City accepting applications for Illuminate the Arts Grants

The City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, the Arts and Culture Task Force, and City Councilmembers Isaiah Thomas and Katherine Gilmore Richardson recently announced the Illuminate the Arts Grant. The online application is open now through Friday, May 28.

The Illuminate the Arts Grants aims to help sustain and stimulate the recovery of Philadelphia’s arts and culture community, which has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $1 million will be distributed to Philadelphia’s individual artists, small and mid-size nonprofit arts organizations, and small creative enterprises. The grant seeks to financially uplift the city’s creative sector and support disadvantaged communities, particularly Philadelphia’s Black and Brown communities, that have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Created by City Councilmembers Isaiah Thomas and Katherine Gilmore Richardson, the funds came from City Council’s New Normal Budget Act as an investment to address racial disparities in the City of Philadelphia.

“Supporting our arts and culture community is crucial to our recovery from COVID-19,” said Richardson. “Individual artists and small businesses often struggle to receive funding and didn’t receive any support from the initial stimulus packages. I’m thrilled we were able to put together this program and invest in our artists.”