Project grants are for making bold ideas happen: bringing artistically and programmatically excellent, ambitious, and substantive performances, exhibitions, or interpretation projects to fruition for diverse publics. Projects must deliver distinctive, high-quality, and meaningful cultural experiences to the Philadelphia region’s many communities and reflect an organizational commitment to multiple perspectives and inclusive practices in program design, development, and impact.
Recognizing the fluid boundaries in the presentation and interpretation of material and visual culture and in performance, the Center has two areas of funding with the same goals for cultural production.
Areas of programming that may be considered within Exhibitions & Public Interpretation (EPI) include 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.
Areas of programming that may be considered within Performance include original works or new treatments of existing works in all performance forms including those drawn from archival sources; film, video, and other moving-image performance works whose development and public presentation is interpreted through the project’s performative intentions; distribution and installation of performance using experimental media or technology platforms; and performances in public spaces, online, and/or making use of participatory strategies.
The implementation period for Project grants extends from October 1, 2022, and must conclude by June 30, 2025. Public events that are part of a Center grant should generally not be scheduled to take place before March 1, 2023.
Who is eligible to apply?
The Center’s 2022 cycle is open to organizations whose primary mission and defining purpose is the presentation of art and public history programs for public audiences. In addition, non-art and non-history organizations who wish to apply—such as academic departments, arboreta, libraries, etc.—must secure in advance the appropriate personnel and project management expertise—including artistic, curatorial, producing, and administrative support—and their ability to apply is subject to Center review and approval. Social service organizations are not eligible to apply this cycle.
Please review the LOI guidelines for full eligibility criteria.
Threshold criteria include:
- > Organizations must be located in the five-county Philadelphia area (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties).
- > Organizations must have 501(c)(3) designation at the time of submitting a Letter of Intent to Apply (LOI).
- > Organizations must have a minimum annual budget of $150,000 and must have paid, professional artistic and managerial project staff.
- > Applicants with parent organizations (such as libraries and departments/schools at academic institutions) must submit a letter of commitment from a governing official at the time of LOI submission.
- > Organizations must have a demonstrated record of presenting professional public programs in the genre or content area identified in the proposal.
- > Organizations must be in sound financial health, as determined by their three most recent fiscal years of audited financial statements and verified Cultural Data Profile (CDP) Funder Reports.
In what amounts are Project grants awarded?
Grant requests are determined with and subject to Center staff review and approval.
Maximum allowable grant requests for all Project grants are dependent on organizational budget size and range from $75,000 to $300,000. Organizations with an operating budget minimum of $1 million and that meet additional criteria may be eligible to apply for Project grants up to $400,000. Up to three organizations may pool their individual grants towards a collaborative effort, not to exceed $800,000 in total.
Please review the LOI guidelines for full grant award details.
What is the first step in applying?
All applicants are required to schedule an appointment to discuss your LOI project idea with Center senior program staff on or before February 23, 2022. To schedule an appointment, or for questions, please email apply@pewcenterarts.org.
In your email message, please indicate whether you are interested in applying to the Performance or Exhibitions & Public Interpretation program areas.
>>Read Applying for a 2022 Pew Center Project Grant: What You Need to Know
>>Download the 2022 LOI guidelines