Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

WHO WE ARE The mission of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) is to strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of Pennsylvania's communities through the arts. AGENCY MISSION The mission of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) is to strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of Pennsylvania's communities through the arts. Cross-cutting value: diversity, equity, and inclusion Promote equitable access for all Pennsylvanians to participate fully in a creative life and in the diverse forms of arts and culture in the commonwealth. GOALS 1.) Strengthen Pennsylvania communities through the arts. - Provide support for arts programming that engages Pennsylvanians throughout the commonwealth in experiencing the arts and exercising their creativity. - Invest in community-based arts projects that serve as catalysts to livability, economic development, and community connectedness. - Work with public and private sector partners to build cross-sector collaborations to advance shared goals. Preserve and promote Pennsylvania's diverse cultures and cultural heritage. 2.) Connect and increase Pennsylvanians' access to lifelong learning through the arts. - Support arts in education to cultivate future innovators and build essential skills that promote success in school and career readiness. - Advance quality of life for Pennsylvanians of all ages through arts learning and creative endeavors. 3.) Champion public awareness and appreciation of the arts in Pennsylvania communities. - Inform and engage the public about the value and impact of the arts. - Encourage Pennsylvania's artists, arts organizations, and creative industries' capacity for marketing and sustainability. - Recognize and celebrate the arts and Pennsylvania's artists and arts organizations as contributing to the commonwealth's prosperity. PCA HISTORY On October 26, 1966, Governor William D. Scranton signed enabling legislation establishing the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Through the provisions of Act No. 538, the Council is charged with "the encouragement and development of the various arts" in the Commonwealth. Funding for the PCA comes from the citizens of Pennsylvania through an annual state appropriation by the General Assembly and from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a federal agency. The Council's grants programs began in 1968 with a modest program of support for community arts festivals. Currently, the PCA accomplishes its mission through a combination of grants to the arts; partnerships and initiatives; technical assistance to partners and applicants; and by serving as a resource for arts-related information for public officials, other agencies of state government, and the general public. The PCA undertakes partnerships and initiatives to leverage opportunities, to seek solutions to challenges affecting the arts in the Commonwealth, and to initiate programs that will serve a broad spectrum of artists, arts organizations and arts participants throughout the state.