On March 24, artists, administrators of arts organizations, educators, and community members from across the Commonwealth will gather in Harrisburg for Arts Advocacy Day 2026.
This advocacy toolkit is designed to support arts councils, arts organizations, artists, educators, and community members across Pennsylvania in advancing shared policy and funding priorities for the arts ecosystem. It can be used to mobilize local advocates in advance of Arts Advocacy Day, during meetings on March 24, and in follow-up communications with legislators throughout the year.
>> Click here to learn more about Arts Advocacy Day
Purpose of the Toolkit
Pennsylvania consistently ranks among the nation’s most arts-vibrant states, yet our public investment in the arts lags behind nearly all of our neighboring states. Arts Advocacy Day is an opportunity to collectively and clearly articulate what the arts need to thrive as a public good, one that strengthens communities, supports education, preserves cultural identity, and contributes to a healthy democracy.
This toolkit provides:
- Clear messaging grounded in shared statewide priorities
- Guidance for engaging legislators digitally and in person
- Templates for emails, letters, and social media outreach
- Tips for effective, respectful advocacy
Shared Advocacy Framework
Core Context
- The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) was established in 1966 to strengthen and expand access to the arts across the Commonwealth.
- It was charged with supporting artists and cultural organizations, identifying and investing in community cultural resources, and serving as the state’s primary steward of public arts funding. Its first grant programs launched in 1968, creating a statewide system of support that has sustained creative work in all 67 counties for decades.
- Pennsylvania currently ranks 33rd in the nation in per-capita state funding for the arts, lower than every neighboring state except West Virginia.
- Despite relatively low state investment, Pennsylvania ranks 9th nationally in arts vibrancy (according to SMU DataArts), demonstrating the strength and resilience of the Commonwealth’s cultural sector.
- Ohio now invests nearly two-and-a-half times more per capita in the arts than Pennsylvania.
- Since 2020, the PCA has increasingly directed funding toward economic development and entrepreneurship initiatives within the broader “creative industries” sector.
- In 2025, the agency rebranded as Pennsylvania Creative Industries, reflecting this strategic shift in focus.
- Economic development is an important public priority, but it requires different tools, goals, and accountability structures than direct support for artistic creation, cultural programming, and nonprofit arts organizations. Pennsylvania Creative Industries should function as a division within the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, not replace its core identity or redirect funding away from artist-driven projects, cultural programs, and the operations of arts organizations across the Commonwealth.
- Under grant guidelines introduced for 2025–2026 and scheduled to take effect in 2026–2027, it is estimated that approximately 70% of Pennsylvania’s cultural organizations would no longer qualify for public funding through grants administered by Pennsylvania Creative Industries. The new framework includes no clear safeguards to ensure continued support for rural communities, BIPOC-led organizations, or low-income communities.
- Long-standing, widely trusted programs, such as the Arts in Education Teaching Artist Residency program, are slated to be discontinued beginning in 2026–2027. This program has served every county in the Commonwealth, advancing student learning aligned with Pennsylvania academic standards while providing meaningful, paid opportunities for artists working directly in schools and community settings.
2026 Legislative Priorities
1. Recommit to the Mission of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA)
Core Message:
The PCA was created to help communities across the Commonwealth create and sustain their own cultural and artistic programs. State funding should directly support artists, arts organizations, and arts education in every county.
Advocacy Asks:
- Increase the state arts grants line item from $9.59 million to $12.9 million to strengthen direct support for artists and arts organizations across Pennsylvania.
- Restore the $1.7 million redirected from arts grants to economic development programs, ensuring these funds once again support the PCA’s core arts grantmaking.
- Extend Arts in Education and Folk Arts partnership programs, which are foundational to community-based cultural access, giving communities the stability and time needed to responsibly transition relationships and sustain local impact.
- Reinstate the Preserving Diverse Cultures Division, maintaining its $671,000 budget to provide multi-year grants and organizational development support for culturally specific and community-rooted arts organizations.
- Establish Pennsylvania Creative Industries as a division within the PCA, supported by $2 million in new funding to advance creative sector economic development without diverting resources from arts grants.
- Ensure grant programs reflect the full diversity of Pennsylvania’s arts ecosystem, supporting artists at different career stages, organizations of varying sizes, and a wide range of artistic disciplines and community-based work.
- Fill future Citizen Council vacancies with members who actively represent and understand Pennsylvania’s arts sector, ensuring informed leadership and strong connections to the communities the PCA serves.
2. Ensure Transparency, Accountability, and Long-Term Stability
Core Message:
Public funding works best when it is transparent, accountable, and predictable. Clear communication, strong oversight, and long-term planning ensure that public investment in the arts is effective and equitable.
We are advocating for:
- Clear reporting on grant guidelines and awards to ensure stakeholders understand how funds are allocated.
- Strong legislative oversight of PCA grantmaking and funding decisions.
- A statewide mapping initiative to document and promote public and private institutions engaged in artistic and cultural activity across Pennsylvania, helping policymakers better understand the sector’s reach and needs.
- Long-term infrastructure policies, including exploring a statewide “percent for arts” fund to provide sustainable support for the arts across the Commonwealth.
Advocate With Us
1. Letter/Email Writing Campaign
Letters may be mailed or emailed. A copy can also be shared with your local arts council so they can be hand-delivered to legislators during Arts Advocacy Day.
>> Find contact info for your state legislators by using the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s tool: Find My Legislator
Key Tips
- Begin by identifying yourself as a constituent.
- State your support for the legislative priorities being advanced on Arts Advocacy Day.
- Share your personal connection to the arts: experiences, projects, or community programs that have made a difference.
- Be concise, no more than one page is ideal.
- Close with appreciation for your legislator’s service.
- Sign your email or letter with your full name mailing address.
>> Download our free letter template here: Arts Advocacy Day Letter/Email Template
2. Join the Arts Council's Postcard Campaign
The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council will be hand delivering postcards to Western PA elected officials in Harrisburg on Arts Advocacy Day. If you're interested in signing a postcard, please contact CEO Patrick Fisher at pfisher@pittsburghartscouncil.org to arrange a meeting.
3. Social Media Advocacy
At 9 a.m. on Arts Advocacy Day, we are asking creative individuals and organizations to join us in publicly asking your state legislators to support the arts by posting about Arts Advocacy Day on social media.
>> Download our free social media assets and guidelines here: Arts Advocacy Day Social Media Assets
Suggested Actions
- Express that though you may not be in Harrisburg, you stand in solidarity with everyone from the field who is at the state capital for Arts Advocacy Day
- Share why the arts matter in your life and in your community
- Tag your legislators
4. Mobilize in Harrisburg on Arts Advocacy Day
On March 24, advocates from across Pennsylvania will gather in Harrisburg for Arts Advocacy Day. Join colleagues from throughout the Commonwealth to meet in person with legislators and their staff, bringing district-based perspectives together into a unified statewide message.