Philly’s arts and cultural groups may get millions more in city funds by year’s end

Many of Philadelphia’s arts and cultural organizations are anticipating substantial new infusions of city funding, based on proposed midyear budget appropriations soon to be acted on by City Council.

The recommended new arts and culture allocations were voted out of Council’s appropriations committee Thursday. If approved by the full Council in the coming weeks, it would mean much higher funding from city government than the groups have received in recent years, according to arts leaders.

“This is an unprecedented investment in our arts and cultural community, and we believe it’s visionary and transformative,” said Patricia Wilson Aden, president of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.

According to the list of proposed new appropriations obtained by The Inquirer, about 15 city arts and cultural institutions would receive amounts ranging from $100,000 to $3 million in addition to their current city funding.

They include organizations like the Mann Music Center for the Performing Arts, the African American Museum of Philadelphia, Mural Arts Philadelphia, the upcoming Calder Gardens, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, one of the proposed funding recipients, supports numerous and diverse grassroots and neighborhood groups.

The funding isn’t a done deal, but the organizations are hopeful.

“We are pleased and grateful for this substantial investment by the Kenney administration and City Council in the city’s arts and culture institutions,” said Norman Keyes, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “The cultural sector continues to feel the impact of the pandemic on attendance. As we continue to recover, this additional investment in our organizations is a welcome recognition of the importance of the cultural sector to the fabric of the city.”

Catherine M. Cahill, Mann Center president, said the additional funding would be quite appreciated.

“We remain ever grateful to the City of Philadelphia for its recognition of the beneficial impact that arts and culture organizations have on the city and region,” Cahill said. “So many in this sector are still managing against the lingering, negative effects of the pandemic, and this funding comes at an incredibly critical time.”

The proposed additional money for cultural institutions and other city budget areas was possible because of a higher-than-expected funding balance at the end of this year, according to city spokesperson Kevin Lessard. Some of the funds will be used for city services and reserves.

“It is also making funding available for areas where we had to pull back at the start of the pandemic — making up for reductions in capital spending and contributions to cultural institutions and other community organizations,” Lessard said. The latter, he said, is “something the administration believed was important.”

The city arts and culture community has been urging Mayor Jim Kenney and Council for more support, Aden said. Many organizations that bring people to the city are still hurting from pandemic-related loss of patrons and revenue, as well as curtailed city funding, she added.

“The midyear transfer acknowledges that art and culture is an essential economic driver,” Aden said. “I think it is a recognition of our collective voice.”

Peter Dobrin contributed to this article.