2020 Bartol Grant Awards

23 GRANTS TO PHILADELPHIA ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS

Philadelphia, PA—The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation announced today that it will distribute $115,000 in grants of $5,000 each to 23 Philadelphia arts and cultural organizations. The Foundation supports organizations in a range of artistic disciplines with an emphasis on arts education and community-based arts programs. A complete list with information on each grantee is available here.

The 2020 roster of grantees reflects the Bartol Foundation’s commitment to supporting cultural organizations that provide exceptional, sustained arts experiences to children, teens and adults throughout Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. The Bartol Foundation prioritizes community-based organizations which authentically connect to and represent the people they serve.

Two first-time grantees bring new perspectives and audiences to the roster of grantees.

• Scene-N-Action Productions Company, Inc uses the performing arts as a tool to cultivate talent, creativity and self-enrichment, while simultaneously creating an inclusive community for youth.
• The Young Artist Program centers BIPOC, LGBTQ+ identifying youth artists as well as adult leadership, using art as a tool for personal growth and social change by providing students with both art instruction & opportunities for political activism.

“The Bartol Foundation increased its overall giving in 2020 by almost 40% over 2019, including emergency grants to our grantees to pay teaching artists unable to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Beth Feldman Brandt, Executive Director of the Bartol Foundation. “This year’s roster of grantees is working in uncertain and challenging times with very limited resources.  A third of our new grantees have budgets under $100,000 and the smallest has a budget of $14,000. The majority of these organizations requested and received general operating support which provides essential day-to-day dollars to keep these small organizations going.”

“This current round of funding supports organizations committed to bringing the arts to communities which have been historically marginalized and silenced,” added Sannii Crespina-flores, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and Founder of the Un-Inhibited Muse Film Festival, the global youth initiative Do Remember Me and the art collaborative Yram Collective. “We are grateful for these community anchors as they use arts education to amplify these voices and nurture creative spirits when it is most needed.”

The $5,000 George Bartol Arts Education Award, given annually to an organization that exemplifies the Foundation’s priorities, will be announced later in the summer.  

Updated guidelines and applications for the next round of grants will be available in the winter of 2021 on the Foundation’s website at www.bartol.org with an application deadline of May 1, 2021.

The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation works at the intersection of arts, education, community and philanthropy, grounded in our belief that deeply meaningful arts experiences strengthen people and communities. The BartolFoundation advocates for and facilitates partnerships in which cultural organizations, teaching artists, community partners, and funders work toward the common goal of providing high-caliber, equitable arts education to people in Philadelphia, especially those in the most under-resourced or under-served communities. We utilize our knowledge and resources to create more resources and opportunities for all.