Money for 2 ‘BIPOC’ cultural institutions

Artist Marta Sanchez with printmaking assistants Pablo Alarcon Jr. and Lauren Mueller at the Brandywine Workshop. Photo by Gustavo Garcia.

Two South Philly organizations received a large chunk of more than $6 million awarded through Philadelphia’s Cultural Treasures Initiative.

The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts and the Brandywine Workshop will receive a combined $780,000 via the William Penn Foundation in collaboration with The Barra Foundation, Neubauer Family Foundation, The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, and Wyncote Foundation.

The regional component of the Ford Foundation’s America’s Cultural Treasures, PCT is a three-part funding initiative that aims to support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color cultural groups, artists, and organizations with exceptional significance to Greater Philadelphia through substantial, multi-year general operating support as part of local philanthropy’s commitment to supporting a racially, economically, and socially just COVID-19 recovery. The program aims to create new opportunities for BIPOC artists, creatives, and culture-bearers and recognize their important and enduring contributions to Philadelphia and its residents.

“In Philadelphia and across the country, cultural groups, artists, and organizations of color have historically struggled with fewer financial resources than their white counterparts, with the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbating this issue,” said William Penn Foundation Board Chair Kathy Christiano. “Their work is an important part of the cultural landscape in Philadelphia, and we are pleased to support such a vibrant cohort of diverse arts organizations.”

The Brandywine Workshop, located at 730 S. Broad Street, will receive $400,000 over a four-year period. The Clef Club, just down the street at 736 S. Broad Street, will receive $380,000 over the next four years.

Scenes from the Clef Club. Photo by Tim Koen

Recipients were chosen after a two-part application process by a panel of a dozen local leaders and community partners. There will be two other upcoming funding opportunities including fellowships for BIPOC artists (nominations concluding in August 2022) and project grants to emergent organizations or collectives critically valued in their communities (application opening in summer 2023). These applications will be reviewed and selected by external panels of local leaders and community partners with a range of knowledge and work reflecting diverse neighborhoods, the field of arts and culture and civic participation.

America’s Cultural Treasures has generated more than $276 million in funding to more than 100 organizations across the country led by and/or serving communities of color that have made a significant impact on America’s cultural landscape, despite historically limited resources.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this cohort of organizations that have contributed immeasurably to Philadelphia’s artistic community,” said Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. “Their excellence and commitment to the communities they serve exemplify the principles of the America’s Cultural Treasures initiative and we cannot wait to see how they continue to grow.”