For the first time since 2007, the state budget included an increase to the line item for Grants to the Arts through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA). HB 2328, the budget bill, was comprised of a 5% in-crease for the line item for Grants to the Arts bringing the appropriation to $8.59 million and also included an increase to the appropriation for the administration of the Council on the Arts of $12,000.
This budget included a $550,000 appropriation for marketing for accredited zoos as well as an increase of $1.65 million to the general government support for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museums Commission (PHMC) and $2 million for cultural and historical support through PHMC.
Funding provided through the Grants to the Arts impacts citizens in every county of Pennsylvania. During FY 2012-13, over 1250 organizations received funding through this line item. State funding provided support for programs of organizations as diverse as the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Buck Hill-Skytop Music Festival in Monroe County. For a complete listing of all grants issued by the PCA in FY 2012-13 visit http://www.pacouncilonthearts.org/pca.cfm?id=69&level=Second and click on the Grants List line.
Through state funding, PHMC provides sup-port to 38 historical sites and museums. Additionally, PHMC manages the Pennsylvania Archives, the State Museum, and the Historical Markers program, as well as many others. All of this and more can be found in PHMC’s 2012-13 Annual Report.
