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Local Arts Groups to Receive PPA Grants at Oct. 20 Ceremony

October 18, 2011
 
Media Contact:
Karim Olaechea
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
 
Philadelphia - On October 20, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance will distribute nearly $95,000 in Project Stream grants to 47 nonprofit arts groups and performers from around the region at an award ceremony to be held at PECO’s Energy Hall.
 
The grants provide seed money to arts organizations offering innovative, community-based arts projects in southeastern Pennsylvania, and are made possible through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ (PCA) Partners in the Arts program with additional support provided by PECO.
 
“The Cultural Alliance is proud to be a regional partner of the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts,” said Tom Kaiden, President of the Cultural Alliance. “These small-scale grants provide crucial funds for community-based organizations that are making art and providing services that are essential to the health and cultural vitality of our region.”
 
2011 PPA Project Stream Grant award recipients include:
  • Philadelphia Photo Arts Center’s Philly Photo Day, a free community arts event where everyone in Philadelphia is asked to take a picture on the same day, October 28th. Then on November 10th, from 6-9pm, every single picture submitted is printed and hung for exhibition in their space at 1400 N American St..
     
  • Girls Rock Philly, who will offer two week-long day camp programs for girls ages 9 through 17 that encourage empowerment through musical instruction and creation.
     
  • Lower Merion Vocational Training Program’s artist in residency program that couples artists with groups of 20-30 artists with disabilities. Residency includes open studio time to help promote the personal artistic development of resident artists.
     
  • Music For All Seasons, Inc., to fund interactive musical programs for children that address issues of social interaction and quality of life in a Philadelphia domestic violence shelter.
     
  • Sally Wiener Grotta, to support a month-long exhibit and an evening slide show presentation/discussion of "Pennsylvania Hands," a narrative of photographic portraits of Pennsylvanians who work with their hands creating functional items that are, today, made by machines, if at all.
 
For a full list of grant recipients broken down by county:
 
The Cultural Alliance’s Project Stream provides grants of up to $3,000 to eligible organizations and individuals conducting arts projects in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. This year, 112 groups applied for the program, and the average Project Stream award was $2,009.
 
The statewide Partners in the Arts (PPA) program pairs PCA with 13 regional agencies to evaluate proposals and distribute grant awards for projects or programs involving artists.  The Cultural Alliance is PCA’s partner in the Philadelphia area.  The program enables PCA to reach a wider audience by increasing access to funds for organizations and artists across the state, thereby increasing statewide audience exposure to arts activities.
 
For more information about the Project Stream grant program:
 
About the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
The Greater Cultural Alliance is a leadership organization of more than 400 nonprofit arts and cultural institutions located primarily in the five counties of southeastern Pennsylvania. Its mission is to make Greater Philadelphia one of the foremost creative regions in the world. The Cultural Alliance believes that Greater Philadelphia grows stronger and more vibrant by growing its arts and culture. The Alliance’s work promotes that mission through initiatives that leverage arts and culture to inspire individuals and build community and civic engagement. These efforts include connecting cultural resources to community needs; providing direct services for nonprofit cultural organizations; leading cultural research, advocacy and policy work; and producing direct marketing programs for cultural consumers.
 
The Cultural Alliance’s work reflects these key principles: Arts and culture is an engine for economic growth. It has the power to elevate lives. It has the power to educate. We own it, as residents of the Greater Philadelphia region, because it comes from us. It helps individuals come together and grow as a community.