Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

The Creative Sector Flex Fund (CSFF)

IMPORTANT UPDATE AS OF 11/7/25 

As one of the 14 regional partners across the state, the Cultural Alliance has served as the steward of PPA grant programs for over two decades, including the Creative Sector Flex Fund (CSFF) and the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator (CEA).

PA Creative Industries’ new approach calls for sunsetting the CSFF program statewide as of FY27. In its place, PA Creative Industries will administer the Creative Asset Program to provide new, direct, flexible support for small-to-mid-sized arts organizations with average annual revenue between $100K - $2M. Eligible applicants will apply directly to PA Creative Industries. 

The Cultural Alliance will remain the point of contact for all existing grants, and no existing grants will be affected by these changes. The following are specifics for Flex Fund grant rounds:

  • 2024-2025 Creative Sector Flex Fund: Current grantees are still required to submit final reports to the Cultural Alliance by January 31, 2026.
  • 2025-2026 Creative Sector Flex Fund: The future discontinuation of Flex Fund does not impact the availability of the program in this current year. We are currently reviewing applications received, and pending passage of the Commonwealth budget, will distribute information regarding the status of applications and next steps. For those awarded the grant, final reports will be due to the Cultural Alliance by January 31, 2027.
  • For future grant opportunities in FY2026-2027, CSFF will be discontinued. In its place, Pennsylvania Creative Industries will be launching a new program, the Creative Assets Program, administered directly through them. The Creative Asset Program will provide new, direct, flexible support for small-to-mid-sized arts organizations with average annual revenue between $100,000 - $2 million. Eligible applicants will apply directly to Pennsylvania Creative Industries, which will publish program guidelines for the Creative Asset Program in December 2025.

For questions regarding your specific grants, please contact us through grants@philaculture.org.

For general questions about the CSFF program, contact Amanda Lovell, PA Creative Industries’ Director of Access to the Creative Sector. For general questions about the Creative Asset Program, contact Ian Rosario, PA Creative Industries’ Director of Arts Organizations and Arts Programs and Grants Liaison.

The Creative Sector Flex Fund (CSFF) is a grant program of Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), that supports eligible applicants in providing consistent, annual levels of artistic programming and/or arts services in Pennsylvania.  

This grant program offers the flexibility to use a $5,000 grant in ways that ensure the most significant impact for their organizations and communities. Eligible uses of funds are flexible, including the support of applicants’ administrative, programmatic, and project-related expenses.

As a regional partner, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance administers this grant for Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. Applicants–including current grantees–must submit a new application every year. 

Funding Amount: $5,000 per applicant. The number of grants available annually varies based on the availability of funds, which is supported by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania budget.

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION SESSION SLIDE DECK

Applications for the 2025-2026 round have closed.

 

2025-2026 Timeline

  • Application opens: Monday, September 8 at 12:00 PM 
  • Deadline extended: Application closed on Friday, October 31 at 6:00 PM *The application closed automatically and accept no other entries*
  • Eligibility and Panel review: November 2025
  • Award notification and Grant Award Agreements: December 2025
  • Award payments sent: January 2026
  • Grant Activity Period: January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026
  • Final Report due: January 31, 2026 

 

Review Process

  1. Cultural Alliance staff reviews applications for eligibility. Eligibility guidelines, set by Pennsylvania Creative Industries, are strictly enforced. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate organizations making corrections to their application materials after the application window closes. Please ensure ALL application materials are correct before submitting. Incomplete applications or errors constitute an application being considered ineligible.
  2. Panelists evaluate applications based on the criteria outlined in the guidelines. Panelists are community members who live/work in the Greater Philadelphia area. Panelists review all materials, and each of the eight narrative questions is scored separately.
  3. A Grants Committee of Cultural Alliance Board members makes the final approval of organizations, based on panel reviews.

 

2025-2026 Evaluation Rubric

This is the rubric panel reviewers will use to evaluate grant applications once they are eligible.

 

How to Apply

The application includes narrative questions, financial information, and documentation necessary to confirm eligibility.

CLICK HERE FOR A COPY OF THE APPLICATION

Applications can be submitted through the Cultural Alliance’s grants management system, Submittable. You must have a (free) Submittable account to apply. Make sure to register as your ORGANIZATION. Draft applications can be saved/returned to without losing information.

Note: Guidelines set by PCA are strictly enforced and unfortunately we are unable to accommodate organizations making corrections to their application materials after the application window closes. Please ensure ALL application materials are correct before submitting. Incomplete applications or errors constitute an application being considered ineligible. Applications CANNOT be modified or edited once submitted. Incomplete applications such as missing a required document, constitute an application being considered ineligible.

 

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Be a non-profit, 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 Program of Pennsylvania Creative Industries for other opportunities).  
  • Be located in Pennsylvania, except for non-profit, 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. 
    • You must be located in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia Counties.
  • 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. PPA Partners determine revenue size by a two-year average demonstrated by:  
    • Arts organization: most recent form 990 of the U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service 
    • Arts program of non-arts organization or whose 990 is a postcard: applicant’s board/committee approved, arts-specific program financial statement from the most recently completed two fiscal years. 
      • The program financial statement must detail program revenue, including contributed and earned income and income realized from investments, as applicable, and expenses. In-kind is not included. See sample copies of financial statements here.
  • Unincorporated groups or Pennsylvania not-for-profit limited liability companies (LLCs) must apply through a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that acts as a fiscal sponsor. Individuals and LLCs with fewer than two organizers/members are not eligible to apply.

Review the 2025-2026 Guidelines for full eligibility requirements.

If your organization is not eligible for the Creative Sector Flex Fund, please visit PCA’s Apply for a Grant page, for additional information on opportunities that may suit the needs of your organization.

 

Questions?

Please email grants@philaculture.org. Due to the high volume and limited staff capacity, we encourage emails and attending info sessions to have your questions answered, rather than phone calls.

 

Important Links:

For grantees: How to Acknowledge Grant or Funding Support | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

 

PAST ROUNDS

2023-2024 Creative Sector Flex Fund recipients - 80 grants ($400,000)

2024-2025 Creative Sector Flex Fund recipients - 80 grants ($400,000)

 

PA Creative Industries Logo 2.png

The CSFF is designed to address the changing needs of dynamic PA arts organizations with average annual revenue between $10,000 - $200,000. This grant program incorporates the current needs of the field by offering grantees the flexibility to use $5,000 grants in ways that ensure the most significant impact for their organizations and communities.