arts education programs – Oct 23

Posted by William Penn Foundation on September 30, 2025

William Penn Foundation invites applications for arts education programs

William Penn Foundation (WPF) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, invites applications for out-of-school community-based arts education programs.

Studies have demonstrated that arts education enables young people of all ages to connect to their own creativity, stretch their imaginations, and express their personalities. It also develops social-emotional and critical thinking skills and helps youth build empathy and connections to others and the world around them. Thoughtfully designed and delivered arts education can act as a safe space, allowing young people to share personal stories, process conflict and trauma, and develop interpersonal and cultural awareness. These opportunities can also help older youth gain skills needed in post-secondary education and the workplace.

The foundation aims to bolster efforts that provide young people with hands-on arts education led by skilled teaching artists. Programs must exclusively serve children between ages 5 and 18. In particular, WPF is most interested in prioritizing support for projects that are culturally relevant and make it possible for youth to engage as leaders and drivers of their own learning experiences.

The foundation requests proposals for projects up to three years in duration to connect young people in the greater Philadelphia region with out-of-school arts education opportunities in their communities. The arts education opportunities should be driven by the young people’s creativity and interests and support their personal development and growth. These programs will primarily connect to youth outside of school time and offer opportunities to pursue arts learning at any point during the year, including the summer. After reviewing proposals, WPF will conduct site visits and gather additional information from a limited number of organizations.

WPF has $3 million available to advance this objective through this RFP. There is no minimum or maximum amount of funding that organizations may request. The grant amount requested should be commensurate with the contribution that the project will make to the overall objective. However, grant requests under $450,000 (over three years) will be most competitive.

To be eligible, applicants must be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as 501(c)(3) public charities or operate under a public charity fiduciary (fiscal sponsor). Applicants must have a history of offering at least two consecutive years of successful arts education programs in the Philadelphia region.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the William Penn Foundation website.

Deadline: October 23, 2025