Over $260,000 in Arts and Culture Funding Awarded
Southeast Delegation December 27, 2023 | 4:20 PM
Norristown, PA – December 20, 2023 – Senator Amanda M. Cappelletti (D-17, Montgomery/Delaware) today announced a slate of grant funding awarded to District Seventeen projects. At a meeting yesterday of the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA), $266,907 was awarded to multiple projects in Senate District Seventeen through the COVID-19 ARPA PA Arts and Culture Recovery Program.
The awards are as follows:
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Expressive Path Inc awarded $10,000
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Friends of Laurel Hill & West Laurel Hill Cemeteries awarded $21,972
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Kelly Music for Life, Inc. awarded $10,760
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Main Line Art Center awarded $31,010
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Norristown Zoological Society DBA Elmwood Park Zoo, Accredited Zoo awarded $95,000
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Norristown Zoological Society DBA Elmwood Park Zoo, Performing Arts Organization awarded $21,728
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Theatre Horizon awarded $33,508
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Wayne Art Center awarded $42,929
“When we support the arts, not only are we helping creatives flourish in the Commonwealth, but we are also giving the whole community the opportunity to engage with ideas and experiences outside of their daily routine,” said Senator Cappelletti. “Engaging with art is good for our collective mental health and gives the residents of District Seventeen a better quality of life. I’m encouraged to see this funding awarded and hope that the artists and creatives living in the region know that I’m grateful they are here.”
Wayne Art Center and Mainline Arts Center both received awards to help offset lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic. Having been established in 1931, Wayne Art Center has been a pillar in the community for over 90 years.
“The Wayne Art Center is a Radnor Township treasure. I was thrilled to work with Senator Cappelletti to secure this impactful funding. The Senator has long been an advocate for Radnor Township and I am thrilled to work with her to help protect and preserve the institutions so important to our residents,” said Representative Lisa Borowski (HD-168).
Representative Mary Jo Daley (HD-148), who represents parts of Montgomery County, including West Laurel Hill Cemetery, supports the funding awarded to the region, “I am delighted that CFA chose to award grant funds to the Laurel Hill Cemeteries,” said Representative Daley. “Sitting on both sides of the Schuylkill River, these cemeteries are treasures of Pennsylvania history and while it is not often that we think of a cemetery as thriving with life, the trees and gardens are places where families of all backgrounds choose as a place to preserve memories of loved ones with dignity and beauty. Laurel Hill Cemeteries are historic treasures worthy of Pennsylvania investment.”
The COVID-19 ARPA PA Arts and Culture Recovery Program (PACR) was created to provide grants to nonprofit arts and culture organizations, local arts and culture districts and arts and culture professionals located in the Commonwealth to ensure the stability and recovery of the Commonwealth’s arts and culture sector from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional information on PCAR can be found here.