An Impact Study of Public Funding in the City of Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Cultural Fund strives to promote arts and culture and provide the funds to enhance the cultural life and vitality of the City of Philadelphia and its residents. Through examining the City of Philadelphia’s view on culture, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund itself, the Fund’s relationship with the arts and cultural non-profit organizations in Philadelphia, and information from recipients of the Fund’s services, this thesis identifies the Philadelphia Cultural Fund’s influence on its community. I have explored how this particular government funding entity affects the non-profit arts and culture sector in Philadelphia within the categories of programmatic choices, operations, financial reporting and organizational structure and can identify how Philadelphia and the United States can move forward to value and continue to support the arts and culture organizations that shape our communities. The Philadelphia Cultural Fund has been instrumental in providing resources to improve the arts and cultural sector within the City of Philadelphia. Through their grants, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund has been able to provide as much as $3.14 million in general operating support in 2017 to over 300 organizations. In addition to providing funding to the arts and cultural community, the grant application process has impacted arts and culture non-profit organizations by preparing smaller organizations for future funding opportunities.M.S., Arts Administration -- Drexel University, 201