PAFA Awarded $.5 Million for Arts Development in Philadelphia

This contribution to PAFA will enhance the institution’s city campus, the School’s curriculum and contribute significantly to the revitalization of the North Broad Street Corridor

PHILADELPHIA (January 11, 2018) – The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has been awarded $500,000 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) for the institution’s Campus Master Plan.

"I was pleased to secure this $500,000 RACP for the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts to support the expansion and renovations of its state-of-the-art arts center and school," Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne said. "As co-chair of the Arts and Culture Caucus in Harrisburg, I have seen the significant role the arts play in our communities, in shaping and expressing our culture and in the education of our young people. The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts continues to be a leader and innovator with its museum, its school and its tremendous collection of art."

RACP is administered by the state Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects.

"These RACP grants are increasingly competitive and this year the biggest grants went primarily to corporate entities undertaking large development projects," Said David Brigham, President and CEO of PAFA. "We are especially grateful to receive the funding this year in light of the stiff competition."

As of January 2018, PAFA has raised over $20.3 million toward its overall goal of $25 million for Phase I of its Campus Master Plan. This phase includes the creation of a new multidisciplinary Arts Center that will feature a schedule of programs produced in collaboration with several additional cultural partners serving diverse communities; exterior campus improvements (including signage, lighting, paving) to enhance the façades of both of PAFA’s buildings and to contribute to the redevelopment of North Broad Street; and significant investment into the infrastructure of our Historic Landmark Building, one of the nation’s most important 19th-century buildings.