Leading advocacy to ensure the arts are valued, supported, and sustained.
We build and sustain relationships with elected officials and public and private funders to ensure policies and practices reflect the realities of working artists and arts organizations.
Our advocacy focuses on creating conditions where artists and arts workers can remain in their chosen professions, building viable careers, sustaining their livelihoods, and contributing fully to civic life. At the same time, we champion the needs of arts organizations, working to ensure they have the resources and policy support required to serve communities through the work they produce and present.
We advocate not only for funding, but for systems that recognize the arts as essential to a thriving region.
Advocacy in the Arts
Advocacy in the Arts is the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council's monthly arts advocacy newsletter, created to keep you informed, connected, and energized around the critical issues shaping our region’s arts sector.
Policy and Action Roundtables
The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council’s Policy and Action Roundtables are designed to strengthen dialogue, coordination, and collective action across Pittsburgh’s arts ecosystem and cultural sector.
Insights gathered through these discussions will help inform advocacy priorities, elevate sector needs, and shape policy recommendations that advance equity, access, and long-term sustainability for arts and culture in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
Arts Priorities for the City of Pittsburgh
The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council convened a diverse group of voices from across the sector, identifying nine key arts priorities to ensure Pittsburgh continues to grow as a contemporary global city where creativity is valued, supported, and allowed to thrive.
Arts Priorities for Pennsylvania
The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council joins artists, administrators of arts organizations, educators, and community members from across the Commonwealth in advocating for policies that holistically support the arts ecosystem.
The Fair Deal Checklist
In late 2025, the Arts Council partnered with The Equity | Impact Center to advance the development of the Fair Deal Checklist, an initiative focused on equitable practices for freelance and contracted creative work. Thanks to support from the Center for Artistic Activism and the Tremaine Foundation, three arts sector focus groups — designed and facilitated by Leigh Solomon Pugliano, Founder, President & CEO of The Equity | Impact Center — brought together artists and arts leaders to share insights, reflect on current contracting practices, and help inform the checklist’s emerging framework.
On the Ground, In Community
This signature advocacy initiative provides a first-hand look at how arts investment is transforming neighborhoods. The tours bring elected officials and philanthropic partners together for a curated look at the strength of our region’s arts ecosystem and how public and private dollars are leveraged to sustain impactful work.
Trump’s Impact on the Arts
Within his first 24 hours in office, President Trump rescinded many of former President Biden’s previous executive orders. In the days that followed, threats of federal funding cuts caused concerns throughout the arts and culture community. This blog serves as a running list of updates as we gather more info on how the new administration is affecting our sector.
Government Systems and Advocate Partners
National and state arts budgets are regularly debated issues. Government grants comprise a small but significant portion of arts nonprofit funding, as they have been shown to attract investment from other private and public funders. Annual funding appropriations are determined by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees overseeing the U.S. Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Learn more about the decision-making bodies, agencies implementing funding and policy, and ways to take action at the local, state, and federal level.
Take Action
Want more funding to go to the arts? Worried about the lack of state-supported arts education? Connecting with your elected officials is often the easiest — and most effective — way individuals can influence change.