OVERVIEW: The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage awards grants exclusively to organizations and individuals in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region. It supports artists and organizations with ambitious, imaginative projects.
IP TAKE: Pew recently integrated some of its project and performance grants, so most grant seekers in the arts will now compete with applicants from all other artistic disciplines for grant dollars, making this giving space even more competitive. Organizations that do not meet the criteria for Project Grants ought to consider the Discovery Grants, which seek to put grant seekers on the road to bigger and better things, including Project Grants.
The Center also reaffirmed its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in its latest grant guidelines, so grantseekers will want to make sure their proposal is clear about how their project intends to reach BIPOC and underrepresented groups.
This funder is transparent, accessible and approachable, so don’t hesitate to reach out with questions.
PROFILE: Created in 2005, the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. It seeks to invest “in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases the region’s cultural vitality and enhances public life” and to “engage in an ongoing exchange of ideas concerning artistic and interpretive practice with a broad network of cultural practitioners and leaders.” The center offers grants for the arts through a number of program areas.
Grants for Visual Art, Music, Writing, Dance, Theater, Film
Performance: Grants for in this space include readings, as well as other forms of dynamic arts presentations. These can support original works or new treatments of existing works. Two types of grants are available in this area. Project Grants support the implementation of big ideas, and must "deliver distinctive, high-quality, and meaningful cultural experiences to audiences in the Philadelphia region." Organizations can receive up to $300,000 and individuals can receive up to $60,000. Discovery Grants are intended to allow organizations to work toward becoming competitive for Project Grants by developing new creative strategies or carrying out research to develop new ideas. These grants are up to $60,000. Both Project and Discovery Grants should be discussed with the Center's senior staff prior to the submission of letters of inquiry. View previous grantees here.
Exhibitions & Public Interpretation (EPI): Grants for EPI support projects that focus on “public display and/or interpretation of artworks, historical artifacts, scientific objects, living collections, archives, buildings, stories, or ideas; film, video, or other time-based media presentations and technology platforms; and all other forms of exhibitions and public cultural interpretation, including those that take place in public spaces, online, and/or make use of participatory strategies.” See previous grantees here.
Pew Fellowships: Twelves of these fellowships are given every year to support individual artists. The award includes an unrestricted grant of $75,000, along with customized professional development resources. View past Pew Fellows here.
Advancement Grants: These grants support organizations seeking to make long term improvements to their "programming, audience engagement, and financial health." They are available to organizations which have already received two or more grants from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage and have operating budgets of $300,000 or more. These grants can be up to $500,000. It is important to note, however, that the Pew Center does not appear to have given advancement grants since 2017. Previous grantees include Opera Philadelphia, the Please Touch Museum, and the Franklin Institute.
Important Grant Details:
The Pew Center has given a total of $164 million in grants to almost 2,000 recipients. It has also awarded almost 400 fellowships since its founding. Proposals for “individual exhibitions of private collections, anniversary/celebratory exhibitions, [or] for acquiring artworks, collections, or property” will not be considered. Grants for ongoing seasonal support likewise are ineligible. New Grantseekers can read about further grant guidelines and application requirements here.
The Center has also previously made grants to help artists with coronavirus relief and recovery, dedicating most funds in 2021 to the cause. However, that program is winding down.
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