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Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council Awards Grants to Southwestern PA Creatives and Arts Organizations

People sitting at tables in a bright art studio, drawing and painting with art supplies.
Creative Citizen Studios, which works with artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is one of the Arts Council's newly announced grantees // Photo by Patrick Fisher

Pittsburgh, PA — The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is proud to announce the recipients of two grant programs for Fiscal Year 2025-2026: the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator and the Creative Sector Flex Fund. Together, these grants from Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by PA Council on the Arts, deliver more than $260,000 in funding to creative entrepreneurs and arts organizations across Allegheny, Beaver, Greene, and Washington counties — supporting the work, businesses, and programming that make Southwestern Pennsylvania's creative sector thrive.

"The Arts Council is proud to support this year's Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator and Creative Sector Flex Fund grantees," says Patrick Fisher, CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. “From emerging creative businesses to esteemed arts organizations, these individuals and groups are doing essential work that enriches our communities across Southwestern Pennsylvania.”

Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator

Forty-four Southwestern Pennsylvania creative entrepreneurs were awarded a total of $88,000 to support their businesses' general operations as part of the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator program. Each awardee received a $2,000 grant, which can be used to start or operate a creative business. In addition to funding, all applicants received access to free business consultations through the University of Pittsburgh, Chatham University, and Bridgeway Capital.

Grantees represent the diversity of Southwestern Pennsylvania's creative economy, supporting businesses with gross revenues of less than $200,000 working across creative fields including design, digital games, film and media, music and entertainment, publishing, and visual arts and crafts.

The 2025-2026 Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator awardees include:

Design

Digital Games

Film & Media

Music + Entertainment

Publishing

Visual Arts + Crafts

Creative Sector Flex Fund

Thirty-five Southwestern Pennsylvania arts organizations were awarded a total of $175,000 in general operating support through the Creative Sector Flex Fund grant program. Each organization received a $5,000 grant to support their ongoing arts and culture programming.

The program serves organizations in Allegheny, Beaver, Greene, and Washington counties with average annual revenues between $10,000 and $200,000.

The 2025-2026 Creative Sector Flex Fund grantees include:

A Note on the Future

This year's grants represent a bittersweet milestone. Fiscal Year 2025-2026 is the final year the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council will administer the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator and Creative Sector Flex Fund. Pennsylvania Creative Industries announced the end of its regional partnership model, which first launched in 1997 and was designed to ensure that public arts funding reached communities in every corner of the commonwealth.

As part of this transition, Pennsylvania Creative Industries has sunsetted the Creative Sector Flex Fund, replaced by a new Creative Asset Program, which they are administering in-house. The Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator will now be administered by Bridgeway Capital, which expects to relaunch the grant program in Fall 2026.

The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is actively advocating for Pennsylvania Creative Industries to ensure that changes in grant eligibility won’t mean small organizations will lose critical operational support, and rural counties won’t be disproportionately affected by the absence of regional partner expertise and relationships.

Our organization remains deeply committed to supporting the creative sector in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and we will continue to advocate for artists, creative entrepreneurs, and arts organizations as the funding landscape evolves. 

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Grantmaking

About the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council builds a more resourced, connected, and informed arts sector, empowering artists and arts organizations throughout Southwestern PA. By sharing resources, fostering significant relationships, leading advocacy initiatives, and increasing public awareness of arts and culture, the Arts Council cultivates a thriving, vibrant arts community for the Greater Pittsburgh region.

For interviews with the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, image use requests, and any other media questions, please contact Director of Marketing and Communications Lisa Cunningham at lcunningham@pittsburghartscouncil.org.