PHILADELPHIA CULTURAL FUND ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF FIRST ANNUAL YOUTH ARTS ENRICHMENT GRANTS

Initiative Debut Will Provide $357,700 in Milestone Funding For Cultural Arts Programming Targeted to City’s YouthrnrnPhiladelphia, June 15, 2010 – Today, Mayor Michael A. Nutter and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) proudly announced the first recipients of the organization’s newest, landmark grants program – the Youth Arts Enrichment Grants – created to support projects and programs that use the arts to enrich the lives of young people both in and outside of school. The inaugural round of grants, totaling $357,700, was awarded to nine youth-focused organizations whose goals include: rnrnProviding high quality arts instruction, training and participatory experiences that serve those young people most in need, who are unlikely to have access to cultural enrichment;rnProviding consistent programming that directly impacts the reduction of youth violence, truancy and drop out rates, while increasing the number of graduations and college-bound students; andrnEncouraging arts and cultural programming as an alternative activity for youth in after-school, weekend and summer programs. rnrn“The Youth Arts Enrichment Grants go to the heart of what’s needed across our city and region – the opportunity to provide exposure and knowledge of arts and culture to those who will benefit most – our youth,” said Mayor Nutter. “It’s just this kind of experience that has the capacity to change lives. And as the next generation, it’s that exposure and knowledge which will ultimately give Philadelphia the greatest payback – enabling underserved young people to follow their dream and keep our cultural community vital, thriving and exciting.”rnrnGary Steuer, the City’s Chief Cultural Officer and Director of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, commented, “This is an initiative that has had the full support and encouragement of my Office. We know that active participation in arts programs has an array of positive outcomes on our youth – it helps them become better learners and citizens; it can also give them hope and optimism, often pointing the way to a more productive life path. The Youth Arts Enrichment Grants program provides critical support to some of the strongest sources of arts engagement services to our young people. Now more than ever, we need to make sure that we are investing in the role the arts can play, and the impact it can have, in making a better life for our youth.”rnrnPCF Board President Sara Garonzik, Artistic Producing Director of Philadelphia Theatre Company commented, “For many years now, the Cultural Fund has been a consistent resource for basic funding – providing support to over 200 arts organizations annually for day-to-day operating costs, which in itself is unique. But to now also have the extraordinary opportunity to help sustain and/or create specific targeted programming to different segments of our community allows us to complete the circle – to be a truly rounded source of support for arts organizations whose mission and programming is exemplary and well-worth continuing.”rnrnThe nine inaugural Youth Arts Enrichment Grants recipients were chosen from a pool of 82 applicants, all of whom were required to have been a 2010 recipient of PCF general operating support and have a budget in excess of $50,000. As with PCF’s established annual grants, a dedicated panel of peers reviewed all applications. In addition to the Cultural Fund Grants Committee and PCF board members who offered to serve, the Youth Arts Enrichment Grants panel also included four guest panelists who are noted experts in Arts Education: Marge Horner, Director of Education at the Abington Art Center; Barbara Bassett, Constance Williams Curator of Education, School and Teacher Programs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Judy Hellman, Director of Education at the Mural Arts Program; and Nancy Shaw, former Director of Education at People’s Light and Theatre Co. rnrnFor more information on PCF, the Youth Arts Enrichment Grants program or access to the recipients, please contact June O’Neill at 267.481.2229 or by email at junewoneill@hotmail.com.rnrn####rnrnAbout the Philadelphia Cultural FundrnrnThe Philadelphia Cultural Fund is a non-profit corporation established by Philadelphia’s Mayor and City Council in 1991 to support and enhance the cultural life and vitality of the City of Philadelphia and its residents. Since 1991, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund has distributed just over $30,000,000 in city funding to arts and culture organizations throughout our region.rnrn####rnrn2010 PREMIERE YOUTH ARTS ENRICHMENT GRANT RECIPIENTSrnrnArt-Reach, Inc.rnGrant amount: $50,000rnProject: “Anti-Violence T-shirt Project.” The theme of the project, speaking out against violence, empowers teens to address the type of violence most affecting their lives in 3 phases. Phase I – teens discuss their feeling about violence and develop their ideas about violence prevention; Phase II – students use the art of silk screening to illustrate their message by creating anti-violence designs and slogans; Phase III – develops teens entrepreneurial skills, by teaching them about sales and marketing, selling their t-shirts at a local retail store. rnrnAsian Arts InitiativernGrant amount: $36,023rnProject: Expansion of Youth Arts Workshop Programming with a Drop-in Style Youth Lounge. The Youth Lounge offers a range of activities – from open studio, to movie discussions and resume-writing – providing a safe, constructive space for all youth. rnrnBuildaBridge InternationalrnGrant amount: $50,000rnProject: Discovery after-school in-shelter program and Artology summer out-of-shelter program. Discovery is designed as an after-school and evening arts education program that brings meaningful art education to homeless children who have little access to such opportunities. Artology is a multi-disciplinary art and science summer camp that serves 4th – 8th graders, 25-50% of whom are homeless and 90% of whom are from low-income households. rnrnThe Clay StudiornGrant amount: $50,000rnProject: Claymobile Outreach Program. Professionally trained arts educators take everything required for a ceramics class to a partner location, and transport student work back to the Claymobile’s support center for firing. rnrnInterAct, Inc.rnGrant amount: $25,000rnProject: Expansion of drama program with De LaSalle in Towne (DELSIT), a year-round, community-based day treatment program for delinquent male youth. The program will support a youth-comprised theatre program called the DELSIT Drama Crew. Activities include: Acting; Playwriting; field trips to the Young Voices High School Monologue Festival; Guest artist performances of monologues and scenes by local professionals; and two student-written and performed productions.rnrnKulu Mele African American Dance EnsemblernGrant amount: $29,204rnProject: Expansion of Omo Kulu Mele (the children of Kulu Mele), a youth development and arts education program. Participants develop skills in dance, music and performance and to build their own creative and leadership abilities. The program incorporates traditional African values and principles as a foundation to establish and build character, unity, self efficiency, a positive self identity, and cultural awareness. rnrnPhiladelphia Arts in Education PartnershiprnGrant amount: $50,000rnProject: An out-of-school time program to integrate the arts with emergent literacy skill building and reinforcement for children ages 5 to 8. The program will provide professional development for artists, parents and caregivers to learn age appropriate methodologies and arts project content development with this student population. The program will then support and conduct action research through artist residencies conducted in underserved neighborhoods through the Philadelphia Free Library system.rnrnTaller Puertorriqueño, Inc.rnGrant amount: $36,023rnProject: Ongoing support of Taller’s Cultural Awareness Program, which serves ages 5-15. The theme for the coming year will be exploring “Growing Green: Art and Nature” to focus on learning how to be green in our community, art center, homes and with ourselves. rnrnWest Park Cultural CenterrnGrant amount: $31,450rnProject: Arts for Literacy. A program utilizing the performing arts as a tool to engage and stimulate learning for a youth population that comes from underserved and impoverished communities and who demonstrate a disconnect with their studies.