Save the Arts in Rural PA


URGENT: Help Save Arts Funding in Rural Pennsylvania

Since 2009, the Elk County Council on the Arts (ECCOTA) has proudly served as a contracted partner organization with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA). Through this vital partnership, we have distributed hundreds of thousands of PA dollars to professional teaching artists, arts organizations, community events, and creative entrepreneurs across our rural region.

Partnership regions were formed to ensure all Pennsylvanians had access to the arts.

Our Arts in Education residency program and Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts grants have brought exceptional arts and cultural experiences to thousands of residents of Elk, Cameron, Forest, Potter, and McKean counties, communities deserving access to the transformative power of the arts.

In October, we received devastating news: the PCA partnership programs will end statewide in fall 2026.

This decision will have far-reaching consequences:

  • Two full-time positions eliminated at ECCOTA

  • Loss of essential administrative funding that sustains our operations

  • End of Arts in Education programs that bring professional artists into our schools and communities

  • Elimination of grant funding that supports local artists, events, and cultural organizations

  • Economic impact on teaching artists who depend on this income

  • Loss of accessible, affordable, high-quality arts programming for our communities

Our partnership region includes three of Pennsylvania's least-populated and most underserved counties. Most rural arts organizations and community events lack the budget to access PCA programs outside of partnership initiatives, but that doesn't make them any less deserving of arts funding and support.

Art is for everyone, including rural Pennsylvanians.

Currently, no replacement has been proposed for Arts in Education or a comparable program for the Creative Sector Flex Fund grants.

TAKE ACTION NOW:

  • Contact the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and urge them to prioritize funding for rural arts

  • Reach out to your state legislators and tell them rural communities deserve equitable access to arts funding

  • Share this message with fellow community members, artists, educators, and arts advocates

  • Amplify our voices so rural Pennsylvania is not left behind

Our communities matter. Our artists matter. Our children deserve access to the arts.

Don't let rural Pennsylvania be forgotten. Speak up today.

Sign Our Plea

Please complete the form below to express your support for the arts in rural Pennsylvania.

Additional Contacts

Find contact information for the PCA here - Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Staff
PCA Executive Director, Karl Blischke - kablischke@pa.gov
PCA Council Members - Citizen and Legislative Members
General Contact - Contact Form
Find your legislators - Pass the budget!