Last week, a broad group of arts orgs and arts lovers held a rally at City Hall to amplify a cause that could very easily slide off folks’ radar during City Council budget season: The arts in Philly, once again, are in a precarious place when it comes to City funding. As it stands now, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund — established in 1991 by the then- Mayor and City Council explicitly to fund the arts in Philly — is about to get slashed by about a third of its total operating budget, from $3.5 million to $2.5 million. (That’s out an overall $5.6 billion dollar budget.)

Please sign this petition at philaculture.org that’ll go right City Council. Here’s precisely what folks are asking for:

Allocate $3.5 million to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) to maintain its total FY22 budget from the Mayor’s Budget ($2.5 million) and City Council allocation ($1 million).

Live up to the responsibility of supporting City of Philadelphia-owned Arts and Cultural Institutions and Programs, especially those that reside in and serve Black and Brown communities.

Invest in established Arts & Culture projects/programs that align with the City of Philadelphia’s critical priorities: Violence Prevention, Entrepreneurship in Black and Brown communities, and Workforce Development.