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The Creative Sector Flex Fund (CSFF)

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is pleased to announce the awardees of the 2023-2024 Creative Sector Flex Fund, a program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
See the full list of recipients here. 
 

Creative Sector Flex Fund (CSFF) provides support to eligible applicants that provide consistent, at least two years of, artistic programming and/or arts services in Pennsylvania. Eligible uses of grant funds include but are not limited to operating or programming expenditures. This grant is renewed annually. Due to limited funding, renewals will not be guaranteed funding.  This grant covers activities during January 2024- December 2024.  

The application window for the 2023-2024 grant cycle has closed. Please look for announcements about the 2024-2025 grant fund application process. 

Funding Amount 

$5,000 per applicant

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Be a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation, or a unit of local government (counties, cities, boroughs, townships, and municipal authorities). Pre-K - 12 public, private and parochial schools including all charter schools are NOT eligible. (K-12 schools should contact the Arts in Education, our friends at Philadelphia Arts in Education.)

  • Be located in Pennsylvania, except for nonprofit, tax-exempt corporations acting as a fiscal sponsor on behalf of an unincorporated group or not-for-profit limited liability company (LLC) that is located in Pennsylvania.

  • Be registered with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Corporations, except for local governments and fiscal sponsors.

  • Have a history of at least TWO years of consistent arts programming in Pennsylvania.

  • Have an annual average arts revenue of $10,000 to $200,000. PCA determines revenue size by a two-year average of Total Revenue of an organization’s Form 990-Department of the Treasury-Internal Revenue Service. Non-arts organizations and/or arts organizations whose 990 is postcard, must attach a board/committee approved arts-specific program financial statement for their most recently completed two fiscal years. The program financial statement must include program revenue, including contributed and earned income and income realized from investments, as applicable, and expenses. In-kind is not included.

2023-2024 Timeline

  • Application will open in Submittable on Thursday, June 1 at 12:00 p.m. 

  • Application closes on Monday, July 31 at 5:00 p.m. *The application will close automatically and accept no other entries*

  • All eligible applications will be reviewed by the Creative Sector Flex Fund Panels in August/September 2023.

  • The final funding determinations will be made by Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Board Committee.

  • Announcements on Final Funding Determinations will be made in fall 2023. 

  • Grants Awards will be made in winter 2023.

  • Grants Activity Period for all grantees will be January 2024- December 2024. 

Application Process

Applications for Creative Sector Flex Fund in Region 6, including Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, and Bucks counties, must be submitted through Submittable. Select the corresponding PPA partner through correct indication of the Pennsylvania county of residence of the applicant, or in the case of fiscal sponsorship, the unincorporated group or not-for-profit LLC. 

Applicants must submit a new application every year.

Application Review Process

  • PPA partner staff review applications for eligibility. 

  • Applicants will be notified of the status of their applications, award amounts, and grant award agreements

  • Panelists evaluate applications based on the criteria laid out in the guidelines.

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