Cultural Policy |
New Report: Federal Cultural Cuts Could Derail Years of Progress, Harming PA Communities
Amid rising demand and growing momentum across Pennsylvania’s arts and culture sector, a new statewide report warns that sweeping federal cuts threaten to derail years of progress. The 2025 PA CultureCheck, released by PA Humanities in collaboration with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, offers data and firsthand testimony from over 400 cultural organizations. This marks the third consecutive year of the study, offering critical insights into trends since 2022.
“We’re seeing powerful stories of resilience and innovation coupled with urgent calls for help,” said Laurie Zierer, Executive Director of PA Humanities. “Cultural organizations are doing more than ever to support community health, connection, and vibrancy. But they’re doing it with fewer resources, rising costs, and now, looming federal threats. Without investment, we risk losing not only vital programs, but the civic infrastructure that holds communities together.”
Backed by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, this year’s PA CultureCheck paints a vivid picture of a sector that is both essential and at risk.
Key Findings:
1. Federal cuts threaten a sector in steady recovery
After years of pandemic strain, Pennsylvania’s cultural sector is regaining ground, but sweeping federal cuts now jeopardize hard-won gains and the communities that depend on it.
2. Cultural work drives community well-being, but lacks support and recognition
Organizations are stepping up with programs that address mental health, aging, and youth development. Yet they’re doing it without the funding or recognition these public services deserve.
3. Sustaining momentum requires dedicated funding and long-term investment in the sector’s future
As demand increases and costs climb, cultural organizations are being asked to do more with less. Without reliable, long-term funding, this progress won’t be sustainable.
The report includes survey responses from cultural organizations across the state, including nonprofit leaders, artists, educators, librarians, curators, and historians. PA Humanities, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council also hosted regional and statewide listening sessions to hear directly from those doing cultural work on the ground. The data shows that while attendance is climbing and community partnerships are expanding, just 35% of organizations report revenue growth, and many are facing rising inflation, loss of federal support, and burnout from doing more with less.
Cultural Community Sounds the Alarm
The report finds that 91% of cultural organizations could be impacted by federal cuts, a disruption that many leaders say would severely undermine planning, staffing, and community impact. Ulrike Shapiro, executive director of Tempesta di Mare in Philadelphia, described the uncertainty around federal funding as “detrimental to our planning and executing projects that have been over 12 months in the making,” noting that it “discredits our organizational integrity, and affects our artists, staff, patrons, and other beneficiaries… on the heels of a fragile recovery in our sector from the COVID pandemic.”
At the same time, the report shows that cultural organizations are increasingly stepping into expanded community support roles. Ammon Young, Library Director at Bloomsburg Public Library, shared that their institution has “started to expand our mission to function as a community center as much as a library, to increase possibilities for community support.” This kind of adaptation is echoed across the sector, where organizations are addressing local needs in mental health, education, aging, and youth development, often without the stable resources needed to sustain that work.
The report calls on funders, lawmakers, and civic leaders to invest in the sector with dedicated, long-term funding. Cultural leaders warn that without stable support, rising costs and funding disruptions will erode the programs, partnerships, and services that communities across Pennsylvania rely on.
"At a time when the federal government is targeting our most vulnerable communities, protecting the arts is more urgent than ever," says Patrick Fisher, CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. "PA CultureCheck confirms just how deeply the arts and humanities support essential resources, but our work can't stop here. We need to collectively make sure these findings fuel real action and advocacy so that future reports reflect not only recovery, but continued growth and resilience in our region’s arts and culture sector."
PA CultureCheck is a statewide research and advocacy initiative led by PA Humanities, in partnership with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, and with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
To read the full report, visit: pahumanities.org/culturecheck