Arts And Culture General Operating Support

The William Penn Foundation is offering multi-year general operating support through its Arts and Culture program to organizations that have a demonstrated commitment to artistic excellence and community impact. This opportunity, titled “Arts and Culture General Operating Support,” seeks to provide flexible funding to eligible organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region that use arts and culture to contribute meaningfully to their communities. The Foundation's objective is to provide general operating support to 250 arts and culture organizations by 2035, and this RFP is a major step toward reaching that target. The current Request for Proposals (RFP) opened on December 10, 2025, and will close on January 29, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET. It is intended for organizations with fiscal years beginning between July and December 2026. Applicants must submit proposals through the Foundation’s online Grants Portal. Funding is unrestricted and can be used to support any area of need identified by the organization. The Foundation will conduct site visits with selected applicants between February 20 and March 13, 2026. Final decisions will be made by the Foundation’s Board of Directors at their April 24, 2026, meeting, and successful applicants may begin implementing their funding in May 2026. Organizations must meet several eligibility criteria: they must be 501(c)(3) public charities with missions focused on arts and culture programming, must have received a prior Arts and Culture or Creative Communities grant from the Foundation between January 2016 and January 2026, and must not currently hold an active general operating support grant from the Foundation. Youth-focused arts education organizations, annual festivals, higher education institutions, and fiscally sponsored projects are not eligible. Additionally, the organization must be located in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, or Montgomery counties, or the city of Camden, NJ. Proposals are evaluated based on several criteria: artistic and cultural practice, equity and inclusion orientation, understanding and engagement of intended beneficiaries, community contribution, design feasibility, and organizational capacity. Strong applications will describe how the organization uses its platform to support inclusive access, remove barriers, and reflect the experiences of historically marginalized communities in meaningful ways. Grantees are also expected to participate in a Learning Community convened by the Foundation to share progress and insights across the cohort. A total of $8 million in funding is available through this RFP. Grant amounts are determined based on the organization's operating expenses, with a maximum cap of $675,000 per organization. Award amounts are calculated using a sliding scale, ranging from 20% of annual operating expenses for small organizations to a maximum of $225,000 for organizations with budgets exceeding $7.5 million. While advocacy and lobbying are permitted under specific conditions, no funds may be used for partisan activity or candidate support. Applicants who meet eligibility criteria and believe they align with the goals of the RFP are encouraged to attend an informational webinar on December 17, 2025, at 1:00 PM ET. Questions may be directed to Lindsay Tucker So, Senior Program Officer, or to the Foundation’s grants team at [email protected] or by phone at (215) 988-1830.

Ensure narrative responses address all six review criteria including artistic excellence, equity, and community contribution.