Grant Announcement |
$2,000 Grants Available to Creative Entrepreneurs in Allegheny, Beaver, Greene, & Washington Counties
The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council has announced application dates for the next Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator (CEA) grant program, which provides creative entrepreneurs in Allegheny, Beaver, Greene, and Washington counties with free small business consulting and $2,000 in funding to grow their businesses and revenue.
Applications open January 19, 2026, and are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. The application window closes February 6, 2026.
Before applying, applicants must first schedule a consultation and business plan review with a local small-business development organization, called a Referral Coordinator. Referral Coordinators help applicants create an approved business plan, which is required as part of the application.
Applicants may begin scheduling appointments with CEA Referral Coordinators on October 1, 2025, and all appointments must be scheduled no later than January 7, 2026.
The Arts Council administers this grant on behalf of Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. The program increases small-business opportunities and supports economic recovery for individuals working in creative fields such as marketing, architecture, visual arts and crafts, design, film and media, digital games, music and entertainment, and publishing.
Referral Coordinators’ contact information can be found on the Arts Council’s website at pittsburghartscouncil.org/grants/creative-entrepreneur-accelerator.
For questions about the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator grant program, email grants@pittsburghartscouncil.org.
UPDATE: All references to grant eligibility and guidelines have been removed at the request of Pennsylvania Creative Industries as we await new grant guidelines. We will update this announcement and the CEA grant program page as soon as those become available. We don't anticipate that the Application and Referral Process will change, and interested applicants are encouraged to proceed with scheduling appointments with Referral Coordinators as noted above.
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