From now until Jan. 14, 2022, Philadelphia’s Cultural Treasures is accepting grant applications from BIPOC arts organizations.

Philadelphia’s Cultural Treasures is an affiliated grant program of the William Penn Foundation. 

The grant program is a multi-year program aimed at supporting the recovery and flourishing of BIPOC artists, cultural groups, and organizations serving the Philadelphia region.

In addition to recovery and preservation, the grant program seeks to uplift emerging artists and cultural groups. 

This program was created through the Ford Foundation’s “America’s Cultural Treasures,” which has amassed over $276 million in funding for organizations serving and/or led by communities of color.

The program cites the collaborative assistance of five regional funders (including the William Penn Foundation) for the progress of the program.

The four additional regional funders are as listed: The Barra Foundation, Neubauer Family Foundation, The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, and Wyncote Foundation. 

In total, $10 million in grants will ultimately be awarded through the initiative.

To be eligible for one of the program’s grants, applicants must be:

• A cultural and/or arts organization located in the City of Philadelphia
• Have been in operation for five or more years
• Registered as 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations (if applicable)
• Majority BIPOC-led
• Active contributors to the local BIPOC arts community in Philly
• Dedicated to developing the work of adult artists (educational institutions for K-12 students are not eligible)

Applicants will be reviewed by the program’s external panels of local leaders, community partners.

The initiative is to include three funding opportunities including its multi-year program, a fellowship grant program, and project grants for emerging organizations or collectives. 

​​“COVID-19 hit the cultural sector hard over the last two years, and communities of color have been disproportionately impacted, making the need to support the organizations led by and serving people of color essential to the health of our city,” said Judilee Reed, William Penn Foundation’s program director for creative communities.

Potential applicants have until Jan. 14, 2022 to apply. Following grant opportunities will be announced in early 2022.

Those interested in learning more about the grant program can read the William Penn Foundation's information page on Philadelphia’s Cultural Treasures.