants make a necessary investment to Philadelphia’s arts, culture and nightlife sectors,” said Councilmember Isaiah Thomas. “When the city fully opens up, arts and culture will drive people to the city. We can’t keep saving the arts, we have to start illuminating the arts as the economic drivers and job creators that they’ve always been. With a focus on individual artists, mid-size nonprofits and small businesses, the Illuminate the Arts grants seek to send an overdue lifeline to the arts community.”
You can read: These are the businesses eligible for the Hospitality Relief Funding
Councilmembers Thomas and Gilmore Richardson will introduce Thursday 25 a transfer ordinance for $1.3M to the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. $1M will be allocated for grants for artists and cultural organizations with additional funds for a temporary full-time staffer to oversee the administrative responsibilities repay pandemic-related losses to artists and assist in 2021 arts events planning.
To invest directly
“Today, with funding from the New Normal Budget Act, we are excited to be able to invest directly in arts and culture, a sector that has been deeply impacted as a result of the pandemic,” said Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson.
The grants will officially open once the transfer ordinance is passed and OACCE hires a temporary full-time position for grant administration, expected mid-March. The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy’s website: www.creativephl.org, will have information about the grant application process.
Noticias Newswire
