Out-of-School Community-based Arts Education Programs
Out-of-School Community-based Arts Education Programs supports teaching artists and arts organizations in providing hands-on learning for Philadelphia-area youth with limited access to arts education.
Funder: William Penn Foundation
Due Dates: October 22, 2026, 5:00 PM ET (proposals)
Funding Amounts: $3 million available; requests under $450,000 total over three years most competitive; projects up to three years
Summary: Supports hands-on, community-based arts education for youth with limited access across the Philadelphia region.
Key Information: Programs must serve only ages 5–18, with at least 75% of participants from low-income households.
Description
The William Penn Foundation’s Arts and Culture program funds out-of-school arts learning in community settings across the Philadelphia region. This request for proposals is for programs led by skilled teaching artists and arts educators, not in-school partnership programs. Instruction can span one or more artistic disciplines and take place after school, during school vacations, or in summer.
The foundation prioritizes equitable, inclusive, culturally relevant programs that give young people a role in shaping their learning. Its broader objective is to reach at least 75,000 youth ages 5–18 by 2035 who would otherwise have little or no access to high-quality, hands-on arts education, through community-based initiatives and in-school partnerships.
