The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and what do you do?
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage (the Center), established in 2005, is dedicated to stimulating a vibrant cultural community in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region. The Center makes grants in seven areas—dance, visual art exhibitions, heritage, cultural management, music, theater, and individual artist’s fellowships—supporting area artists and organizations whose work is distinguished by excellence, imagination, and courage.
How is the Center associated with the Pew Charitable Trusts?
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, and is a key component of Pew's strategic support for culture in the region.
How is the Center associated with the University of the Arts?
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is administered through The University of the Arts. The University of the Arts performs some administrative functions for the Center.
What kinds of grants do you award? Do you have grants for individuals?
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage makes awards to both organizations and individuals. Each funding program has a set of annual guidelines detailing the types of grants available and eligibility criteria. To find out if you or your organization is eligible for funding through The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, please find the program relating to the discipline(s) you practice and either visit its page on the Center's Web site or contact the individual staff directly. Center staff members are always available to answer any questions you may have.
How many grants did the Center make last year?
In 2012, the Center awarded over $5.9 million in grants to 61 grantees through its seven funding programs. Visit the Grants Awarded page for a list of grantees from the most recent calendar year. Since 1989, the programs of the Center have provided over $82 million in project support to artists and arts and heritage organizations in the Southeastern Pennsylvania area.
How are grant decisions made at the Center?
Program grants are made annually through rigorous peer-review panels composed of a rotating group of distinguished, internationally-recognized experts. These panelists are selected from all over the world and bring both general and specific areas of disciplinary expertise to the process. Professional development and capacity-building grants are made at the discretion of program Directors in consultation with Pew or other field experts, as appropriate.
How do I apply for a grant?
Each program announces its annual guidelines and eligibility criteria on the Center's website, as well as a calendar of application due dates and deadlines. Pew Fellowships in the Arts applicants are now determined by a nomination process. Please find the webpage of your specific discipline for more information, or contact its staff directly.
What does the Center do in addition to grantmaking?
In addition to its grantmaking, the Center organizes lectures, symposia, master classes, trips, and workshops, and commissions scholarship to explore critical issues in the fields we serve. Our Web site houses information about Center-funded events and our grantees, and documents a range of vital content culled from past endeavors. Visit the Center's Publications & Research page for a comprehensive database of these documents and artifacts.
What is the history and background of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage?
The Center was established in 2005 to house seven funding programs of The Pew Charitable Trusts. These programs have since merged to form a single entity that awards grants throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania in seven discipline areas: dance, exhibitions, heritage, management, music, theatre, and individual artist fellowships. Our timeline below provides a look into our history and the culmination of the Center as it exists today:
1989: Philadelphia Music Project
1991: Pew Fellowships in the Arts
1993: Dance Advance
1995: Philadelphia Theatre Initiative
1997: Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative
1998: Heritage Philadelphia Program
2001: Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative
2005: Programs brought together as the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage
2008: Center renamed The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
Do the seven programs housed at the Center work together or separately? How are they connected?
The seven funding programs of the Center have always been funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and are a key component of Pew's support for culture in the region. Each program works together toward a common agenda of supporting artists and organizations of excellence in our community. Each program works under its own timeline and makes its own project grants. The programs often collaborate on joint professional development activities, including constituency trips and symposia, building bridges and finding fresh and imaginative ways of making connections among the disciplines in the arts community.
I love your facilities and the artwork. Who are the designers and artists represented?
The Center's offices were designed by BluPath Design, Philadelphia. All of the artwork in our office, including text excerpts, has been created by Pew Fellowships in the Arts recipients. For details about individual works of art in the space, download the Center's current Art Notes PDF.
Can we hold a meeting in your space?
Our facilities are primarily reserved for the Center's work; however, when space is available, we do allow constituents and their organizations to host meetings in our space. For more information, please contact Ellen Maher.
Can we visit your library?
Our library is administered through Exhibitions, which hosts an online library database, and Heritage, and can be made available to constituents upon request. Please contact the individual programs for more information.
Where is the Center located and where can I park when I visit?
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is located on the 18th floor of 1608 Walnut Street, between 16th and 17th Streets in Center City, Philadelphia, near Rittenhouse Square. Limited street parking is available, and there are two parking garages on Chancellor Street, between 15th and 16th Streets, within convenient walking distance.
