Founded in 1973, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) is a private, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization dedicated to providing every Pennsylvanian with access to the humanities. PHC works from the belief that the humanities empower citizens to think critically, grow, and engage in their communities. The council's projects include a speakers' bureau on humanities topics, media projects, book discussion groups, and other initiatives that support the work of organizations across the commonwealth, through small grants for public humanities projects. PHC's work is increasingly focused on using the humanities as a catalyst for social change. In 2016, PHC received Center support to present the Chester Made Cultural Exploration Zone, a community-driven research and place-making project to revitalize Chester's downtown area.
