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Dear Council Member,

I’m writing to urge that you reject the closing of The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and the defunding of The Philadelphia Cultural Fund as part of Mayor Kenney’s 2021 proposed budget.

Philadelphia’s arts and culture are the way back for our city and its economy. One of the reasons that Philadelphia has been growing and thriving over the past 20 years is the growth in the arts. Hundreds of arts organizations all over the city make Philadelphia a great place to live and a cultural center and destination in the region. Today I am disappointed to be in a city that would rather declare the arts expendable than develop a solution for the arts and culture sector, which already receives so little budget ($4M, or half of one-percent of the deficit).

Many of Philadelphia’s smaller arts and culture organizations are vital service organizations, caring for and attending to our most vulnerable populations in ways that data demonstrate can decrease medical and emotional crises that tax our economy.

The arts are also one of the most vulnerable sectors of the economy. The defunding of The Philadelphia Cultural Fund will disproportionately affect small organizations–many of these are run by marginalized artists: people of color, women, and the LGBTQI+ community. These neighborhood-focused, grassroots, growing organizations don’t qualify for private funding aimed at major institutions.

Without the support of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, many will never reopen.

Sincerely,
*YOUR NAME*