COVID-19 ARPA PA Arts and Culture Recovery Program

The COVID-19 ARPA PA Arts and Culture Recovery Program is a funding initiative administered by The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC), a regional foundation headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. TFEC is a community foundation that offers a range of philanthropic support services, including donor advised funds, grantmaking, scholarships, and community leadership initiatives. The foundation is accredited and maintains transparency standards through oversight organizations like Charity Navigator. The PACR program aligns with TFEC's mission to strengthen communities by responding to urgent local needs, particularly those stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The PACR grant program was developed in direct response to the severe economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the arts and culture sector across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Its central goal is to ensure the recovery and long-term sustainability of professionals working in creative and cultural fields. With pandemic-related disruptions affecting income streams, event planning, and overall viability of arts-based careers, this program provides much-needed relief and support for individual artists and cultural workers. Funding from this program is primarily designated for individuals who experienced economic losses due to the pandemic. Examples of covered disruptions include personal illness or illness of a dependent, the cancellation of events, exhibitions, or residencies, revenue loss due to government-imposed shutdowns or venue capacity restrictions, travel limitations that hindered professional work, and job furloughs. The grant is not intended for institutions or groups, but for individual creative professionals whose livelihoods were directly interrupted by COVID-related events. To be eligible for funding, applicants must meet several specific criteria. They must be active creative or cultural professionals who have created or exhibited new work within the past 12 months and earn the majority of their income from self-employment in the arts and culture industry. Furthermore, they must demonstrate that their income stream was disrupted by the pandemic and must currently need financial assistance. Residency requirements stipulate that applicants must have lived in Pennsylvania for at least 12 months and currently reside in Cumberland, Dauphin, or Lebanon County. The application process for the 2025 funding cycle opens on June 1, 2025, and closes on September 1, 2025. Applications must be submitted within this window, and no pre-application steps such as letters of intent or preliminary proposals are required. As the grant is not offered on a rolling basis, applicants must adhere strictly to these deadlines. There is no indication at this time whether the grant will be renewed for future cycles. Each approved applicant will receive a one-time grant of $3,000. Details on the total program funding and the number of awards to be issued have not been disclosed. There is no match requirement for applicants. For any questions or assistance regarding the grant application process, applicants may contact Yamit Friedman or Teresa Gonzalez by phone at 717.236.5040 or by email at yfriedman@tfec.org and tgonzalez@tfec.org, respectively. General inquiries can also be sent to info@tfec.org. The Foundation for Enhancing Communities is located at 200 N. 3rd Street, 8th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101.