Founded in 1972, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is the region's premier leadership, advocacy, and audience development organization for arts and culture. The Alliance has a proven track record for pulling groups together, dating back to the 1970's, when we coordinated arts activities for the nation's Bicentennial Celebration, and more recently, in 2008, when we served as local host to more than 1,400 arts leaders attending the Americans for the Arts Convention in Philadelphia.

The Alliance played a key advocacy role in establishing the Philadelphia Cultural Fund; helped preserve Philadelphia's Percent for Art programs; was a catalyst in re-establishing Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy (OACCE); and led the successful statewide battle to defeat the proposed “arts tax” in 2009 as well as a proposed 70% cut to the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) in 2011.

Today, the Cultural Alliance leads, strengthens, and gives voice to more than 400 member organizations and the broader cultural sector in shaping regional policy decisions, increasing public engagement in arts and culture, and ensuring that culture remains a strategic competitive advantage for Philadelphia.

Mission

We lead, strengthen and give voice to a diverse cultural sector that is making Philadelphia a world-class region to live, work and play.

Vision

Greater Philadelphia is the place where creative people want to be.  The cultural sector is integral to the quality of life, social fabric and economic vitality of the region and its residents:

• The region has a global reputation for the quality and diversity of its cultural producers and creative industries;
• Arts and culture is viewed as an investment, not an amenity-- an engine for personal, community, and economic growth;
• The region’s cultural sector is adaptive and well-capitalized
• The region’s citizens are passionate cultural participants, practitioners and advocates;
• In The Cultural Alliance, the region has a strong cultural leadership organization that connects resources strategically and efficiently.

Strategic Priorities

Based on the work of the strategic planning committee of the Board of Directors, undertaken between May and October 2011, the Cultural Alliance has established five Strategic Priorities for our work over the next five years:

1. Integrate culture as a strategic competitive advantage for the Philadelphia region, and essential to community development, economic development and the personal growth of its residents
2. Align our advocacy agenda with partners to build critical mass and integrate culture into broader community goals
3. Lead by example and promote adaptive practices that move the cultural sector towards greater relevance and impact
4. Unite and interconnect a cultural sector that is inclusive, diverse and collaborative
5. Strengthen the sector by helping cultural enterprises to adapt, identify their unique value propositions, diversify their audiences and build engaging, high quality experiences